Hold or Fold

Recovery isn’t just about reaching one year, five years or a big anniversary. Sometimes the most important milestones are the ones nobody else sees.

Tracey joins Hold or Fold to talk honestly about her recovery journey, from the devastating consequences of her gambling addiction to the moment she had to face the reality of stealing £70,000 from her workplace. She also reflects on guilt, shame, self-forgiveness, taking ownership and the importance of connection. It’s a powerful conversation about how recovery evolves over time, and why every step forward deserves to be recognised.

USEFUL LINKS:

• Gamcare
• Reframe Coaching
• Gambling Harm UK
• Gamble Aware
• Bet Know More
• Breakeven
• Gamfam
• Gamlearn
• Gambler's Anonymous
• GAMSTOP
• Gamban
• Whysup
• Gordon Moody
• ARA

Call the National Gambling helpline, for free, on 0808 8020 133

If you would like to get in touch with Hold or Fold and ask us a question, suggest a topic or start a conversation, you can E-mail us at...

📧: [email protected]

💬 DM us: @holdorfoldpod on Instagram & Twitter (X)

✉️ Write to us: Life After Prison, National Prison Radio, HMP Brixton, London SW2 5XF

This episode is hosted by...

Ben Jones & Steve Girling

You can find out more about the work of the 'Prison Radio Association' and 'National Prison Radio' here:

https://prison.radio/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Can lived experience change the way gambling harm is understood inside prison?

In this episode, Hold or Fold meets Andy, a prisoner with lived experience of gambling harm, and David, the Deputy Governor who supported him in establishing gambling support at HMP Channings Wood. Their story is about much more than a new support service, it’s about trust, collaboration and what can happen when people in very different positions find common ground. Together, they reveal how their work helped people inside, why lived experience matters, and what it would take to see meaningful gambling support become available across the prison estate.

USEFUL LINKS:

• Beacon Counselling Trust
• Gamfam
• Gordon Moody
• Shannon Trust
• Reframe Coaching
• Gambling Harm UK
• Gamcare
• Gamble Aware
• Bet Know More
• Breakeven
• Gamlearn
• Gambler's Anonymous
• GAMSTOP
• Gamban
• Whysup
• ARA

Call the National Gambling helpline, for free, on 0808 8020 133

If you would like to get in touch with Hold or Fold and ask us a question, suggest a topic or start a conversation, you can E-mail us at...

📧: [email protected]

💬 DM us: @holdorfoldpod on Instagram & Twitter (X)

✉️ Write to us: Life After Prison, National Prison Radio, HMP Brixton, London SW2 5XF

This episode is hosted by...

Ben Jones & Steve Girling

You can find out more about the work of the 'Prison Radio Association' and 'National Prison Radio' here:

https://prison.radio/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What can be done to tackle gambling harm across the criminal justice system and what happens when people from across the sector come together to find answers?

Hold or Fold heads to the National Gambling Support Network conference in London, hearing from campaigners, professionals and people with lived experience. Clarke Carlisle discusses data, family and criminal justice, while Jeff shares an extraordinary story of gambling, crime and recovery, including a relapse after around 15 years gamble-free. With honest conversations about shame, desperation and the gaps in support, this episode asks what needs to change and how we can make it happen.

USEFUL LINKS:

• Reframe Coaching
• Gambling Harm UK
• Gamcare
• Gamble Aware
• Bet Know More
• Breakeven
• Gamfam
• Gamlearn
• Gambler's Anonymous
• GAMSTOP
• Gamban
• Whysup
• Gordon Moody
• ARA

Call the National Gambling helpline, for free, on 0808 8020 133

If you would like to get in touch with Hold or Fold and ask us a question, suggest a topic or start a conversation, you can E-mail us at...

📧: [email protected]

💬 DM us: @holdorfoldpod on Instagram & Twitter (X)

✉️ Write to us: Life After Prison, National Prison Radio, HMP Brixton, London SW2 5XF

This episode is hosted by...

Ben Jones & Steve Girling

You can find out more about the work of the 'Prison Radio Association' and 'National Prison Radio' here:

https://prison.radio/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The 'British Podcast Awards' PODCAST OF THE YEAR 2026 Returns for a brand new series

What happens when one of football’s most recognisable voices decides there’s a line he won’t cross? In the first episode of the new series, Hold or Fold sits down with legendary football commentator Clive Tyldesley to talk about gambling, advertising, personal values and the responsibility that comes with having a public platform.

Clive opens up about why he walked away from a role at talkSPORT rather than promote gambling on air, and reveals some deeply personal experiences that have shaped his views. It’s a thoughtful and revealing conversation that goes far beyond football.

USEFUL LINKS:

• Article on Clive
• Gambling with Lives
• The Big Step
• Reframe Coaching
• Gambling Harm UK
• Gamcare
• Gamble Aware
• Bet Know More
• Breakeven
• Gamfam
• Gamlearn
• Gambler's Anonymous
• GAMSTOP
• Gamban
• Whysup
• Gordon Moody
• ARA

Call the National Gambling helpline, for free, on 0808 8020 133

If you would like to get in touch with Hold or Fold and ask us a question, suggest a topic or start a conversation, you can E-mail us at...

📧: [email protected]

💬 DM us: @holdorfoldpod on Instagram & Twitter (X)

✉️ Write to us: Life After Prison, National Prison Radio, HMP Brixton, London SW2 5XF

This episode is hosted by...

Ben Jones & Steve Girling

You can find out more about the work of the 'Prison Radio Association' and 'National Prison Radio' here:

https://prison.radio/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For the final episode of the series, Ben and Steve are laying it all out. Every question, every truth, every angle left unexplored. This is a full-length “Cards on the Table” special, created because there were simply too many listener questions to squeeze into the series… and far too many worth answering.

In this unfiltered, deeply personal finale, the hosts dig into the topics listeners most wanted to know about:

• How did prison really shape their recovery?

• What became of the money they stole and gambled?

• What does life look like after addiction, crime, and time behind bars?

But this episode isn’t just Q&A, it’s a celebration of the journey so far. Expect moments of emotion and surprise as Ben and Steve share unheard clips that never made previous episodes, spotlight powerful poetry, and reflect on the guests and stories that left the biggest mark on them this series.

Honest, reflective, and packed with never-before-heard content, this finale brings the heart of Hold or Fold into sharp focus: real people, real consequences, and real recovery.

USEFUL LINKS

• Reframe Coaching
• Gambling Harm UK
• Gamcare
• Gamble Aware
• Bet Know More
• Breakeven
• Gamfam
• Gamlearn
• Gambler's Anonymous
• GAMSTOP
• Gamban
• Whysup
• Gordon Moody
• ARA

TELL US WHAT YOU THINK BY FILLING OUT THIS QUICK SURVEY - THANKS SO MUCH

Call the National Gambling helpline, for free, on 0808 8020 133

If you would like to get in touch with Hold or Fold and ask us a question, suggest a topic or start a conversation, you can E-mail us at...

📧: [email protected]

💬 DM us: @holdorfoldpod on Instagram & Twitter (X) 

✉️ Write to us: Life After Prison, National Prison Radio, HMP Brixton, London SW2 5XF

This episode is hosted by...

Ben Jones & Steve Girling

You can find out more about the work of the 'Prison Radio Association' and 'National Prison Radio' here:

https://prison.radio/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this powerful must-listen episode of Hold or Fold, Steve sits down with Naman, whose extraordinary journey lays bare the complex intersections of gambling harm, culture, faith, and the Criminal Justice System.

Naman opens up about how his religion shaped both his addiction and his recovery, a belief system that ultimately helped save his life. He reflects on how cultural expectations kept him silent for far too long, pushing him deeper into gambling as he tried to provide his partner with the love and security he felt his own mother never received

His story takes unexpected turns: being mistaken for the prison doctor, completely misjudging what life in an open prison would be like, and an almost darkly comedic, but ultimately dangerous, incident born from his naivety around drugs behind bars.

For Ben and Steve, who both served prison sentences for gambling-related crimes themselves, Naman’s story feels strikingly familiar, yet it also challenges them, revealing new layers of harm, identity, and resilience they haven’t explored before.

Raw, reflective, and at times astonishing, this episode shines a fresh light on the hidden pathways that lead people from gambling addiction to prison, and the unexpected forces that help them find their way back

USEFUL LINKS:

• Gamlearn
• Gordon Moody
• Reframe Coaching
• Gambing Harm UK
• Gamcare
• Gamble Aware

TELL US WHAT YOU THINK BY FILLING OUT THIS QUICK SURVEY - THANKS SO MUCH

Call the National Gambling helpline, for free, on 0808 8020 133

If you would like to get in touch with Hold or Fold and ask us a question, suggest a topic or start a conversation, you can E-mail us at...

📧: [email protected]

💬 DM us: @holdorfoldpod on Instagram & Twitter (X) 

✉️ Write to us: Life After Prison, National Prison Radio, HMP Brixton, London SW2 5XF

This episode is hosted by...

Ben Jones & Steve Girling

You can find out more about the work of the 'Prison Radio Association' and 'National Prison Radio' here:

https://prison.radio/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Ben stepped back inside the prison walls to meet with a group of lads at HMP Berwyn. There he shared his own story of gambling and prison, took questions from the group and facilitated a powerful and meaningful conversation around addiction & recovery 

After the session he spoke with Rob & Rebecca from the fantastic charity ARA: Recovery for all, to find out more about the work they do generally but also within HMP Berwyn. Ben also met with Ian, a former resident of Berwyn and a gambler of 47 years - Ian’s story is one of the most powerful and emotional we have ever shared on Hold or Fold and displays the power of recovery and how important it is that gambling harm support is offered within our prisons

USEFUL LINKS:

• ARA
• Gordon Moody
• HMP Berwyn
• Reframe Coaching
• Gambing Harm UK
• Gamcare
• Gamble Aware

Call the National Gambling helpline, for free, on 0808 8020 133

TELL US WHAT YOU THINK BY FILLING OUT THIS QUICK SURVEY - THANKS SO MUCH

If you would like to get in touch with Hold or Fold and ask us a question, suggest a topic or start a conversation, you can E-mail us at...

📧: [email protected]

💬 DM us: @holdorfoldpod on Instagram & Twitter (X) 

✉️ Write to us: Life After Prison, National Prison Radio, HMP Brixton, London SW2 5XF

This episode is hosted by...

Ben Jones & Steve Girling

You can find out more about the work of the 'Prison Radio Association' and 'National Prison Radio' here:

https://prison.radio/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ben Howard first made an appearance on Hold or Fold when it was exclusive to National Prison Radio. At that point he was in limbo, waiting to see if his crimes would lead him to prison or not.

He waited 4 years for his case to land, served his sentence, and came out determined to turn hard lessons into real change. In this episode he talks about how gambling took over his life, the unlikely friendship he formed on the prison bus and the informal research he carried out on his wing to count how many people had been harmed by gambling.

USEFUL LINKS:

• Gamcare
• Betknowmore
• Reframe Coaching
• Gamble Aware
• Epic Restart Foundation
• Shannon Trust
• Gambling Harm UK

TELL US WHAT YOU THINK BY FILLING OUT THIS QUICK SURVEY - THANKS SO MUCH

Call the National Gambling helpline, for free, on 0808 8020 133

If you would like to get in touch with Hold or Fold and ask us a question, suggest a topic or start a conversation, you can E-mail us at...

📧: [email protected]

💬 DM us: @holdorfoldpod on Instagram & Twitter (X) 

✉️ Write to us: Life After Prison, National Prison Radio, HMP Brixton, London SW2 5XF

This episode is hosted by...

Ben Jones & Steve Girling

You can find out more about the work of the 'Prison Radio Association' and 'National Prison Radio' here:

https://prison.radio/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this raw and powerful episode of Hold or Fold, Nottingham rapper and poet Jah Digga opens up about his battle with gambling addiction, and the creative lifeline that saved him.

Behind the viral hit “Addictions”, there’s a deeply personal story; nights spent haunted by visions of cards and chips, insomnia, and the relentless “chase” that drove him to near rock bottom.

Raised in a rough neighbourhood, Jah watched his siblings jailed or worse, and vowed to carve out a different path. Through writing, rapping, and poetry, he channeled his pain into purpose, and found an alternative route to the one laid out for him

He talks to fellow Nottingham lad Ben about how gambling impacted his life, how his mental health suffered, and the coping strategies that helped him reclaim his life - From playing 'games' against the casino to building structure with gym routines and art. He also reflects on the power of community, the importance of celebrating real achievements in disadvantaged areas, and why he believes that creativity can be a force for healing and hope.

USEFUL LINKS:

• Jah Digga Linktree
• The Track 'Addictions'
• The Track 'Dissertation'
• Reframe Coaching
• Gambling Harm UK
• Gamcare
• Gamble Aware

TELL US WHAT YOU THINK BY FILLING OUT THIS QUICK SURVEY - THANKS SO MUCH

Call the National Gambling helpline, for free, on 0808 8020 133

If you would like to get in touch with Hold or Fold and ask us a question, suggest a topic or start a conversation, you can E-mail us at...

📧: [email protected]

💬 DM us: @holdorfoldpod on Instagram & Twitter (X) 

✉️ Write to us: Life After Prison, National Prison Radio, HMP Brixton, London SW2 5XF

This episode is hosted by...

Ben Jones & Steve Girling

You can find out more about the work of the 'Prison Radio Association' and 'National Prison Radio' here:

https://prison.radio/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this powerful episode, we sit down with Mark Murray, co-founder of the mental health and addiction charity Whysup, to unpack a life that could’ve gone very differently. 

As a teenager, Mark was on the books at Manchester City, a promising football career ahead but everything shifted when he became a father at just 16. To cope with the pressure, Mark turned to gambling. What began as a way out soon spiralled into a 13-year addiction that would leave him drowning in debt, facing threats, and entangled with dangerous people. 

Mark found help at Gordon Moody, where he rebuilt his life. It’s here that the spark for Whysup was born: using lived experience as the foundation to drive change

USEFUL LINKS:

• Whysup
• Gordon Moody
• Gambler’s Anonymous
• Reframe Coaching
• Gambing Harm UK
• Gamcare
• Gamble Aware

TELL US WHAT YOU THINK BY FILLING OUT THIS QUICK SURVEY - THANKS SO MUCH

Call the National Gambling helpline, for free, on 0808 8020 133

If you would like to get in touch with Hold or Fold and ask us a question, suggest a topic or start a conversation, you can E-mail us at...

📧: [email protected]

💬 DM us: @holdorfoldpod on Instagram & Twitter (X) 

✉️ Write to us: Life After Prison, National Prison Radio, HMP Brixton, London SW2 5XF

This episode is hosted by...

Ben Jones & Steve Girling

You can find out more about the work of the 'Prison Radio Association' and 'National Prison Radio' here:

https://prison.radio/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.