Footballer who lost £20k in an hour playing roulette urges problem gamblers to get help

Sam Wedgbury still has the iPad that he was using the day he lost more than £20,000 playing roulette online.

The former Sheffield United and Wrexham midfielder, who spent this year with Worksop Town uses it to remind him of one of his darkest days as a problem gambler.

A contract pay-up meant he had money in his account, and in less than an hour it was all gone.

It wasn't the only flash-point in his troubled relationship with betting.

Footballers share their stories of problem gambling

Speaking to our Football Untold Podcast, Sam, who also had spells with Macclesfield, Altricham, Worcester City, Forest Green and Turkish side Ferencvaros, told us about those moments that stand out when he thinks back to being in the middle of a gambling addiction.

"For me, I got a pay up. It was more than £20,000, which for me was a lot of money. It is to anyone. And I did it all in an hour on the roulette.

READ: "I was depressed I was lost" - Ex Wales striker turned to gambling after injury ended his career

"I'd been putting all these large sums of money on numbers, and I just got the iPad and punched it, and put a big crack down down it.

"I've still got it at home and it reminds me of where I was at."

Sam's problems started when he first visited a casino after being invited to watch Champions League games on the big screen.

He was hooked from the start, and would gamble in casinos, on fixed odds betting terminals, or via betting apps.

Football Untold exclusive story

In episode 3 of the Football Untold series, Sam shares his experiences of how is gambling issues played out:

• He reveals one company he bet with would offer him free bets if he claimed to have placed losing stakes accidentally.
• He would fake having an upset stomach so he could spend time in the bathroom to gamble
• On another occasion he left a family party claiming to need to pick up groceries only to be found in a bookmakers more than two hours later.

Sam hopes that speaking publicly about his experience will encourage other people to spot signs in themselves that they might have a problem.

After seeking support, he's not gambled for six years, and is now open about his addiction if he moves clubs to ensure management there understand what he's been through.

READ: "I was suicidal" - Footballers unite to share stories of problem gambling

Sam said gambling addiction can be all-consuming if you don't get help: "If you win a grand, you want two, you win two, you want more. There's no limit to what you want to win, but there's no limit to what you'll lose.

"That's where it's very scary, because things that you're doing to fund your gambling are very, very harmful.

"Towards the end, I wasn't getting any enjoyment from winning or losing, I was just like a robot.

"Place the bet, split-second, it loses, I go again. I wasn't having any feeling towards it, I was just absolutely exhausted."

You can listen to the full series of Football Untold on www.footballuntold.co.uk or where you get your podcasts.

Included in each episode are links to services you can approach if you're struggling.

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