Bentley Fought Gambling Addiction
15th April, 2008
Blackburn Rovers and England star winger David Bentley recently told of how he fought a gambling addiction which saw him placing up to 100 bets a day.
He would bet on all the usual things like horse racing, greyhounds, even going as far as online poker and online bingo.
He said “It was a joke”, when talking to Setanta Sports. "It starts off on pounds. Then it's hundreds, then it's thousands. It's never about winning £100, you want to win a hundred grand.
"I was 14 when I first started going to a betting shop. As I started earning more money I really started getting heavily into it. You could get a certain amount of money and then just blow it all.
"I'd wake up in the morning and the first thing I thought of was to have a bet."
He now thinks that kicking the habit has helped further his playing career, which has now seen him play for his country. "I'm sure it wasn't the only thing, but I'm sure it helped my concentration. If you want to be top of the game, you have to be addicted to football.
"I sat down with my girlfriend and she said, 'You've got to stop'. You just evaluate your life and I just thought to myself I'm going to have to stop. It was the hardest thing ever."
If you are worried about your gambling habits, have a look at our Gambling Addiction pages for help.
By Chris M
