The Invisible Addiction

In the final episode of The Invisible Addiction Podcast, Peer Recovery Specialist and former US Lawyer Jeffrey Wasserman shares his moving gambling addiction story.

How did he start gambling?

What impact did his gambling addiction have on his work and home life?

What is life like now that he is 5+ years free from gambling…?

Jeff is based over in the USA and is a problem gambling expert, appearing at countless national conferences in America. He is the founder of The Problem Gambling Support Group via Zoom, with hundreds of members across the globe. And besides all this (!), he finds the time to co-host ‘All In: The Addicted Gambler’s Podcast’. (A brilliant gambling addiction recovery Podcast he co-hosts with Brian – highly recommended listening!).

It was nothing but a privilege to talk with Jeff, and hear his inspirational journey, and words of wisdom.

The Podcast is jam-packed with positivity and hope for people looking to turn their life around after gambling problems.

Here's a rough breakdown of the conversation:

00:00 Hearing more about Jeff’s background and experience

3:52 Jeff’s first exposure to gambling

12:58 Jeff’s experiences of playing casino slot machines

27:31 ‘I had a plan that I was either going to flee the country or end my life’

49:52 How did you get involved with the Delaware Council on Gambling Problems?

1:06:07 ‘There’s always opportunity and hope for people to recover’

***

You can reach out to Jeff on Twitter:  

@JPWdel1955

Visit the Delaware Council on Gambling Problems website: 

https://www.deproblemgambling.org/

***

This Podcast is proudly sponsored by TalkBanStop which is a partnership between GamCare, Gamban and GAMSTOP to help anyone experiencing gambling harms to start their recovery journey:  

https://www.gamcare.org.uk/talk/

***

Finally, thank you so much for tuning in to Series 3. I’ll be back soon with Series 4 in the next few months.

Take care,

Alex.

In this episode of The Invisible Addiction Podcast former Police Officer, Colin Bland, shares his harrowing gambling addiction story.  

How did Colin start gambling?  

What impact did his gambling addiction have on him, and others around him?  

How did he stop gambling, and get help…?  

Since retiring from the Police, Colin has spent time as a drugs/alcohol worker, and now works for Citizens Advice Gambling Support Service in Yorkshire, which delivers training and raises awareness to reduce gambling harms across the region.    

He is an amazing man, who shares a powerful, courageous and honest story, that will be highly relatable to many of us with tales from the bookies to talking through the devastation gambling has on your mental health.   

I’m hugely excited to share it with you!

Here's a rough breakdown of the conversation:  

00:00 Introductions and hearing about Colin’s time as a Police Officer and how he ended up working for Citizens Advice 

11:54 What signposts do Citizens Advice offer for people with gambling problems? 

17:16 How did Colin start betting/get into gambling? 

32:05 ‘Mentally I was exhausted’ 

42:19 ‘Every problem I’ve had, you can trace back to the gambling’ 

52:39 How did Colin get help/stop gambling? 

103:28 Colin talks about his joy helping others in their recovery   

***  

You can reach out to Colin on Twitter: @GambleSupportYH  

Visit the Citizens Advice website: www.calderdalecab.org.uk   

***  

This Podcast is proudly sponsored by TalkBanStop which is a partnership between GamCare, Gamban and GAMSTOP to help anyone experiencing gambling harms to start their recovery journey:   https://www.gamcare.org.uk/talk/

In this episode of The Invisible Addiction Podcast, former Radio Presenter and pay day loans campaigner, Danny Cheetham, shares his gambling addiction story and views on the current gambling situation in the UK.  

I wanted to find out how Danny ended up campaigning against pay day loans?  

What was Danny’s experience of playing on Fixed Odds Betting Terminals in the bookies?  

How would he make gambling safer in the future…?  

It’s a back-and-forth type conversation, full of opinions and insight from Danny.  

We cover a wide range of topics, from the use of pay day loans, online slots, gambling sport sponsorships, the current Gambling Act Review in the UK, and his time co-presenting alongside Rowetta from Happy Mondays.   

I’m super grateful to Danny for appearing on The Invisible Addiction Podcast and I’m hugely excited to share the conversation with you!

Here's a rough breakdown of the conversation:  

00:00 Introductions and hearing about Danny’s Radio Presenting background   

5:19 How did he get into pay day loan campaigning?   

18:17 Lunch break gambling at the bookies 

27:15 How did he start betting? 

38:20 Gambling logos on football shirts 

43:58 How would he make gambling safer in the future?  

***  

Danny has also appeared on BBC Radio 1’s Life Hacks Podcast – which you can listen to here:  

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p07gycrq 

***  

This Podcast is proudly sponsored by TalkBanStop which is a partnership between GamCare, Gamban and GAMSTOP to help anyone experiencing gambling harms to start their recovery journey:   

https://www.gamcare.org.uk/talk/

In this episode of The Invisible Addiction Podcast @GamblingGuard - reveals his gambling addiction story in full for the first time.  

Gambling Guard has built a huge following online, with hundreds of thousands of views on gambling addiction awareness videos on Tik Tok and Instagram. 

Earlier this year, his Twitter account went viral, with one of his tweets which detailed his gambling losses – placing more than 15,000 bets, making over 6,000 deposits and betting nearly £500,000 over the course of 12 years.   

In the Podcast, I wanted to explore the relationship between the competitiveness nature of sales and gambling.  

How did he start betting?  

What impact did his addiction have on him and those around him?  

What tips and advice does he have for people wanting to confront their gambling addiction…?  

It’s a powerful and moving Podcast – full of extreme highs and crashing lows – and is also one that’s highly relatable – from Premier League football betting to trips to Las Vegas.    

I’ve been hugely excited to share the conversation with you, not least because of his positivity in recovery and inspiring videos!  

Here's a rough breakdown of the conversation:  

00:00 Introductions and hearing about the start of his gambling addiction story  

13:24 ‘Professional gambling was high up on the list of potential careers’    

26:44 ‘I’d had the biggest win I’d ever had and yet I was completely numb to it’  

48:10 ‘I just loved winning’ 

102:04 ‘You can’t recover if you don’t know what you’re recovering from’  

121:52 ‘I want people to feel the freedom of recovery, what it can give you, and not something that defines you’

***

This Podcast is proudly sponsored by TalkBanStop which is a partnership between GamCare, Gamban and GAMSTOP to help anyone experiencing gambling harms to start their recovery journey:   

https://www.gamcare.org.uk/talk/

In this episode of The Invisible Addiction Podcast former Stoke City and Burton Albion footballer Ben Markall shares his footballer journey and gambling addiction story.  

Going into the interview, I wanted to explore the relationship between professional footballers and gambling.  

At the time, Ben was of England’s most expensive 14-year-olds, transferring from Cheltenham Town to Stoke City for £70,000.   

What effect did that have on him?   

What was it like training alongside players like Michael Owen at Stoke?   

What made him turn to gambling, and how did he stop?  

Ben is a highly driven young man, and has since founded his own football coaching business, Premier Progress. Besides this, he works as a football intermediary for Paramount Sports Management, run by former Jamaican international footballer Daryl Powell, and is also a programme facilitator for EPIC Risk Management, sharing his story to educate sports players on gambling related harm.     

It’s a candid and insightful Podcast, and one I’ve been hugely excited to share with you!    

Here's a rough breakdown of the conversation:  

00:00 Introductions and hearing about the start of Ben’s footballing journey  

13:48 Did he feel the pressure at Stoke City?   

16:50 How did he start gambling?  

25:19 Did anyone at Burton Albion notice his gambling? 

27:30 How did he stop gambling and get help? 36:41 What was the reaction from friends and family? 

44:56 What advice would he give a young Ben Markall?

***

This Podcast is proudly sponsored by Gamban - which blocks access to online gambling on all your devices.

I also highly recommend accessing TalkBanStop which is a partnership between GamCare, Gamban and GAMSTOP to help anyone experiencing gambling harms to start their recovery journey.

I’m delighted to announce that the second guest in Series 3 of The Invisible Addiction Podcast is Gamtalk founder Paul Pettigrew.  

In the Podcast Paul shares his gambling addiction story.   

I wanted to explore the relationship between football and gambling. (Paul used to play for Greenock Morton FC).  

Did being released as a footballer lead him to gamble? 

What impact did his addiction have on his life? 

What advice and tips does he have for people experiencing gambling problems?

Paul has a harrowing story, one of despair, but also one of hope and inspiration.   

It’s an amazing journey to hear, and it’s a Podcast I’ve been hugely excited to share with you! 

Here's a rough breakdown of the conversation: 

00:00 Introductions and learning more about Paul’s footballing journey 

13:50 How did he start gambling? 

23:10 How did his gambling progress into an addiction? 

29:40 How bad were his gambling debts?

46:44 How did Paul get help for his gambling?

55:45 How did Gamtalk come about?

***

As mentioned in the Podcast, the BBC Three documentary about homelessness in Manchester is called 'Britain's Forgotten Men'. Well worth a watch on YouTube!

***

This Podcast is proudly sponsored by Gamban - which blocks access to online gambling on all your devices.

I also highly recommend accessing TalkBanStop which is a partnership between GamCare, Gamban and GAMSTOP to help anyone experiencing gambling harms to start their recovery journey.

I’m delighted to announce that the first guest in Series 3 of The Invisible Addiction Podcast is Lewis.  

It’s the first time he’s publicly shared his fascinating and unique gambling addiction story.   

Lewis’ first winning bet was at the age of 16 years old, placing 50p on a 128,000/1 odd football accumulator, winning over £63,000.   

I wanted to find out what that felt like.  

What impact did it have on his life? 

How did it lead to a gambling addiction?  

How did he stop gambling, and what help has he received?   

It’s a powerful, raw and honest Podcast, and one I’m hugely excited to share with you!

Here's a rough breakdown of the conversation:  

00:00 - Introductions and learning more about Lewis' background  

08:42 - How did his gambling addiction start? 

25:58 - What type of betting did he do? 

43:44 - What was his biggest regret? 

51:16 - What were the years after university like? 

108:31 - How did he stop gambling?  

***  

This Podcast is proudly sponsored by Gamban - which blocks access to online gambling on all your devices. 

I also highly recommend accessing TalkBanStop which is a partnership between GamCare, Gamban and GAMSTOP to help anyone experiencing gambling harms to start their recovery journey. 

In a bonus episode of The Invisible Addiction podcast, we are joined by special guest Chris Murphy, Darts Commentator, and Communications Manager and Gambling Education Facilitator for Sporting Chance.   

Sporting Chance is the world’s leading charity providing mental health services to sportspeople and was founded by former Arsenal and England football captain Tony Adams.   

You might’ve seen a BBC Sport article this week, in which he said that ‘gambling addiction has become the biggest issue among professional sportspeople treated by the Sporting Chance clinic’.   

Their CEO Colin Bland went on to say that the relationship between sport and gambling has reached a “pivotal point”, labelling gambling addiction as a “serious public health issue”.  

The podcast is structured into 3 parts:  

- Part 1 (00:00): Chris shares his gambling addiction story and recovery from a suicide attempt.  

- Part 2 (32:01): Chris discusses the danger of online casino games.     

- Part 3 (48:10): Chris chats about his experience as a Darts Commentator, working alongside world number one darts player Michael van Gerwen, and more about the statements in the press this week made by Sporting Chance founder Tony Adams and CEO Colin Bland.  

I’m delighted Chris has chosen to talk on The Invisible Addiction podcast and I’m excited for you to listen to his powerful and inspiring story.   

If you’d like to connect with Chris, you can reach out to him on Twitter @ChrisMurphy180 

If you’d like to get in touch with me, you can reach out to my email [email protected] 

Please don’t be shy to subscribe and leave a nice review of the podcast. It helps push us higher up in the mental health category and help reach people who might be struggling with gambling problems.  

For a list of support networks available in the UK, please head over to The Invisible Addiction website.

Finally, I’ll be back soon with Series 3 of the podcast, but in the meantime do look out for vlogs on YouTube in which I’ll be talking about my gambling addiction experiences. I hope it will be relatable for you.   

Take care guys and speak soon,  

Alex.

In the final episode of The Invisible Addiction podcast series, I speak with Matt Zarb-Cousin, leader of the Clean-Up Gambling campaign, co-founder of the betting blocking software GamBan, and former spokesperson for Jeremy Corbyn.   

It’s a podcast jam-packed with plenty of conversational topics.  

- Matt shares his gambling addiction story and how recovery laid a path into politics and work in the Labour party 

- Matt discusses his successful campaign which reduced Fixed Odd Betting Terminals (FOBTs) to £2 per spin – his quote famously picked up in the press as “the crack cocaine of gambling” 

- Matt chats about his new campaign Clean-Up Gambling and his viewpoints for the comprehensive review of the 2005 Gambling Act, such as the introduction of stake limits and affordability checks.   

It’s a conversation that will be of interest to many of us, especially people in recovery and the wider public.   

Matt is a fascinating human being, bustling with ideas and opinions, and it was nothing but a privilege to speak with him. I’m hugely excited to share the conversation with you!  

Cheers guys,  

Alex ☺️

In the this episode of The Invisible Addiction podcast, I speak with Richard Flint, non-executive board member at Flutter PLC and the former CEO of SkyBet.    

Richard discusses the current landscape of the gambling industry and uncovers his time at SkyBet between 2007-2018.  

In particular, I wanted to find out his experience of problem gamblers/problem gambling and hear what changes he would like to see introduced to make gambling safer in the future.  

There’s a wide range of topics covered which include: hearing how Richard started at SkyBet, a little bit about my gambling addiction story, football in-play betting, online casinos (SkyVegas), horse racing, ethics, legislation, regulation, advertising and sponsorships, ‘responsible’ gambling rhetoric, stake limits, and VIP schemes.    

It’s an open and frank exchange and is a podcast I know will be of interest to many of us.  

I’m hugely excited to share it with you.  

Thanks for listening,  

Alex :)