I'm A Celeb winner's mum steals £50k to use in online casinos

‘I’m A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here’ winner, Scarlett Moffatt, has revealed that her mum, Betty, is receiving treatment for her gambling addiction after it was revealed she stole £50k from her daughter to fund her addiction.

Scarlett and her family rose to fame on the TV show Gogglebox, which saw everyday families sitting down to watch and comment on TV shows. Scarlett stood out as a viewer favourite, went on to win ‘I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here’ and continued to forge a successful TV career. Her mum, Betty, has worked for Scarlett since 2016 as part of Scarlett’s company ‘Northern Unicorn Productions’.

Stolen Money

A source close to the family explained the Betty started off gambling during the first National lockdown. It began as a bit of fun, but soon she began losing more and more money, then spending more in order to recoup her losses. Betty then began taking money from Scarlett’s account. The source told The Sun Newspaper “In sheer desperation she took money from Scarlett’s account. But she obviously always thought she would win in back and be able to repay her… she never did win the money and the next thing she knew, Scarlett realised her account was missing tens of thousands.”

Help for gambling addiction

When Scarlett realised the money had gone missing, Betty had to admit that her gambling had become out of control. Scarlett initially felt ‘confused and betrayed’ according to the source, but understood that her mum needed professional help. Betty checked into rehab to receive the therapy she needed, and the family continue to support her in beating her addiction.

Gambling operators have come under fire recently for not carrying out adequate checks to see where funds are coming from or carrying out their social responsibility towards players. The reform of the Gambling Act is thought to make operators much more accountable, with personal account managers to be employed to be responsible for checks and player welfare.