Call for UK gambling reform after ‘generous and caring’ woman takes her own life

A family is calling for wholesale reform of the gambling industry after an inquest heard details of the life and death of Ellen Mulvey, a “generous and caring” woman with a high-flying City job who also had a secret addiction. Mulvey’s family believe she lost hundreds of thousands of pounds gambling without their knowledge, first via mainstream operators and then on unlicensed platforms. An inquest heard that the 44-year-old took her own life and was declared dead at Macclesfield district general hospital on 7 November. Before she died, Mulvey wrote a note saying: “Addiction is the worst disease ever.” At work, Mulvey was the managing director of a global financial recruitment firm based in London. Nevertheless, gambling caused her to struggle financially. Family members believe her chronic addiction began in 2018, based on her bank statements, and blame it for the deterioration of her mental health. Speaking to the Guardian, Mulvey’s sister Katie Styring called her “the most generous, caring, kind person”. Mulvey’s partner, Deanne Tomkins, said she was someone who “always put other people first … it didn’t matter what she was going through.” Both expressed their anger at the psychological damage wreaked by gambling, whether licensed or unlicensed. Styring said Mulvey had always been protective of her when they were growing up. “She wound us up, no end, but she always had our back if there was ever any trouble. …