A managing director of a finance company took her own life after losing huge sums of money on unlicensed gambling sites, an inquest heard today.
Ellen Mulvey, 44, took an overdose of prescription pills after she finally confessed in suicide notes to having a gambling addiction.
She blew £10,000 in the weeks before her death at her home in Macclesfield, Cheshire, on November 7, 2025, a court was told.
Ms Mulvey – described by relatives as having ‘the kindest soul and a heart of gold’ – gambled more than £100,000 over seven years, according to her legal team.
Her family claim her money problems drove her to her death as she suffered from a gambling disorder.
The tragedy comes after calls for gambling reform following a Daily Mail audit which revealed the devastating toll of betting addiction.
An investigation in 2022 uncovered close to 100 suicides in which problem gambling was a significant factor in just a decade.
Ms Mulvey’s money problems had caused past relationships to break down and made her try to kill herself at least once before, Cheshire Coroner’s Court heard today.
The inquest was told that she was terrified that her gambling problems would be exposed to her family and lead to her losing her job at financial services recruitment firm Meraki Talent Team.
She had written several suicide notes to family.
An unsent email to her father Martin read: ‘Addiction is the worst disease ever.’
Her partner Deanne Tomkins told the inquest that she had heard her playing online roulette on her phone days before her death.
Ms Tomkins said: ‘I told her that if she was gambling, I could help her.’
The hearing was told that she left a suicide note to her partner which read: ‘I have an addiction. I have lied about my gambling addiction.
‘I thought I had it under control, but recently it has got worse.
‘The funny thing is that on the day you thought I was gambling – I wasn’t.’
The inquest heard she died of multiple organ failure at Macclesfield District General Hospital.
Ms Mulvey had suffered from insomnia, depression and anxiety.
Ms Tomkins said: ‘Her mental health had deteriorated before her death – she was emotionally fragile.
‘She feared losing her job.
‘I firmly believe gambling caused Ellen’s death ‘
The hearing was told that that Ms Mulvey gambled on genuine sites such as Bet365 as well as online roulette.
Ms Mulvey had registered with Gamstop, meaning she was blocked from gambling on legitimate apps and websites.
However she then turned to unlicensed sites based in Australia as well as the Caribbean island of Curacao.
She borrowed money from family, lied about her gambling and took out large loans, the inquest was told.
The managing director blew her monthly wage within days of getting paid and could not afford train fares, bills, payments for a flat in London she had shared with an ex-partner or hotel accommodation.
Her sister Katie Styring told the inquest that Ellen was the ‘kindest soul’ who had ‘time for everyone’.
She added: ‘Ellen had the kindest soul and a heart of gold.
‘Ellen loved deeply. She was playful and lifted people up and lived life intensely.
‘She was passionate, driven and full of energy.
‘Ellen was deeply loved and will be missed beyond words.
‘She will always be Ellen and her difficulties in life do not define her.’
In a statement read to the court, gambling expert Baroness Clare Gerada, a former chair of the Royal College of General Practitioners, said Ms Mulvey’s behaviour had all the hallmarks of a ‘severe gambling disorder’.
These included fears of ‘personal and professional consequences’ after lying about her gambling and ‘chasing losses’.
The Mail’s Stop The Gambling Predators campaign aims to curb online gambling.
There are thought to be 400,000 gambling addicts in the UK – perhaps as many as 1.4million.
Experts say 5 per cent of problem gamblers have attempted suicide in the previous year.
Assistant coroner Elizabeth Wheeler adjourned the hearing until April 27 when she will reveal her findings.
For confidential support, call Samaritans on 116 123, visit samaritans.org or visit www.thecalmzone.net/get-support
