Addict estimates she gambled away three-quarters of her wage

A gambling addict has said there should be more support for addicts from ethnic minorities.

Cheryl, 33, from Worcestershire, said she had gambled most of her wages as a care assistant away for 10 years.

The addiction was seen as an issue affecting older white men, instead of young black women like her, she said.

A gambling commission report found ethnic minorities were less likely to gamble, but those that did "may be more at risk of experiencing harm".

Cheryl said she went to see her doctor about the problem but felt he struggled to understand.

"I'm a black woman, gambling mainly affects older white men, it's kind of perceived as an older man's addiction" she said.

"They [my GP] looked at me all confused, I just felt really uncomfortable.

"They kind of looked at me as if to say, why do I have this gambling problem?" she added.

Her addiction had made her feel depressed and had left her unable to pay for essentials, she told BBC Radio WM.

Having started gambling on slot machines, she said she had turned to payday loans and asked friends to borrow money, having previously confided in her parents.

"When I had confessed to my parents that I have been gambling, they were just obviously so disappointed in me," she said.

"I was losing at least three-quarters of my wages and as a care assistant, I didn't get great wages anyway,"

Cheryl said she had contacted the charity GamCare for support and had been offered a few counselling sessions over the phone.

She has since stopped gambling, but said there needed to be more support for others from ethnic minorities who had been battling the addiction.

"I've been gambling on and off for 10 years, I think the last time I gambled was a couple of months ago.

"I just have to keep on fighting and doing things by myself as there's not really any help out there," she added.

Ethnic minorities were more likely to experience some form of harm from gambling, but were less likely to seek support, Zoë Osmond, CEO at GambleAware, said.

"In addition, they are slightly less likely than the white British majority group to feel comfortable seeking formal support for gambling harms, often due to facing stigma within their communities," she said.

"This demonstrates that we need to see further investigation and tailored solutions from treatment services."

Support for addiction issues is also available via the BBC Action Line.

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