North East is English region gambling the most
Former Newcastle and Sunderland player Michael Chopra has opened up
Last updated 23rd Sep 2024
A new study has found the English regions gambling the most, with the North East taking the lead.
The research was conducted by Japanese Online Casino Guide who collated data from the latest NHS Health Survey for England (2021/22) on adult participation rates in any gambling activities in the last 12 months, by region. The regions were then ranked based on their adult participation percentage.
This comes as a former Premier League star has opened up about his addiciton in the past.
Michael Chopra, who played for both Newcastle United and Sunderland, has appeared on The Central Club Podcast revealing how bad it got.
Chopra has spoken openly about his battle with a gambling addiction over the years in an effort to raise awareness and help others. The Geordie, who spent time at the Sporting Chance Clinic, previously estimated that he lost up to £2m through betting.
At one point Chopra asked his team-mate Kieron Dyer to palce a £120,000 bet for him, Dyer said no.
Looking back on when his gambling was 'really bad', Chopra said he had a £50,000 limit with a bookmaker used by Dyer when the former Newcastle striker asked his team-mate to place a £120,000 wager on Juventus to win a game.
"He said, 'I'm not doing it,'" Chopra recalled to the Central Club. "I was like, 'Put it on'. He said, 'I can't do it for you. If they lose, you're £170,000 in debt.'
"Juventus won. I came in and said, 'That would have cleared the balance on my debt'. But he was looking out for me and not putting that much of a bet on for me.
"I was only on £2,000 a week at Newcastle. You chase it. It didn't help when you're 17 and you're on a plane going to Malaysia for pre-season and you're watching all the lads play three card brag and there's £40,000 or £50,000 in fifties on the table. You're thinking, 'It's just the luck of cards. You could have three threes, the best hand, and walk away with £50,000.' Little things like that probably got me attached to it."
You can see the full episode of the podcast here: