Ellen Mulvey, 44, died by suicide on 7 November 2024 and was pronounced dead at Macclesfield district general hospital, according to multiple reports. Before her death, she left a note describing addiction as 'the worst disease ever,' which prompted her family to call for wholesale reform of the gambling industry, reports said.
Mulvey was the managing director of a global financial recruitment firm in London, a position that made her a well-known figure in the financial sector, according to reports. Despite her professional success, her family says that a chronic gambling addiction took hold in 2018, as revealed through scrutinizing her bank statements, multiple sources have reported. In an effort to combat her habit, she registered with Gamstop, the UK's self-exclusion scheme for online gambling, in 2022, reports indicate.
Gamstop, however, only blocks access to UK-licensed betting sites and has no authority over unlicensed overseas operators, reports note. Following her Gamstop registration, Mulvey began using unlicensed overseas gambling sites, according to multiple reports, which operate outside British regulations. Her family believes these sites allowed her addiction to continue unchecked, ultimately leading to their call for wholesale reform of the gambling industry. The exact amount of money she lost and the specific platforms she used remain unknown, and no information has been released about any legal action against the unlicensed operators.
In memory of Mulvey, Interinvest, a national network that champions LGBTQ+ concerns in the UK investment industry, has established an award in her name, according to reports. The award aims to honor her contributions and keep her memory alive as her family continues to advocate for gambling industry reform.