The vast majority of the online bingo playing population in the UK are normal, fun-loving people who are able to enjoy one of the gentler and community free casino based forms of gambling by playing bingo online responsibly.
But for a 2% minority of the gambling population in the UK, getting caught up in any form of gambling can be bad news, as illustrated in the case of 39 year-old Patricia Barnes from Norwich who became addicted to playing online bingo and slots.
An employee of 14 years at the Royal Mail in Norwich, Barnes stole more than £75,000 over a period of 14 months two years ago in order to fund her gambling addiction. The missing funds were discovered via an audit, and surveillance later caught her red-handed UK bingo .The case was heard at the Norwich Crown Court on Feb 27, and Barnes admitted the thefts to fund her addiction to playing bingo online and slots, during the period April 2007 to June 2008. She received a 12 month jail sentence from Record Philip Brooke-Smith who said: "I accept this was done to support a gambling habit that's made very easy indeed with the availability of the internet."
The defendant's lawyer said that the theft was foolish and unsophisticated and she had spent the money on games of chance. He added that she was devastated by her actions, but her family supported her."What happened here is that she became hooked on online bingo sites and online slot machines."
The relatively light sentence indicates the sympathy of the court to the extenuating circumstances behind the theft of a large sum of money. However, similar court cases are appearing with ever more frequency in the UK, mostly first-time offenders who hide their addiction from friends and family.A former gambling addict who wished to remain anonymous, speaking to EDP24, said: "Losing money and lying about it because you don't think it's a problem is all part of the pathology of free bingo ."
The reality is that gambling can become an addiction, and any kind of addiction can have devastating consequences, not only for the addictee, but for the family and friends of that person. Help and support is available, and any players who think they might have a gambling problem, or know someone who does, should contact Gamblers Anonymous for advice.
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