A 26-year-old mother has issued a stark warning after a seemingly harmless free £5 online bingo bet triggered a gambling addiction that cost her more than £4,000.
From a Free Bet to a Life-Altering Rush
Molly Clipsham, a supermarket manager from Grimsby, had never gambled before 2021 when a friend suggested she sign up to an online bingo site using a referral code for a free £5 bet. Intrigued, she decided to try it. While her first game yielded nothing, her second ever bingo game resulted in a staggering win of £1,397.60.
"That's when it all started, it was like a switch went off in my head," Molly explained. The sudden windfall ignited a craving for the "rush" of winning, marking the beginning of a destructive pattern.
The Spiral into Debt and Despair
What began as small, regular deposits of £5 or £10 escalated rapidly. Within a year, Molly had moved from bingo to online casino games and slots, at times spending £100 in just 15 minutes. She began to view gambling as a supplementary income, using significant wins to fund lavish trips, including holidays to Disney World in Florida with her fiancé, Michael Kirwin.
"Gambling was paying me more than my monthly job," she admitted, but this success bred a dangerous greed. "I started getting greedy, thinking I needed to win 'big' like I had done before." The chase to recoup losses became all-consuming.
Although she stopped completely during her pregnancy, Molly fell into a "dark hole" of gambling again after the birth of her son, Hudson, in August. She would place bets during his nap times, later feeling immense guilt for not focusing on her newborn.
The £4,000 Wake-Up Call and Road to Recovery
The turning point came when Molly confronted the total sum of her lifetime deposits on the gambling sites. She was horrified to see she had spent over £4,000 in four years. "All the money that I've put on since I had my little boy could've gone towards him and his future," she said, overwhelmed with guilt.
This realisation prompted her to open up to her family and seek support online. She has since built a community on TikTok with other women sharing similar experiences, challenging the stereotype of gambling as a "men's game." She highlighted how the social chat rooms in online bingo can act as a "gateway" for women.
Molly also criticised the "manipulative" nature of gambling advertisements, which she says pop up even during children's movies, offering incentives like free spins. Her advice to others is to vigilantly track their spending. "Every time I get that urge or that itch, I just look at my son. He's going to be the one to save me."
A spokesperson for the Gambling Commission stated that strict rules govern gambling advertising and promotions, designed to protect vulnerable people. New rules coming into force on 19 January will ban certain types of combined offers and limit wagering requirements on bonuses.
