Recovering Addict Slams Operators after Losing Her Wedding Gift Money

A British woman from Rhyl has accused gambling operators of “stripping her of a personality,” causing her to gamble away half of the money she received as a wedding gift.

Hubbard’s Harm Skyrocketed Because of Online Gambling

Elissa Hubbard, who has struggled with gambling since a young age, has accused gambling operators of predatory behavior. In an interview with BBC, the woman, who is now recovering from gambling addiction, reminisced about her lowest point.

Hubbard, 38, said that her wedding in 2021 saw her hide and gamble, losing half of the money she and her wife had been gifted. She also revealed that she discovered gambling when she engaged with a slot machine in a pub when she was nine. When she started gambling online, however, things got way worse.

At the peak of her addiction, the woman was losing £40,000 a year to gambling. At that time, the thought of winning free spins could have prompted her to burn through her entire monthly wage.

“All my self-worth had gone. It had just stripped me of a personality. I just felt like such a failure,” she told BBC.

Hubbard Believes Operators Take Advantage of Poorer People

Once Hubbard began her road to recovery, she realized how ubiquitous gambling ads were. At that point, she began to feel intense hatred toward the inescapable ads and the irresponsible advertisers behind them.

She believes that people who wish to wager would do so regardless and that ads only hurt the most vulnerable of players.

The woman also noticed how many gambling shops and adverts are there in the poorer areas of Wales. According to BBC, one in five venues in Wales are located in the poorest areas, signposting a serious problem. As noted by Hubbard herself, many poorer people see gambling as a way to make more money, which, unfortunately, oftentimes doesn’t go that way.

To make matters worse, gambling operators have been getting very good at capturing potential customers’ attention, Dr Jamie Torrance who researches gambling psychology said. He added that Wales desperately needs NHS clinics to treat gambling-related disorders, such as those in England.

Similar sentiments were echoed by Senedd member Darren Millar who noted that it is a “well-known fact” that poorer communities experience harm more often. He regretted that some operators have been taking advantage of that.

While Britain has been intensifying its responsible gambling research, education and treatment (RET) efforts, many agree that there is a lot more to do. Many, however, are optimistic that the introduction of a statutory RET levy for gambling operators could lead to a healthier market.