Gambling addiction: Why elite sportspeople are especially vulnerable

Marc Williams (in red) lines up for Wales Under-21s earlier a lucifer against Hungary successful August 2009

After a decade-long gambling addiction, Marc Williams had mislaid control.

He hurled the iPad helium was holding arsenic hard arsenic helium could. Then helium started throwing thing that wasn't tied down successful his surviving room. He screamed and cried, cursing the satellite and his misfortune.

Then, helium locked eyes with his 18-month-old girl sitting connected the floor.

"She was conscionable staring astatine me," Williams reflects. "I'll ever person that representation successful my mind, of what I indispensable person looked similar to her.

"I calmed myself down and picked her up. I held her adjacent and said retired large that I was going to get help. For the archetypal clip successful my life, I meant it. I promised that I wouldn't ruin her aboriginal immoderate more."

That was 7 November 2018 - a day Williams recalls arsenic helium tightly shuts his eyes. He hasn't placed a stake since.

Williams was capable to prevention his narration with his daughter, but determination was small helium could bash for his shot career.

Once a promising youngster astatine Wrexham who shared a tract with aboriginal Premier League regulars Hal Robson-Kanu and Joe Allen successful the Wales Under-21 team, the athletics helium had loved each his beingness was nary longer a priority.

"I utilized to beryllium the archetypal 1 successful astatine grooming and the past to leave," helium says. "But soon I was the past successful and the archetypal out.

"Managers thought I had an cognition problem. They didn't cognize it was overmuch much superior than that.

"I was surviving a treble life. I'd aftermath up successful the greeting and enactment this disguise connected but it was exhausting keeping a grin connected my look that wasn't truly there. I avoided oculus interaction with my team-mates due to the fact that I was frightened they'd spot the existent me.

"I retrieve playing successful an FA Cup game. My mum and dada were successful the crowd. It should person been a imagination but each I could deliberation astir was this ample magnitude of wealth I'd enactment connected a cricket match. I couldn't hold for the last whistle truthful I could spell and cheque the score.

"I didn't privation to beryllium a footballer immoderate more. I conscionable wanted to beryllium successful my comfortableness zone, wherever I was distant from everyone and I could gamble.

"That's erstwhile I felt similar I was enough. That was the lone clip I felt similar I was enough."

Often called a hidden addiction, occupation gambling does not permission its people connected the assemblage similar different compulsion disorders, specified arsenic intoxicant oregon cause abuse. That is wherefore it tin beryllium harder to observe - and easier to conceal.

This year, a survey successful the Scientific Reports journal showed astir doubly the level of occupation gambling among top-level sportspeople successful Ireland's Gaelic Athletic Association compared with their demographic successful the wide population. It followed a 2016 Europe-wide study that showed a importantly accrued level of gambling problems among nonrecreational athletes.

In 2014, a survey revealed gambling problems running 3 times higher among nonrecreational antheral footballers and cricketers, compared with young men successful the wide population.

A potent operation of much leisure time, much disposable income and a beardown tendency to triumph astatine each costs tin make an perfect situation for addictive behaviours to germinate and grow.

"Some players we interviewed judge that an elite athlete's property benignant lends itself to gambling issues," explains Kiernan Murray - a pb writer connected the 2023 paper.

"They're competitory by nature. Gambling with team-mates increases their risk. It's a radical enactment and it's casual to spot wherefore they'd privation to win. If determination is simply a gambling civilization wrong the team, that tin beryllium detrimental."

Williams agrees with Murray's assessment.

"When a team-mate would triumph large and I'd lose, that would marque maine privation to gamble adjacent more," helium says. "I was ever a sore loser. I cognize a batch of my team-mates felt the aforesaid way."

Murray's survey - titled 'Predictors of adverse gambling behaviours amongst elite athletes' - was concentrated connected amateur athletes.

Players are not paid to play successful the GAA, and usually equilibrium their clip connected the tract with either a occupation oregon higher education. What's more, they vie successful a league successful which sponsorship by a betting institution is prohibited.

It is simply a antithetic communicative successful English football. Even extracurricular the Premier League, wherever the mean wage came successful astatine much than £60,000 a week successful a 2019 survey, players are inactive good compensated. They are afloat professional, truthful bask a manner with plentifulness of downtime betwixt aggravated periods of work.

Gambling companies are the shirt-front sponsor of 8 of 20 Premier League sides this season, though the manufacture is being phased retired of the astir salient country of sponsorship

What's more, footballers successful this state are bombarded with the logos and slogans of betting companies.

"They're everywhere," says James Grimes - laminitis of the Big Step, a run launched successful 2019 to eradicate gambling advertizing from shot astatine each levels.

"They're connected the precocious street. They're connected the telly. They're connected the radio. The Football League is sponsored by Sky Bet. Major stadiums and teams are sponsored by them."

Eight Premier League teams show gambling firms connected the beforehand of their shirts this season, portion 2 much deterioration betting-related adverts connected their sleeves.

Brentford, who person South African gambling institution Hollywoodbets arsenic their astir salient sponsor, are spearheaded connected the tract by Ivan Toney. Last week, the England striker was fixed an eight-month prohibition aft admitting breaching betting rules 232 times.

While determination is nary proposition Toney, whose offences took spot implicit a adjacent four-year period, has a problematic narration with gambling, the opposition betwixt his suspension and his team's sponsor has drawn attention.

"It's fertile hypocrisy," says Grimes. "These young men are forced to go walking billboards for online casinos and past suffer their jobs if they usage that product. It's nonsense.

"In a perverse mode this could beryllium our tipping point. Brentford manager Thomas Frank said that thing needed to change.

"I deliberation that was the archetypal clip a Premier League manager has said what we've been saying for years. Maybe this mightiness beryllium to beryllium a catalyst for thing really being done."

Change has come. Rather, change volition travel successful 2026 erstwhile gambling companies volition nary longer beryllium allowed connected the beforehand of top-flight teams' shirts aft a ground-breaking statement betwixt clubs.

Grimes called the determination "incoherent", pointing retired gambling companies volition inactive beryllium capable to inhabit the players' sleeves, pitchside hoardings, stadium floodlight pylons and the airwaves betwixt the action.

But the shirt-front prohibition is an acknowledgment of the adverse effects of the sport's adjacent narration with a merchandise that has the imaginable to origin harm.

Parallels person been drawn with baccy adverts, which were outlawed successful the UK successful 2003.

A survey carried retired 3 years later recovered the prohibition had "significantly reduced vulnerability to pro-tobacco selling influences".

Would a prohibition connected gambling sponsorship enactment arsenic a metallic bullet? Grimes isn't truthful sure.

"It would surely assistance forestall harm," helium says, "but it wouldn't enactment by itself. That is wherefore we besides advocator to marque the merchandise safer, and to person autarkic wealth for probe and treatment."

Grimes speaks with a zealous fervour. He says helium is compelled by a "mission" and is "angry" astatine shot and an manufacture that fto him down.

When helium was 16, helium placed a £5 accumulator connected 4 teams and took location £90 erstwhile they each won. He tin inactive retrieve the clubs - Histon, Stevenage, Peterborough and Torquay.

"I thought I had shot figured out," helium says.

"It was astir this clip I took an involvement successful coaching. I was Uefa qualified by the clip I was 17. I worked successful academies astatine Sheffield United and Doncaster Rovers. Football was my life. I trusted it with my bosom and soul."

His bets grew larger. So did the wealth helium owed to friends and household members, arsenic good arsenic to "dodgy companies that nary longer exist". In full helium mislaid astir £100,000.

He struggled to clasp down a job. Once, with obscurity other to go, helium spent respective nights sleeping successful a bid station.

"I'm fortunate I didn't instrumentality my beingness due to the fact that I truthful easy could have," helium says. "I was connected the brink of doing thing truly terrible. I don't deliberation radical realise that this is an addiction that tin termination people.

"I've spoken to parents who mislaid kids to gambling-related suicide. They've work the termination notes and gambling is often cited arsenic the superior factor. When we presumption this arsenic a hazard to beingness past we'll person amended information measures, but we're a agelong mode distant from that."

Grimes believes acquisition lies astatine the bosom of a solution. So does Williams, who is present contracted with Epic Risk Management - a backstage consulting steadfast that uses the lived acquisition of athletes with gambling problems to pass others. Leading Premier League clubs, including Manchester City, Arsenal, and Chelsea, are clients.

"I'll talk to a country of footballers and they'll subordinate to the stories I share," Williams explains. "It tin get affectional sometimes.

"I'm successful rooms with household names and you tin perceive a pin drop. They'll recognise the characters and the emotions and the pressures I talk about. Even if they're playing astatine a higher level than I reached, the themes are the same. I present consciousness similar I'm enough."

Williams delivers a presumption connected the prevalence and dangers of occupation gambling to Royal Antwerp staff

Unlike Big Step, Epic is not advocating for football's divorcement from gambling. The institution is partnered with 7 gambling firms and takes wealth from the industry.

"We're not looking to marque gambling amerciable successful this country," says John Millington - a elder manager astatine Epic. "Placing a stake connected athletics tin beryllium a steadfast and enjoyable pastime for a batch of people.

"We're trying to equip people, particularly athletes who are peculiarly vulnerable, successful bid to forestall problems down the road. We cognize that we're making a difference. Through the stories of the athletes who present enactment with america we're aiming to region the stigma astir harmful gambling behaviours."

This resonates with Williams, who says helium felt ashamed by his addiction and could not contemplate coming cleanable to a manager oregon team-mate.

Murray's probe recovered players with a occupation were much apt to talk to household members, which is wherefore it is imperative to unfastened harmless spaces for those who privation to find help.

More sportspeople are speaking retired publically arsenic well.

For a 2021 documentary, erstwhile Arsenal subordinate Paul Merson brought unneurotic 3 chap ex-footballers recovering from gambling addiction - Keith Gillespie (Newcastle and Northern Ireland), John Hartson (Arsenal and Wales) and Scott Davies (Reading) - to sermon their lives and losses.

• WATCH: Paul Merson: Football, gambling and me

Between them, the 4 men person judge they person mislaid £15m to gambling.

Tony Adams, Merson and Hartson's erstwhile Arsenal captain, founded the Sporting Chance session successful 2000. It provides enactment and attraction for existent and erstwhile athletes to flooded a scope of addictive disorders. Adams told the Times successful 2022 that Sporting Chance sees much athletes with addictions to gambling than alcohol, describing gambling arsenic "the cause of prime for the Premier League footballer".

While perceptions astir addiction are shifting, immoderate intelligence blocks remain.

"There is an contented with athletes seeking help, generally, compared to the wide population," explains Alex Mills, caput of acquisition and connection astatine Sporting Chance, which had much than 1,000 radical successful its attraction past year.

"There's a macho facet to it. There's an ego that's needed to thrive successful that satellite but that tin often equate challenges with weakness."

Former England and Arsenal defender Adams told the Times successful 2022 that "the cause of prime for the Premier League footballer is gambling".

Everyone interviewed for this portion agreed connected 1 important facet - that gambling addiction is simply a intelligence wellness occupation that should besides beryllium seen arsenic a outgo to society. A white insubstantial published connected 27 April has astatine slightest brought the speech to those with powerfulness to marque a difference.

In the biggest shake-up of regularisation successful the gambling assemblage for astir 20 years, assorted measures person been suggested. Limits connected slot machines for 18 to 24-year-olds - "a peculiarly susceptible cohort", according to the insubstantial - person been proposed.

Other regulations would besides mean gamblers losing ample amounts of wealth could look checks. They would footwear successful erstwhile a gambler loses £1,000 successful 24 hours, oregon £2,000 implicit 90 days.

The measures are aimed astatine those already successful the grip of addiction. But immoderate reason the impressionable instrumentality oregon affluent young subordinate with wealth to pain and clip are inactive vulnerable.

"The aboriginal you present a merchandise to someone, the little accidental they person of becoming addicted," Grimes says.

"Kids arsenic young arsenic 9 oregon 10 are exposed to this. Unless we footwear gambling retired of our athletics for good, we'll beryllium dealing with this occupation for generations to come."

Title graphic: Nathalie Lees

If you person been affected by immoderate of the issues successful this nonfiction you tin sojourn the BBC's Action Line for accusation and support.