Gambling in football

[Time For Heroes]

Just read this article on the BBC website, interesting read.
www.bbc.co.uk/bbcthree/article/a35b72fb-6035-4ccc-90bc-f2a93c4d3671

[Dumfrieshibs]

Kevin Twaddle ex Motherwell and Hearts had a book published about his gambling addiction and the work he has done over the years trying to educate footballers on the dangers of gambling. How to lose a million and so much more...
It's worth a read . Kevin is now a regular at ER...

[Time For Heroes]

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Kevin Twaddle ex Motherwell and Hearts had a book published about his gambling addiction and the work he has done over the years trying to educate footballers on the dangers of gambling. How to lose a million and so much more...
It's worth a read . Kevin is now a regular at ER...

Nice one, I'll have a look at that.

[Pretty Boy]

I read the article earlier and it's scary to read the sums involved.

One of the things that stuck out for me was that he repeatedly mentioned having too much time on his hands. 'The devil makes work' and all that; if you don't have a hobby I guess there is a lot of long afternoons to fill. With that in mind I've often wondered if clubs should be offering guys more incentive to look at part time study, Open University, College courses or the like. Firstly to help fill their time and avoid temptation but also to ensure they have a skill set to fall back on post football. For most footballers the mega money of the EPL isn't the reality and for many a 2nd career is likely going to be needed.

There also needs to be an open and honest environment in which players can feel comfortable to admit they have a problem and deal with it. Reading that article, and accepting it's one side of a story, it doesn't seem to me that either of the authors managers at Reading covered themselves in glory.

[calumhibee1]

The access we have to gambling in this country is atrocious. You can hardly walk down a main road without passing a bookies every 500 yards and you can go onto god knows how many websites from the convenience of your phone. Watching football on the tele? Prepare to be bombarded with advertisements at the side of the pitch, on strips and during the adverts.

There should be a huge clampdown on it. I realise some people enjoy it but it ruins/takes so many lives. I know of numerous people who have committed suicide that had major gambling issues. A maximum stake cap should be put on ALL sports betting. Am I right in saying that the machines in the bookies have a really low max bet per spin now?

[Hermit Crab]

Excellent article. Many people have fallen into the trap and its very difficult to get out of, I know first hand.

[Hermit Crab]

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The access we have to gambling in this country is atrocious. You can hardly walk down a main road without passing a bookies every 500 yards and you can go onto god knows how many websites from the convenience of your phone. Watching football on the tele? Prepare to be bombarded with advertisements at the side of the pitch, on strips and during the adverts.

There should be a huge clampdown on it. I realise some people enjoy it but it ruins/takes so many lives. I know of numerous people who have committed suicide that had major gambling issues. A maximum stake cap should be put on ALL sports betting. Am I right in saying that the machines in the bookies have a really low max bet per spin now?

Absolutely mate, how is someone trying to give up gambling feeling when their watching the footy and at halftime Ray Winstone pops up on tv and says have a bang on that, our leagues and cups were/are sponsored by bookmakers, our own sponsor is a bookmaker. Averts for gambling are everywhere and its wrong.

[Santa Cruz]

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Kevin Twaddle ex Motherwell and Hearts had a book published about his gambling addiction and the work he has done over the years trying to educate footballers on the dangers of gambling. How to lose a million and so much more...
It's worth a read . Kevin is now a regular at ER...

I've read the book and have to admire the bloke's honesty about the levels he was reduced to, to obtain more money, when chasing his many lost bets. Also, very interesting how he noted it affected his performance whilst playing in a match as he was more concerned with the scores in other games which he had bets on. He's turned it round now by all accounts and should be applauded for doing so while also trying to help others. I think anyone with a similar problem will find this book useful.

[Haymaker]

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I read the article earlier and it's scary to read the sums involved.

One of the things that stuck out for me was that he repeatedly mentioned having too much time on his hands. 'The devil makes work' and all that; if you don't have a hobby I guess there is a lot of long afternoons to fill. With that in mind I've often wondered if clubs should be offering guys more incentive to look at part time study, Open University, College courses or the like. Firstly to help fill their time and avoid temptation but also to ensure they have a skill set to fall back on post football. For most footballers the mega money of the EPL isn't the reality and for many a 2nd career is likely going to be needed.

There also needs to be an open and honest environment in which players can feel comfortable to admit they have a problem and deal with it. Reading that article, and accepting it's one side of a story, it doesn't seem to me that either of the authors managers at Reading covered themselves in glory.

I remember an interview with Rio Ferdinand about his west ham youth team. He said they were offered college etc but no one took it up because they all believed they'd make it.

The sad thing is a lot of clubs will always sell the dream.

[DetroitHibs]

I know over my lifetime that I've lost over $500,000 gambling. When I was last home I couldn't believe how much it's being pushed on TV. Ray Winstone pushing odds during half time of a game, mental! Then you have those roulette channels where people can gamble 24/7. Bookies popping up on every street corner and filling them with roulette machines. It's worse than smoking, weed and booze. All off which are banned to advertise.

[WeeRussell]

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The access we have to gambling in this country is atrocious. You can hardly walk down a main road without passing a bookies every 500 yards and you can go onto god knows how many websites from the convenience of your phone. Watching football on the tele? Prepare to be bombarded with advertisements at the side of the pitch, on strips and during the adverts.

There should be a huge clampdown on it. I realise some people enjoy it but it ruins/takes so many lives. I know of numerous people who have committed suicide that had major gambling issues. A maximum stake cap should be put on ALL sports betting. Am I right in saying that the machines in the bookies have a really low max bet per spin now?

Depends what you regard as really low mate. I know they have definitely been reduced or are being reduced though yeah.

[KWJ]

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The access we have to gambling in this country is atrocious. You can hardly walk down a main road without passing a bookies every 500 yards and you can go onto god knows how many websites from the convenience of your phone. Watching football on the tele? Prepare to be bombarded with advertisements at the side of the pitch, on strips and during the adverts.

There should be a huge clampdown on it. I realise some people enjoy it but it ruins/takes so many lives. I know of numerous people who have committed suicide that had major gambling issues. A maximum stake cap should be put on ALL sports betting. Am I right in saying that the machines in the bookies have a really low max bet per spin now?

I don't believe so. Certainly not below £100.

The bigger problem is you can spin about every 15 seconds.

I developed a gambling problem in this country. It barely crossed my mind while in NZ and Canada over 4 years. Back here again and it's a constant battle.

I believe it's going to have an increasingly devastating effect on our society over the next decade.

[allezsauzee]

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I don't believe so. Certainly not below £100.

The bigger problem is you can spin about every 15 seconds.

I developed a gambling problem in this country. It barely crossed my mind while in NZ and Canada over 4 years. Back here again and it's a constant battle.

I believe it's going to have an increasingly devastating effect on our society over the next decade.

Maximum bet is being lowered to £2 however you can auto repeat your bet so you could easily lose a couple of grand a day on these things. I enjoy a bet however I think the problem is that the big bookmakers are bookmakers in name only , they are big corporate entities whose sole aim is to hoover as much cash out of the masses pockets as they can. If you have any level of talent for betting, you will find that your online account is closed in no time. I even had restrictions put on one of my accounts for a £10 Ante post Cheltenham bet where they had offered odds considerably better than elsewhere (it won so I had the last laugh).

[Pretty Boy]

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Maximum bet is being lowered to £2 however you can auto repeat your bet so you could easily lose a couple of grand a day on these things. I enjoy a bet however I think the problem is that the big bookmakers are bookmakers in name only , they are big corporate entities whose sole aim is to hoover as much cash out of the masses pockets as they can. If you have any level of talent for betting, you will find that your online account is closed in no time. I even had restrictions put on one of my accounts for a £10 Ante post Cheltenham bet where they had offered odds considerably better than elsewhere (it won so I had the last laugh).

I only ever bet in cash now because there's a physical loss that you can see. You don't get that with the 1 click deposit you can do online now.

The FOBTs never held much interest for me but I could easily plough through anywhere between £200 and £300 on a Saturday afternoon betting on my phone without thinking. I was also a total mug in the casino and could blow a couple of weeks wages in 20 minutes at a roulette table. I was probably on the verge of being a problem gambler if I wasn't there already. I still like a bet but I'm very disciplined about it now and only really have a bet when I'm at the races or the odd Saturday during the national hunt season. I never touch football, dogs or anything else; it's only horses for me and I keep track of every penny I bet. So far this year I've wagered £80 and currently sit £3 down.

Gambling is everywhere and the temptation that goes with that. We are well past the point of no return with regards to getting gambling back under control, the days of a bet only being possible on course or in one of a handful of shops are long gone. I suppose the only options is restricting stakes and/or limiting advertising. I'd imagine that will meet fierce opposition from many parties though.

[calumhibee1]

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Maximum bet is being lowered to £2 however you can auto repeat your bet so you could easily lose a couple of grand a day on these things. I enjoy a bet however I think the problem is that the big bookmakers are bookmakers in name only , they are big corporate entities whose sole aim is to hoover as much cash out of the masses pockets as they can. If you have any level of talent for betting, you will find that your online account is closed in no time. I even had restrictions put on one of my accounts for a £10 Ante post Cheltenham bet where they had offered odds considerably better than elsewhere (it won so I had the last laugh).

Aye I thought it was down to £1 or £2. Suppose as you say though you can spend so quickly.

[I'm Spartacus]

I was thinking about this last night after seeing Tony Watts tweets about matching bets for a charity bet for him to score more goals than a few names players, the betting company replied too offering him odds.

[bingo70]

Talk sport did a feature on this a while back and some of the calls from ordinary punters were quite sad to listen to. I personally don't think gambling sponsorship should be banned in the game but then i'm not dealing with an addiction. Some of the people calling in were saying they found it impossible to watch games now as reminders are everywhere they look, staying well clear is the only option for some and that doesn't seem right.

IMO any club that benefits from a betting company advertising (such as us), should have an obligation to host meetings or to offer support to any supporters who are battling with the addiction. The same could apply to alcohol sponsorship.

[calumhibee1]

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Talk sport did a feature on this a while back and some of the calls from ordinary punters were quite sad to listen to. I personally don't think gambling sponsorship should be banned in the game but then i'm not dealing with an addiction. Some of the people calling in were saying they found it impossible to watch games now as reminders are everywhere they look, staying well clear is the only option for some and that doesn't seem right.

IMO any club that benefits from a betting company advertising (such as us), should have an obligation to host meetings or to offer support to any supporters who are battling with the addiction. The same could apply to alcohol sponsorship.

Not a bad idea in your last paragraph if advertisement is going to continue to be allowed. I personally think it should be totally banned like advertising cigarettes is (I think anyway?). Gambling is potentially so much more destructive IMO.

[allezsauzee]

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I only ever bet in cash now because there's a physical loss that you can see. You don't get that with the 1 click deposit you can do online now.

The FOBTs never held much interest for me but I could easily plough through anywhere between £200 and £300 on a Saturday afternoon betting on my phone without thinking. I was also a total mug in the casino and could blow a couple of weeks wages in 20 minutes at a roulette table. I was probably on the verge of being a problem gambler if I wasn't there already. I still like a bet but I'm very disciplined about it now and only really have a bet when I'm at the races or the odd Saturday during the national hunt season. I never touch football, dogs or anything else; it's only horses for me and I keep track of every penny I bet. So far this year I've wagered £80 and currently sit £3 down.

Gambling is everywhere and the temptation that goes with that. We are well past the point of no return with regards to getting gambling back under control, the days of a bet only being possible on course or in one of a handful of shops are long gone. I suppose the only options is restricting stakes and/or limiting advertising. I'd imagine that will meet fierce opposition from many parties though.

I usually bet online as i shop on oddschecker but I take your point on the physical loss. The pain of losing and joy of winning are so much more powerful when it's cash so I definitely agree with you on that. I've been tracking my gains/losses since the 2014 festival because it's easy to lose track of how much you bet.

I think we'll see some restriction on gambling advertising at some point and possibly some of the offers that entice you to bet more than you can afford. eg get £10 in free bets if you bet £25. A lot of lives will be wrecked for a while yet before this happens sadly.