FOR Vicky Clark, a single mother from Sheffield who runs her own hairdressing salon, it started with one click of the mouse to check the numbers on the Irish lottery.

A window popped up, announcing the arrival of Vernon’s instant win games. Virtual promises of guaranteed wins flashed across the screen.

Have a go on our practice games, it said. She did.

She played £2 on Lucky Star. She won. A £5 bet led to a £10 bet. Twenty led to £100.

Within eight weeks, the woman whose previous gambling history involved the occasional lottery ticket had blown £27,000. “I was in denial. I got it into my head that, if I win this back, I can pay this loan off. I just kept thinking I can win. I had to get myself out of this mess.”

Chasing her losses, she reached the limit of her £7,200 overdraft and two Visa cards. In one afternoon, she lost £3,000. Another £9,000 was soon racked up in a week.

“When I did that, I thought, ‘Oh God, what have I done?’I didn’t want anybody to know. I just felt useless.

“The worst part was that I can actually remember wanting to hurt myself. I was coming to the brink.”

Now recovering, she is concerned that others could fall into the trap of online betting, especially women who would never frequent a bookmakers.

“If I was listening to me, I would think, ‘Silly cow’. It was just so easy. All you have got to do is switch on the computer and, hey presto, it’s there.”

The gambling problems charity GamCare has a telephone helpline on 0845 6000133

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