Kenya, March 30 -- A woman from Nairobi named Mirriam Waithira has shared her story about her serious problem with Aviator betting. She used to enjoy betting, especially after she won a big amount of money, Ksh264,000, on her first try.

In an interview on a local TV show on Saturday, March 29, 2025, Mirriam talked about how that big win made her trust the betting platform completely. She thought that betting could help her make money, but it turned out to be a big mistake.

After that first win, she never made any more money. Instead, she started to lose a lot and fell into debt. At one point, she even asked her parents to sell their only cow to pay for her betting.

"I placed a Ksh2,000 bet and came back to find I had won Ksh264,000. I took the money out right away, and it felt like a perfect win. I also sent some money to my parents to buy a cow.

"But just three days later, I told them to sell the cow and send me the money because I needed it urgently. They were confused about where I was getting all this money," she said.

Mirriam was the main provider for her family, which made her feel she had to lie about an emergency so her parents would sell the cow. She did this to support her betting habit, not realizing how much trouble she was getting into.

"I was in charge of my family's finances. When I told my parents to sell the cow, I made up a story about a crisis. But I lost that money quickly, and I started to take out loans to continue betting," she explained.

Her betting addiction led to more problems. She borrowed money from many people, always thinking she would win big again.

She said her problems were not just about losing money; her business in Nairobi failed, and she had to go back to her parents' home in Kinangop. Unfortunately, her betting problems followed her there.

"It destroyed my life in ways I never thought possible. I have a six-year-old child, and all my hard work went to waste because of betting. I thought things would be better at home, but my addiction didn't go away. I ended up in more trouble," she shared.

During her time at home, she faced a harsh reality. In need of money, she asked a fellow businesswoman for Ksh24,000, lying that she needed to pay back a loan. But this woman didn't trust her and called for help from others. They believed Mirriam was trying to cheat them and beat her up.

Mirriam realized how tricky betting was after this incident. She understood that no matter how much money you put in, it could all disappear in seconds.

"I convinced a friend to lend me money by lying about needing to pay back. I put everything on Aviator and lost it all instantly. Before I could do anything, they came and beat me.

"I realized how cunning this game is- you can lose everything so fast, leaving you with nothing but regret. I was stuck in a terrible cycle, where I would take a loan to bet, and if I lost, I would borrow again, all while hiding my addiction from everyone around me."

What made her face her problems and finally stop her addiction was a very harsh incident. She got caught up in a police case, and in that moment, she promised herself she would never gamble again.

But she felt sad when she thought about how her bad choices had taken away everything she had worked for, setting her life back many years.

Now, she lives in a small room with no belongings, sleeping on the cold floor. She used to be a successful businesswoman.

"After everything that happened, I was taken to the police station. That's when I promised myself to never gamble again, but the harm was already done. Now I'm back in Nairobi, trying to rebuild my life from scratch, but the truth is, I have lost everything."

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Bana Kenya.