After Stealing to Fund Gambling Habit, Woman Turns Life Around

Tracey Stevenson, a Thetford, UK resident, was sentenced to four years in prison back in 2017 after she admitted stealing £1.7 million ($2.1 million) from her employer. The hefty sum reportedly was primarily used for gambling, as well as personal expenditures. Besides the money she stole, Stevenson had ironically secured two significant gambling wins, £220,000 ($177,800) and £1.6 million ($2 million).

But neither those wins nor the money she stole to fuel her gambling habit couldn’t help her turn her life around like prison did. In a recent interview for Metro, Stevenson shared her story and how she was able to turn her life around, after the millions won, lost, stolen and her four-year prison sentence.

Oftentimes, gambling is an entertainment activity, but some people see it as an escape from real life. Well, this is precisely Stevenson’s case. Throughout her life, she enjoyed gambling. Stevenson admitted that once she turned 18, she started playing bingo with her mother. While back then, Stevenson spent some £15 ($12) a week, that all changed once she found online gambling.

As with many people who suffer from at-risk or problem gambling, Stevenson started chasing losses. In 2011, she scored a six-figure win, or some $177,800, which helped her a bit, until she gambled it all away. During that time, Stevenson was going through a tough time in her life, given one of her friends passed away. She also had marital problems. Those issues accumulated and she admitted that she was losing a lot to gambling, given that the activity became for her an “escape from real life.”

From Stealing as an Accountant to Prison

Soon after, Stevenson reportedly started stealing from her employer. Initially, the sums weren’t that big and given that she knew her way around finance, she was able to get away with it, to some extent. In 2012, Stevenson won £1.6 million ($2 million) playing slots. She admitted that soon the money was once again gambled away. “I soon gambled it all away, though, because every time I lost, I honestly thought I could win the money back. When I didn’t, I kept on stealing,” explained Stevenson.

Several years had passed but the woman said that she had a hard time living with the stress and shame of what she had done. By that time, the stolen money had hit £1.7 million ($2.1 million). At some point, Stevenson faced a difficult choice – she thought to either take her life or admit to what she had done.

She first told her husband, who then explained the story to her employer. Soon after that, Stevenson faced jail time. Although she could’ve received eight to ten years, her sentence, in the end, was four years. In addition, she was ordered to pay nearly £800,000 ($647,000).

In prison, Stevenson became a peer-support worker, a job that involves supporting the new prisoners. Sadly, after her prison sentence, in order to recover the stolen money, she lost everything. Those events had a devastating impact on her marriage as well. Once out of prison, Stevenson worked for a charity before COVID hit. Currently, she helps women who were involved or at risk of being involved in the criminal justice system and admits that she is “at peace” with herself.