'I spent my wedding night gambling away our money'

Elissa first went on slot machines in a pub when she was nine but when she discovered online gambling, her addiction escalated.

She said, during the height of her addiction, the thought of getting free spins in a promotion may have been enough to see her bet her entire monthly wage.

"All my self-worth had gone," she said.

"It had just stripped me of a personality. I just felt like such a failure."

As she began to recover she started to "feel hatred" the way companies promote bets.

Elissa, who lives in Rhyl, Denbighshire, said gambling adverts were inescapable.

"If you want a bet you’re going to go and have a bet... You don’t need your dealer stood there handing you a promotion."

After moving from her hometown of Manchester to the north Wales coast, Elissa said her flat was surrounded by betting shops, casinos and arcades – and worries how many appear in poorer areas.