By Alexis Akwagyiram - BBC News 

As plans for a new generation of casinos across the UK are unveiled, a mother describes how a gambling addiction ruined her son's life.

Sarah had no idea what lay ahead for her son when she discovered he was visiting arcades during his school lunch breaks.

"I was concerned, but I didn't realise at the time that it was going to be an addiction. I thought it was boys being boys," she said.

But gambling went on to become a way of life.

Over the course of a decade his pastime became an addiction that led him to prison and, more recently, ended a long-term romance and left him homeless.

His interest in gambling escalated after leaving school at 16.

He began stealing to feed his habit. First he took money from his family and later from employers.

Sarah's son - Mark - spent the money in slot machines in pubs near their Cumbria home, as well as placing bets with bookmakers and visiting a casino in Blackpool.

Eventually, he was caught stealing at work and was sent to a young offenders institute, where he was held for just under a year.

"Clearly jail wasn't any good for him. He's like a drug addict or alcoholic and there is always the chance that he will relapse," said his mother, a 51-year-old who owns her own business in Cumbria.

"He is a normal person most of the time, but it makes you blinkered to the effect it is having on the people around you."

After another brief stint behind bars - again, for stealing to feed his habit - Mark's life appeared to be improving.

Now 20, he had a new girlfriend, who he moved in with, began working as a chef in local hotels and paid off his gambling debts.

'No possessions'

But, after about three years, he bumped into an old friend he once gambled with and slipped back into his old ways.

During the Christmas period, his girlfriend ended their relationship and threw him out of her house after discovering that he had stolen money from her.

"He was homeless, lost his girlfriend and his job - everything. He would win big, but he would always gamble that money," said his mother.

"Thousands of pounds have been through his hands, but he has no possessions. He has sold everything to fund his addiction. My son has ended up with nothing.

"The gambling addiction wrecks his relationships with people who are close to him. He is learning to face up to his problem and is now attending a residential clinic to deal with his addiction."

She said it is "the first time he has recognised that he needs help".

Now Mark's mother is hopeful that a nine-month stint in the clinic will enable him to overcome his addiction.

"Much as I love him, I can't honestly say he could come to live with me," she admitted, explaining that the extent of his gambling had put an intense strain on their relationship.

News that a Las Vegas-style super-casino is to be opened in Manchester, along with new "large" casinos in Great Yarmouth, Hull, Newham, Middlesbrough, Solihull, Milton Keynes, Leeds and Southampton and smaller ones elsewhere in the UK have left Sarah incensed.

She believes the government is acting irresponsibly and fears that many others will become consumed by a gambling addiction similar to the one that engulfed her son.

"Gambling addiction attacks all races and classes, and when it takes a hold the gambler will get the money somehow to pursue his next fix.

"I am appalled that more casinos are being built all over the country and feel strongly that it is only going to make the owners rich, and the majority of legitimate gamblers poor. This type of expenditure should be axed."

Sarah said of her son:"There will be lots like him and I think this will fuel people's addiction".

The names 'Sarah' and 'Mark' have been used to protect their real identities.

Source: BBC News