'It took over my life' - Young man calls for more support for gambling addicts

A young Dungannon man who was addicted to gambling says more needs to be done to tackle the growing problem.

Dwayne Mallon started gambling at the age of 15, putting on £5 football bets at the weekend - but soon became addicted - spending hundreds of pounds every week.

A recent report found the number of ‘problem gamblers’ in Northern Ireland is more than double that of Wales, three times that of Scotland and almost five times higher than in England.

However, laws around fixed betting odds lag behind the rest of the UK.

The 27 year old told Downtown/Cool FM how it started.

"I first started gambling around the age of 15, i was doing £5 football bets at the weekend with my mates, but I soon started to put on bigger bets because I wasn't getting the same buzz from it anymore.

"When I was about 22, that's when I realised I had a serious problem, I was literally walking into the bookies and putting on hundreds of pounds nearly every day."

He says that had a huge impact on his life - and those around him.

"It affected my life, it affected my family's life, from I got out of bed in the morning until I got into bed at night, it was constantly on my mind. I had zero interest in anything else - it took over my life".

"I was having really bad mood swings, it was the only thing I could think about."

But with the help of a local programme 'Thrive with Niall', Dwayne was able to beat his addiction.

Dwayne say's more help and support needs to be made available for people who are struggling with a gambling addiction.

"The government need to crack down on gambling, you see it everywhere, adverts everywhere, posters and lots of online ads. Gambling is no different to a drug or alcohol addiction - it ruins lives as well and something needs to change around the way we tackle the issue."