'Gambling addiction cost my sick mum thousands'
The daughter of a woman who became addicted to slot machines and lost thousands while undergoing cancer treatment is calling on the government to introduce tougher controls.
Jackie Olden said her late mother Wendy Hughes got hooked after working at a bookmakers where she was asked to play the machines on a free demonstration mode to help drum up customer interest.
She said it prompted Ms Hughes, who died from cancer in 2024 at the age of 64, to begin playing slots in her own time before spiralling into debt.
Ms Olden said: "My mum was never someone who would have gambled before this, she was absolutely dedicated to her family."
She said her mother, a widow, had worked hard to make ends meet while raising her three children in Stockport, Greater Manchester.
"She had her own house and some money saved but all of that just went and it went really, really, really quickly," Ms Olden said.
Ms Hughes's children intervened in an attempt to get her excluded from gambling outlets but she relapsed years later after discovering 24-hour adult gaming centres.
Ms Olden said: "When I found out, I was absolutely flabbergasted to hear that there are 24-hour slot machine places on almost every high street in the UK.
"In Stockport, where I live, there are three of them."
Ms Hughes continued gambling after being diagnosed with cancer in April 2023 and became progressively more unwell. In November of the same year, she lost almost £2,000 pounds in two sessions at the Merkur slots venue in Stockport.
The German company was fined £95,450 earlier this year by the Gambling Commission following a complaint by Ms Hughes, which found the operator failed "to follow rules aimed at keeping consumers safe from harm".
In a bid to protect others, Ms Olden earlier delivered a petition with more than 40,000 signatures to Downing Street, calling on the government to give local government stronger powers to refuse licences for gambling venues where concerns are raised.
She said: "I'm not an anti-gambling purist or someone who wants to tell people what to do, but these places are so dangerous.
"The products in there are known to be the most harmful, the most addictive and I just think we need to regulate them way more tightly."
Merkur said the the failure was "due to premises staff not implementing our policies and procedures effectively".
They continued: "Customer welfare is our priority and we have conducted a thorough internal review.
"As a result, we have strengthened training for our 1,840 venue-based staff as well as enhancing reporting procedures to ensure our high standards are upheld."
Listen to the best of BBC Radio Manchester on Sounds and follow BBC Manchester on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
Slot machines to go cashless as debit cards allowed
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
3 hours ago
Iran for the first time acknowledges detaining a German bicyclist as its war with Israel rages on
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates -- Iran for the first time acknowledges detaining a German bicyclist as its war with Israel rages on.
USA Today
16 hours ago
- USA Today
Grand jury indicts accused leader of cultlike 'Zizian' group
A federal grand jury in Maryland has indicted an Alaska person linked to a series of nationwide deaths and violence in Vermont and California via the cultlike "Zizian" group they are accused of inspiring. Prosectors say the grand jury indicted Jack Amadeus LaSota, 34, on charges they possessed a .50-caliber rifle and several handguns while being a fugitive. Court records and interviews with people who know the group say LaSota was the intellectual leader of the largely online movement interested in artificial intelligence. Some of whose members lived full time in box trucks in several states. Lasota has also gone by the names Andrea Phelps, Ann Grimes, Anne Grimes, Canaris, Julia LaSota and "Ziz," prosecutors said. LaSota was assigned male at birth but uses female pronouns; federal and state court records refer to LaSota as a man. "LaSota was knowingly a fugitive from justice and therefore was not permitted by law to possess a firearm or ammunition," the U.S. Attorney's office in Maryland said in a statement. LaSota faces up to a 15-year prison sentence. According to court records and a USA TODAY investigation, the Zizian group is connected to at least six deaths, including the homicide of a U.S. Border Patrol agent in Vermont in January. Court records also indicate LaSota may have faked their own death in 2022. Many of the group members are vegan, and either have degrees in computer science or have studied related fields, according to court records. Some members of the group are transgender, or have rejected binary sexuality, and are interested in the role artificial intelligence may play in creating a new society, according to interviews and court records. In February, Maryland police arrested LaSota along with two other people, Michelle Zajko, 32, and Daniel Blank, 26, in a rural area after the property owner called police to report the black-clad suspects on his land. Blank is a suspect in the late 2022 shooting deaths of Zajko's parents in Pennsylvania, and authorities say LaSota and Zajko are being investigated in connection with other multiple deaths. In January 2023, Zajko was questioned by Pennsylvania State Police about the deaths of her parents, but disappeared with LaSota, leaving behind her car and $40,000 in cash, according to court records. Authorities said Zajko may have also supplied the guns used in the January shootout that ended with the death of Border Patrol agent David Maland and a German national, Ophelia Bauckholt. Arrested in that shooting was Teresa Youngblut, who is jailed and faces charges of using a deadly weapon. Zajko is also facing federal firearms charges. And a man that Youngblut last year got a license to marry, Max Snyder, is jailed in California on charges that he ambushed and fatally stabbed a landlord who had at one time allowed LaSota and other group members to park their trucks on his property. That landlord killed another member of the group in self defense after they attacked him over a planned eviction, according to court records.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Woman, 66, arrested on suspicion of 'Rolex' murder of film director in London home
A woman has been arrested on suspcion of murder after an award-winning film director was found stabbed to death in her flat near Regent's Park. The body of Jennifer Abbott was discovered in her home in Mornington Place in Camden at 6pm on Friday with tape over her mouth. Scotland Yard believe the 69-year-old could have been targeted for her diamond encrusted Rolex watch that was missing from her home. The Met Police said a 66-year-old woman was arrested on Wednesday, 18 June on suspicion of her murder. She remained in police custody on Thursday. A post-mortem examination, which took place on Sunday, 15 June, gave Ms Abbott's cause of death as sharp force trauma. The writer and director, described as 'lovely' by neighbours, previously worked in the creative industries and was also known professionally as Sarah Steinberg. Her family described her as 'beautiful' in a moving tribute. A card left with flowers at the scene read: 'My beautiful aunty. Beautiful Jenny. We all miss you so much.' Her social media says she spent time growing up in London, studying Arts and Science at Merton Technical College and attending Pelham High School in Wimbledon. She later relocated to Los Angeles where pictures on her Facebook page show her rubbing shoulders with stars including Dan Ackroyd, Paris Hilton and Kate Hudson. Ms Abbot had run a film production company and made a documentary she directed called 'Gods of War' which she said won several awards. Officers found her with multiple stab injuries and she was pronounced dead at the scene. She was last seen by neighbours three days earlier walking her Corgi dog Prince in the Shanagher/PA Wire) Neighbours said the alarm was raised shortly before she was discovered by family members who were concerned after hearing her dog barking inside Ms Abbott's home. A neighbour, who did not want to be named, said her son went out to help Ms Abbott's niece and the pair made the harrowing discovery. Investigators fear she may have been killed for her diamond-encrusted Rolex. Her pet Corgi had been shut in the bathroom for three days but survived. The neighbour said: "My son broke the door down. We heard her niece shouting: 'Somebody help me, somebody help' and we went out and asked 'what's wrong?' "She said: 'I haven't heard from my aunty in four days. Something's wrong - break the door down'. "I was holding the door open downstairs and my son was upstairs and then I heard her niece screaming and saying: 'Oh my God, she's been murdered'. She had tape across her mouth. "Her corgi was locked in the bathroom for three days. That poor dog, he couldn't even drink any water, it's amazing he was even still alive." She said her neighbour was "mysterious, and very smart and intelligent". "We would chat in the street most of the time. I used to walk around the block with her with her dog," she said. "I can't believe we won't see her walking the corgi any more. She was very exuberant, very vivacious. "She had done a lot of things in her life. She was a doctor but she was also an actor and director in America. She'd directed a movie and I looked at it on YouTube and saw her interviewed in Los Angeles. "She was a character. She was lovely. "You're never going to see her again and you just can't take it in. I said to my son: 'I can't believe we were sitting here in the living room, maybe watching television, while she was over there going through that and we didn't know." Detective Inspector Barry Hart, of Homicide Command, Specialist Crime North, said: 'Our deepest sympathies are with the victim's loved ones who are being supported by specialist officers at this time. 'We thank the local community for their patience as we continue to investigate this shocking crime. This arrest marks a significant step forward. There are several lines of enquiry ongoing, and we are working hard to establish the exact circumstances of this incident. 'Locals can expect to see an increased police presence in the area while we conduct our enquires.' If anyone witnessed the incident, or has any information that can help the investigation, please contact the police as a matter of urgency on 101 quoting 6470/13JUN. To remain anonymous, call the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or visit
