Woman Describes £127K Poker Win as “Worst Day of Her Life”

Huge Windfall Led to Decades of Misery and Bankruptcy

At just 29 years of age, Lisa Walker landed a win that would change her life, and not in a good way. In February 2001, Lisa who started gambling as a child by playing cards with her grandad for a few pence, recently revealed to local media how she came to win £127K. It was at the Rendezvous Casino where she had been playing video poker, a venue she had been registered at since the tender age of 18. Going from having next to nothing to a mega win in a split-second laid the foundation for the next twenty years or so of misery.

The dark setting and clever way the venue was designed helped Lisa lose track of time, she couldn’t even tell whether it was day or night, then suddenly, the bright lights of her machine started to flash, and the alarm started to sound. Other casino-goers rushed over, and management came running not for an issue with her machine but to congratulate her on winning a mega £127K!

Hey Big Spender

Having such a large amount of cash at her disposal meant she could gamble larger amounts more frequently and admitted she became “reckless with money” …

…over periods of 8-10 hours a time, 4-5 times a week. The mum, from Essex, said: "I truly loved it. I loved the buzz it used to give me, but naturally with them came the crushing lows. That’s what it means to be a compulsive gambler, being truly unable to stop. Even if I had won a £1million that night, it wouldn’t have mattered because one way or another, every single pound would have gone back to gambling."

With her not being a responsible gambler, it wasn’t long before Lisa’s winnings were gone and she had to declare herself bankrupt, this was after remortgaging her home three times. It was in 2018 when she realised she needed to get help after meeting her third and current husband Garry, but not before the wedding was set for Las Vegas – the gambling capital of the world! Lisa’s wedding cake featured her favourite football team accompanied by playing cards and other references to casino games.

On her wedding night, the newly married couple stayed up until 6am playing slots and once the buzz of playing was over, so was the money! “It was when we returned from Las Vegas that I finally made the conscious effort to reach out and to get help from a close friend from someone that I knew at Gamblers Anonymous.”

Lisa is one of 50,000 women who have registered to self-exclude from all online gambling sites through GAMSTOP. GambleAware have recently rolled out new ads targeting women to warn of the potential dangers of problem gambling, as statistics reveal women are less likely to get help with gambling issues. Lisa said: “What I have found is that women don’t feel that they can talk about their addiction, with it often being seen as a male issue.To people starting out, I just say be very, very careful. It is a slippery slope. So if you’re struggling, don’t struggle alone and reach out.”

Source: “I Won £127,000 at Poker – it Was the Worst Day of My Life That Led to 20 Years of Hopelessness and Despair”. The Scottish Sun. January 31, 2022.