A gambling addict has slammed betting companies for showering her with promotional offers when she said they should have recognised her spiral into debt as she lost £125,000.
Katie, a 42-year-old once successful accountant, used nine credit cards to rack up the debt with online casinos LeoVegas and Casumo, with the latter only suspending her account when she told them she felt 'suicidal'.
She said that the companies ignored obvious signs of her addiction that saw her place bets of £380,000 in a single session, losing £54,000.
Katie's case comes as the Gambling Commission is considering 'prohibiting or restricting the use of credit cards'. Her case is also understood to be the subject of an inquiry by the body, The Guardian reports.
Katie, a once successful accountant, used nine credit cards to rack up huge debt (stock image)
Katie, not her real name, said the signs of her addiction were very clear. Documents seen by The Guardian seemed to corroborate these claims.
She made dozens of failed deposits – her banks refusing to let her place bets – and cancelled the withdrawal of winnings at the last second to bet on more casino games.
Instead of being stopped, Katie was actually made a 'VIP customer' and given free spins on games, she claimed.
Casumo, a Malta-based online betting company, even offered her tickets to events in Wembley Stadium as her betting spiralled out of control.
Casumo only sent Katie an email about her betting 11 hours after an expensive betting spree
Brentford FC have LeoVegas signed as a shirt sponsor and livery can be seen on the advertising hoardings at this match against West Ham United, who are sponsored by Betway
She complained to the company, saying that they should have stepped in
