Gamblers are rolling the dice to serious debt and prefer to feed their addiction online, rather than through the bookmakers.

Two in sixteen are funding their fixation by using overdrafts, debt consolidation loans and credit cards. Nearly 15% of gamblers said they were currently borrowing money to stake bets.

One in three people admitted to having a flutter at least once every month and spend around £21.37. However, this varies from person to person and at least 75% of men and women admitted spending between £50 and £150 per month on gambling addictions.

One mother described her son’s gambling addiction as a drug that became out of control whilst he was still at school. He would spend his lunch breaks in the arcades and as he grew older, his addiction forced him to steal from his family and employers to subsidize his compulsion.

The money kept rolling out, while the debt built up

He became homeless, jobless and friendless as the relentless urge to make that big win, left him without any possessions.

After many spells in prison, he has been given one last chance to clean up his act and get debt help once and for all. He is currently receiving therapy for nine months at a clinic which should hopefully free him of his addiction.

Gamblers are always looking for that big win to clear their outstanding debt but the urge to re-gamble any winnings means that the long line of debt is never settled and the money just slips through their fingers time and time again.