Mum-of-two Kerry Walsh first started gambling after buying scratch cards a kid, but this soon spiralled into a secret gambling addiction that left her £35,000 in debt and relying on food banks to get by
A mother-of-two’s gambling addiction plunged her into £35,000 of debt and forced her to depend on food banks. Kerry Walsh is now opening up on how her childhood scratch card habit spiralled into a secret addiction.
Her addiction left her facing eviction and hiding from bailiffs whilst going into labour with daughter Isabella, one. The 26-year-old, who hasn’t gambled since July 2024, says her life was consumed by the “rush” of betting.
On payday, she could blow as much £700 in a single day on online slot games. “Sometimes I could blow through all my money in 20 minutes, other days it would be hours,” Wigan-based Kerry said.
“I’d be devastated when I lost it and I’d be trying to think of ways I could get it back. I struggle to buy essentials and I’d rely on food banks.
“Then, I started taking out loans. I was on Universal Credit and I’d sit and wait for my money to come in,” she admitted. “I’d spent £300 in the night but tell my partner I’d gambled a tenner.
“You can do it very privately because it’s on your phone; I stopped paying my rent which built up to £5,000 in arrears. Universal Credit would pay my rent and I was supposed to give it to my landlord but I didn’t, so I was told if I didn’t clear my arrears I would be evicted.
“I maxed out a £1,500 overdraft buying things for the house and gambling. I racked up £4,000 in gas and electric and I didn’t pay my council tax, when I got letters, I would just bin them.
“On the day I went to hospital to be induced with my daughter, there were two bailiffs at the door. I told them I was having a baby and shut the door. When I finally looked at my finances two years ago, I was in £34,000 worth of debt. It was sickening.”
Her dependency started at just 14, when relatives would purchase scratch cards for her from the neighbourhood shop. When she landed her first job as a scare actor at 16, she blew all her earnings on them.
Kerry revealed to NeedtoKnow: “I could easily spend £30 to £50 a day on scratch cards. Once I took myself into town with £60 to do some shopping.
“But I just went to four or five shops buying scratch cards, cashing it in and going to another shop. I won £50 on a £10 scratch card and when I cashed it in I told the woman I got it in a Christmas card, that was the first time I lied about my gambling.
“I never kept my winnings. It was the rush that it gave me and the thought of getting more money than what I had.”
When Kerry turned 18, she moved to a house incredibly close to a bingo hall and landed a job there — but this was not the only source for her to continue her gambling ways, as she also developed an obsession with online slot games. Kerry explained: “I’d see something I wanted, tell myself that I could put my money on bingo then I could buy it. My life revolved around not buying things I needed until I’d made more money by gambling.
“I wanted more money to have a luxurious lifestyle. Growing up, I was one of four, we didn’t have a lot of money. Everyone else would have nice things like phones and I’d have to beg and please and save up. But my parents did do a really good job.
In July 2024, Kerry took her first step towards recovery by reaching out to the gambling addiction charity, Gamcare. She hasn’t gambled since in July and has taken out a debt relief order, sharing: “I spent my last £10 and had a feeling I’d never felt before and asked myself why I was doing it.
“I reached out to Gamcare and they called me to offer support. Then New Beginnings, which is a women-only support group, reached out to me.
“It was awful trying to stop and for a month I kept falling back into it. I realised I couldn’t do it anymore and I wanted to have a good life without gambling.
“After I’d put the kids to bed, I’d switch my phone off, clean the house and read a book.I set myself a goal of reading all of the Harry Potter books and I read four or five.
“I asked other people what was helping them and put that into practice in my own life. I used to sit and wait for my money to go in.
“Now when I get paid, I make sure I’m out of the house and keeping my mind occupied. If I feel tempted, I have people I can speak to.
“Life is amazing now and I know that money isn’t everything.” Kerry is sharing her story to highlight the ease with which one can fall into a gambling addiction.
She added: “It’s so easy to gamble. It takes not even five minutes to sign up.
“You put in your details, show your ID and you’re good to go. Even after they message asking if you want to stop, they’ll allow you to deposit more and more.
“Gambling platforms have links for help but if someone doesn’t want help they aren’t going to click on them. They need to stop letting people deposit big amounts.
“They need a maximum per day. The limit shouldn’t be more than £100 a week because I’d do that in ten minutes.”
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