Dominic Matteo, a former Scottish soccer professional, has opened up about his past gambling addiction, hoping to raise awareness of the prevalence of the issue. The man had once amassed a gambling debt of over a million pounds, which he tried to hide from his family.
Matteo Lived Through a Gambling Hell
Matteo went bankrupt in 2015, experiencing a serious “gambling hell.” Struggling with a huge debt, the now 50-years-old former athlete owed £500,000 ($645,500) to a single bookmaker, among other debts. Despite the constant pressure to pay back the money, the man did his best to not let his family know.
In an earlier interview with the Mirror, the ex-Liverpool player admitted to having been introduced to gambling from a young age. He grew up in Southport, UK, where he would bet a few pence on slots at the fairground.
As Matteo distinguished himself as a promising young athlete, his gambling habits worsened and he was also introduced to betting on horses. He explained that was peer pressured into this by his fellows and once even wagered £200,000 on a single race.
Matteo Hopes to Inspire Others to Do Better
While gambling remained a constant in his life, Matteo’s worst problems didn’t really start until toward the end of his career when he started getting more free time. Now that he was able to carefully think about his bets, the athlete quickly got “caught up in that whole world.”
To make matters worse, he was no longer earning as much as he was before but was still used to placing large bets. Eventually, his gambling started to truly get out of control and hurt the people around him.
Now recovering from his addiction, Matteo feels thankful to his family, which was always next to him during the difficult times. The soccer legend now plans to get involved with EPIC Global Solutions, a harm-prevention firm that seeks to provide responsible gambling resources, education and treatment.
Matteo is certain that other professional athletes are also experiencing similar problems and hopes that his story will inspire them to open up and seek professional help.
Last year, several professional athletes were banned over betting-related offenses, including Sandro Tonali and Nicolo Fagioli. As it turned out, both players were struggling with gambling addiction and required professional intervention.
