| Paul Merson - Gambling and me 21:32 - Oct 11 with 4763 views | BlueandTruesince82 |
Interesting watch, not caugh all of it. Merson, John Hartson, Keith Gillespie and Scott Davies lost over 15 million between them
Gillespie says Alex Fergurson had him down the bookies as 16 yo putting bets on.
Football has really taken far to long to wake up to the impact it has on so many players |  |
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| Paul Merson - Gambling and me on 21:37 - Oct 11 with 3360 views | ZXBlue |
not remotely unique to football. The difference is that footballers have more to spend, and more prospects of digging themselves out. |  | | |
| Paul Merson - Gambling and me on 22:09 - Oct 11 with 3285 views | Deano69 |
Powerful stuff.
I recall Merson speaking at an after dinner thing. He gambled away his first Arsenal pay packet, he then scuffed his face and tore his clothes to make out to his mum that he had been mugged on the tube. What a tormented life he will have led with this addiction. Now basically plotless have earned millions during his career. |  |
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| Paul Merson - Gambling and me on 22:40 - Oct 11 with 3191 views | Basuco |
Brilliant program and very well made, 60% of profits come from gambling addicts, one guy topped up his account over 2,500 times in a year, they allowed him to do so, betting companies using Sweet Caroline playing on adverts to promote a good feeling while gambling, shocking exploitation of addicts. I really hope this leads to action, but know it won't. It is very interesting viewing and a must watch. Credit to Paul Merson in making this. |  | | |
| Paul Merson - Gambling and me on 22:57 - Oct 11 with 3157 views | Coastalblue |
I listened to Merson a week or two ago on R5Live, I was genuinely really impressed with him and his openness and honesty, along with his obvious pain and fragility. I decided then that I'd buy his book.
The programme was very brave and very good, but actually I think the radio interview was more powerful for me.
I loved him as a player, remember chatting to an Arsenal fan about him in block J when we played them in the cup, quarter finals was it? He was telling me then about some of 'Mers's Demons' Clearly it was no secret even then.
Radio interview with Nihal (who I also really like) if anybody is interested https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p09w55dl |  |
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| Paul Merson - Gambling and me on 23:05 - Oct 11 with 3142 views | BlueandTruesince82 |
| Paul Merson - Gambling and me on 22:40 - Oct 11 by Basuco |
Brilliant program and very well made, 60% of profits come from gambling addicts, one guy topped up his account over 2,500 times in a year, they allowed him to do so, betting companies using Sweet Caroline playing on adverts to promote a good feeling while gambling, shocking exploitation of addicts. I really hope this leads to action, but know it won't. It is very interesting viewing and a must watch. Credit to Paul Merson in making this. |
I'm sure I head that 95% of gambling revenue comes from about 10% of punters. With all the algorithms they have they can spot problem gamblers a mile of and do nothing.... the poor lady who's husband committed suicide was very stark too, as others say a powerful program. Going to watch it again on catch up as missed bits | |
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| Paul Merson - Gambling and me on 23:15 - Oct 11 with 3100 views | BlueBadger |
| Paul Merson - Gambling and me on 23:05 - Oct 11 by BlueandTruesince82 |
I'm sure I head that 95% of gambling revenue comes from about 10% of punters. With all the algorithms they have they can spot problem gamblers a mile of and do nothing.... the poor lady who's husband committed suicide was very stark too, as others say a powerful program. Going to watch it again on catch up as missed bits |
Worth pointing out that football and has a massive issue wit gambling as an increasingly embedded part of the culture. Watch any game, ANY game of Sky and the commercial breaks are RIDDLED with adverts for gambling firms. Using offering odds on the games of the day. And that's before we get into the number of sides with ties to gambling firms either via the hoardings or on the shirts.
In Merson's day, it was all extra-curricular - the cards on the bus, the gee-gees, etc. Nowadays it's everywhere around football. [Post edited 11 Oct 2021 23:17]
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| Paul Merson - Gambling and me on 23:20 - Oct 11 with 3093 views | Coastalblue |
| Paul Merson - Gambling and me on 23:15 - Oct 11 by BlueBadger |
Worth pointing out that football and has a massive issue wit gambling as an increasingly embedded part of the culture. Watch any game, ANY game of Sky and the commercial breaks are RIDDLED with adverts for gambling firms. Using offering odds on the games of the day. And that's before we get into the number of sides with ties to gambling firms either via the hoardings or on the shirts.
In Merson's day, it was all extra-curricular - the cards on the bus, the gee-gees, etc. Nowadays it's everywhere around football. [Post edited 11 Oct 2021 23:17]
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They said during the programme that in a televised game there's a gambling firms logo shown about 700 times, breathtaking, and terrifying.
I count myself very lucky that I've never had any attraction to gambling. | |
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| Paul Merson - Gambling and me on 23:41 - Oct 11 with 3076 views | Illinoisblue |
I’m sure sitters and rommers can lead the way here but what are your gambling horror stories? Any near misses on a big Acca?
My one standout horror memory is me and a mate chucking 100 quid each on Inter to beat Salernitania (sp?) in Serie A in the mid 90s. Inter were evens for the win. Easy money, right? 0-0 fooking draw. Hundred quid was a lot back then.
On the plus side me and same mate once took a sicky to go the races at Fakenham one Friday afternoon. 5 winners out of 7. Lovely jubbly. |  |
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| Paul Merson - Gambling and me on 06:51 - Oct 12 with 2916 views | Bluefish |
| Paul Merson - Gambling and me on 23:41 - Oct 11 by Illinoisblue |
I’m sure sitters and rommers can lead the way here but what are your gambling horror stories? Any near misses on a big Acca?
My one standout horror memory is me and a mate chucking 100 quid each on Inter to beat Salernitania (sp?) in Serie A in the mid 90s. Inter were evens for the win. Easy money, right? 0-0 fooking draw. Hundred quid was a lot back then.
On the plus side me and same mate once took a sicky to go the races at Fakenham one Friday afternoon. 5 winners out of 7. Lovely jubbly. |
I think this post goes down as incredibly poor taste. I can tell you real horror stories from what gambling does to people.
I could tell you about the times I lost days on my addiction or the hours I spent planning my suicide because of it. I could tell you how I would physically shake when I was in recovery for around a year whenever I saw a bookmakers. I could tell you about the horrific stories shared by people at GA
If you want the better side of it I could tell you how GA saved my life and how incredibly good it has been since or I could tell you about some wonderful people from GA that helped me to do that
I don't suppose any of that is what you were after though. I was saved through pure luck, an incredible wife and a lot of support from some wonderful strangers. There is zero chance that I would be here without them. That was 12 years ago and the difference is phenomenal, the best gambling stories are where people don't do it, I'm not sure you would ask heroin addicts about their best hit [Post edited 12 Oct 2021 6:58]
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| Paul Merson - Gambling and me on 07:08 - Oct 12 with 2874 views | The_Romford_Blue |
| Paul Merson - Gambling and me on 23:41 - Oct 11 by Illinoisblue |
I’m sure sitters and rommers can lead the way here but what are your gambling horror stories? Any near misses on a big Acca?
My one standout horror memory is me and a mate chucking 100 quid each on Inter to beat Salernitania (sp?) in Serie A in the mid 90s. Inter were evens for the win. Easy money, right? 0-0 fooking draw. Hundred quid was a lot back then.
On the plus side me and same mate once took a sicky to go the races at Fakenham one Friday afternoon. 5 winners out of 7. Lovely jubbly. |
I wouldn’t necessarily say it’s a horror story as gambling in my case (as someone who bets tens of thousands a year) is a case of understanding my points system and knowing that there will be big losers as well as the big winners.
The most obvious example of one that were a huge kick in the stomach were Benie Des Dieux falling at the last when 10 lengths clear at the Cheltenham Festival. I’d been backing her for literally the whole year and her fall was a swing of about £5,000. What hurt a bit more was that she was my favourite horse in training and I was stood by the last hurdle about 30 feet away just praying she’d get over it, and she didn’t. I was most relieved to see her get up to be honest. A few moments after watching her gallop away, it hit me that the bets I’d placed all year were now losers. I took 10/15 minutes to walk away and get over that and then get my head screwed on for the next race. That’s the important thing for gamblers in my opinion.. being able to let each bet be on merit rather than changing stakes after a big loss or a big win. The race after Benies fall was a handicap and probably my smallest bet of the entire meeting. I’d had something like £35 antepost and £30 on the day at an average price of 6/1 (A Plus Tard in the novice handicap if I remember correctly). I knew even if the lad won (which he did coincidentally), I was looking at not even £400 just minutes after being a hurdle away (she fell because she saw a shadow before the hurdle apparently) from 5k. But it was a new race, a new bet and a fresh bet. You can’t go chasing that 5k back. It’s gone. I think if there was one thing I’d try to coach people if they wanted to start betting, it would be to treat each bet as separate entities and ignore all previous winners/losers you’ve had that day/week/month.
One other potentially unlucky bet i have that’s still running but is a loser is a £1 free bet 20-fold I did in June on the big UFC fights of the year. At 3,800/1, it’s had 16 of them go so far (including two void postponed fights) and just one loser. Omar Morales. He was winning the fight before slipping and being caught in a submission at the end of the penultimate round. If the last 4 win (the last four combined are just 7/1), i’ll consider that an unlucky loser.
You win some, you lose some.
My life isn’t for everyone. Or for the majority. And I wouldn’t ever suggest it as a lifestyle choice because there’s enough examples like Paul Merson. You’re more likely to become Paul Merson than me. Because gambling is incredibly difficult to remain subjective and disciplined. And they’re the two things you need most. |  |
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| Paul Merson - Gambling and me on 07:39 - Oct 12 with 2776 views | Deano69 |
I have always thought the competitive and winning nature of footballers was a significant reason for their gambling problems. Lose a tenner, stick twenty with b the next bet, lose that and ramp it up again. Sometimes you’ll win, guess what, love that feeling too, just like scoring or winning a game. So, there’s a sequence of seeking out that high of winning mixed with the willingness to risk more if they don’t. A very dangerous combination.
It is rife in professional footballers. Lots of income, lots of free time and often away from family. Add that with the competitive nature and its no wonder there’s a problem. It been around for decades too so hardly a new phenomenon. I wonder what percentage of profits are being made by professionals footballers gambling habits??
I am not a gambler not seen the real joy in it myself. Possible because I did have a bit of an issue with slot machines around 30+ years ago. Remember going to a pub on payday and rolling the lot in to the machine there on more than one occasion. It was at a time I was living at home so only really inflicted the damage on myself. Wasn’t easy to get out of the habit, but then again my ‘trainee wages’ weren’t massive and borrowed money not so easy to come by. Did get in a little bit of trouble with Access credit cards as a result, as I then needed to find a way to get to work etc so used that for daily expenses. It took a really good girlfriend (and eventually wife) to break the habit and make me see sense. Suspect it could have been a very different story if she hadn’t of intervened. | |
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| Paul Merson - Gambling and me on 07:48 - Oct 12 with 2758 views | mojo |
I found the comparison looking at photos of gambling, wildlife, food, family very interesting. As someone with a moderate obsession over birds and knowing this has impacted on relationships in the past I can imagine what my own results would be. I guess we all have our own demons in some form but they are not all as catastrophic as gambling. | | | |
| Paul Merson - Gambling and me on 08:05 - Oct 12 with 2717 views | textbackup |
I watched that program lastnight, and whilst I felt for them guys, and anyone that’s addicted to gambling the only thing I took from it was how fcking grateful I am to have the dad I have.
I remember as a kid asking for a quid to play the fruity, his reply ‘what a waste of money’
I remember the grand National being on TV as a kid and we were given £1 to bet with, being told that we probably wouldn’t win as so many horses were running and we wouldn’t see that £1 again.
And football bets, never ever saw him make one.
Things like that have always stuck in my head, and gambling on anything, IMO, is just a waste of time money and effort. [Post edited 12 Oct 2021 9:02]
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| Paul Merson - Gambling and me on 08:30 - Oct 12 with 2643 views | BlueBadger |
| Paul Merson - Gambling and me on 08:05 - Oct 12 by textbackup |
I watched that program lastnight, and whilst I felt for them guys, and anyone that’s addicted to gambling the only thing I took from it was how fcking grateful I am to have the dad I have.
I remember as a kid asking for a quid to play the fruity, his reply ‘what a waste of money’
I remember the grand National being on TV as a kid and we were given £1 to bet with, being told that we probably wouldn’t win as so many horses were running and we wouldn’t see that £1 again.
And football bets, never ever saw him make one.
Things like that have always stuck in my head, and gambling on anything, IMO, is just a waste of time money and effort. [Post edited 12 Oct 2021 9:02]
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My grandad always used to say 'it's funny how you never see any bookies that are skint, yet loads of their punter are, ent it boy?' | |
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| Paul Merson - Gambling and me on 09:11 - Oct 12 with 2558 views | Guthrum |
| Paul Merson - Gambling and me on 06:51 - Oct 12 by Bluefish |
I think this post goes down as incredibly poor taste. I can tell you real horror stories from what gambling does to people.
I could tell you about the times I lost days on my addiction or the hours I spent planning my suicide because of it. I could tell you how I would physically shake when I was in recovery for around a year whenever I saw a bookmakers. I could tell you about the horrific stories shared by people at GA
If you want the better side of it I could tell you how GA saved my life and how incredibly good it has been since or I could tell you about some wonderful people from GA that helped me to do that
I don't suppose any of that is what you were after though. I was saved through pure luck, an incredible wife and a lot of support from some wonderful strangers. There is zero chance that I would be here without them. That was 12 years ago and the difference is phenomenal, the best gambling stories are where people don't do it, I'm not sure you would ask heroin addicts about their best hit [Post edited 12 Oct 2021 6:58]
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Also the damage it does to friends and family of a gambling addict. The constant financial drain, the lies and the consequent lack of trust. The money which frequently gets "lost", tales of payments going missing or benefits "cut off", sudden revelations of unpayable debts or bills/rent massively behind - and you're never sure whether it's a real crisis or just emotionally loaded extortion, with any financial help carried straight down to Mr Ladbroke and wasted.
Problem gamblers are no less ruthless than other addicts when it comes to pursuing their habit. You encounter begging, emotional blackmail, evasiveness, incredible rage when challenged. Which when it's someone you care about and difficult to cut loose (friends/family) is very hard.
Very well done on having beaten your situation, Fishers. I wish a friend of mine would acknowlege his problem and go to something like GA. |  |
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| Paul Merson - Gambling and me on 09:17 - Oct 12 with 2517 views | Bluefish |
| Paul Merson - Gambling and me on 09:11 - Oct 12 by Guthrum |
Also the damage it does to friends and family of a gambling addict. The constant financial drain, the lies and the consequent lack of trust. The money which frequently gets "lost", tales of payments going missing or benefits "cut off", sudden revelations of unpayable debts or bills/rent massively behind - and you're never sure whether it's a real crisis or just emotionally loaded extortion, with any financial help carried straight down to Mr Ladbroke and wasted.
Problem gamblers are no less ruthless than other addicts when it comes to pursuing their habit. You encounter begging, emotional blackmail, evasiveness, incredible rage when challenged. Which when it's someone you care about and difficult to cut loose (friends/family) is very hard.
Very well done on having beaten your situation, Fishers. I wish a friend of mine would acknowlege his problem and go to something like GA. |
The problem is most of the time you have to hit the bottom to want to come back up. I've seen many at GA that didn't want to be there and they didn't last, the ones that wanted to be there got some incredible support and turned lives around.
I would be always happy to share my story with them and offer support | |
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| Paul Merson - Gambling and me on 09:30 - Oct 12 with 2488 views | Guthrum |
| Paul Merson - Gambling and me on 09:17 - Oct 12 by Bluefish |
The problem is most of the time you have to hit the bottom to want to come back up. I've seen many at GA that didn't want to be there and they didn't last, the ones that wanted to be there got some incredible support and turned lives around.
I would be always happy to share my story with them and offer support |
That's always the issue - acknowleging there is a problem which needs sorting out. This bloke is still in denial/hiding it. Also has a soft-hearted mate (ageing and sometimes a little confused) who keeps bailing him out. Which in many ways doesn't help. | |
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| Paul Merson - Gambling and me on 09:47 - Oct 12 with 2426 views | Burns7 |
Now every shirt in every league, every TV advert, every billboard, is gambling ads...
It's worse than ever. |  | | |
| Paul Merson - Gambling and me on 09:51 - Oct 12 with 2400 views | textbackup |
| Paul Merson - Gambling and me on 09:47 - Oct 12 by Burns7 |
Now every shirt in every league, every TV advert, every billboard, is gambling ads...
It's worse than ever. |
And like merson said ‘they warn you to stick to limits, a compulsive gambler just isn’t going to listen to that tiny piece of advice’
The poor girl on that program that saw her (past away) husbands emails after he’d died, and he was getting emails from gambling companies saying ‘you havent deposited with us for a while so lose this months bonus’
They are proper cnts | |
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| Paul Merson - Gambling and me on 10:31 - Oct 12 with 2323 views | RobTheMonk |
| Paul Merson - Gambling and me on 23:41 - Oct 11 by Illinoisblue |
I’m sure sitters and rommers can lead the way here but what are your gambling horror stories? Any near misses on a big Acca?
My one standout horror memory is me and a mate chucking 100 quid each on Inter to beat Salernitania (sp?) in Serie A in the mid 90s. Inter were evens for the win. Easy money, right? 0-0 fooking draw. Hundred quid was a lot back then.
On the plus side me and same mate once took a sicky to go the races at Fakenham one Friday afternoon. 5 winners out of 7. Lovely jubbly. |
Put a £1 acca on some Euro qualifier games a while back. Missed out on a 4 figure sum because Latvia couldn't beat The Faroe Islands. Gutted! |  | | |
| Paul Merson - Gambling and me on 10:44 - Oct 12 with 2283 views | Marshalls_Mullet |
| Paul Merson - Gambling and me on 08:05 - Oct 12 by textbackup |
I watched that program lastnight, and whilst I felt for them guys, and anyone that’s addicted to gambling the only thing I took from it was how fcking grateful I am to have the dad I have.
I remember as a kid asking for a quid to play the fruity, his reply ‘what a waste of money’
I remember the grand National being on TV as a kid and we were given £1 to bet with, being told that we probably wouldn’t win as so many horses were running and we wouldn’t see that £1 again.
And football bets, never ever saw him make one.
Things like that have always stuck in my head, and gambling on anything, IMO, is just a waste of time money and effort. [Post edited 12 Oct 2021 9:02]
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My upbringing was very similar.
In my late teens / early 20's I used to enjoy an accumulator, but would only ever put on literally £1-2 per week.
Now I dont put any bets on at all, as I dont want to set any example of betting to my sons. |  |
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| Paul Merson - Gambling and me on 10:46 - Oct 12 with 2264 views | Marshalls_Mullet |
| Paul Merson - Gambling and me on 09:51 - Oct 12 by textbackup |
And like merson said ‘they warn you to stick to limits, a compulsive gambler just isn’t going to listen to that tiny piece of advice’
The poor girl on that program that saw her (past away) husbands emails after he’d died, and he was getting emails from gambling companies saying ‘you havent deposited with us for a while so lose this months bonus’
They are proper cnts |
The slogan should be "when the fun stops... its too late!!" | |
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| Paul Merson - Gambling and me on 11:14 - Oct 12 with 2221 views | Illinoisblue |
| Paul Merson - Gambling and me on 06:51 - Oct 12 by Bluefish |
I think this post goes down as incredibly poor taste. I can tell you real horror stories from what gambling does to people.
I could tell you about the times I lost days on my addiction or the hours I spent planning my suicide because of it. I could tell you how I would physically shake when I was in recovery for around a year whenever I saw a bookmakers. I could tell you about the horrific stories shared by people at GA
If you want the better side of it I could tell you how GA saved my life and how incredibly good it has been since or I could tell you about some wonderful people from GA that helped me to do that
I don't suppose any of that is what you were after though. I was saved through pure luck, an incredible wife and a lot of support from some wonderful strangers. There is zero chance that I would be here without them. That was 12 years ago and the difference is phenomenal, the best gambling stories are where people don't do it, I'm not sure you would ask heroin addicts about their best hit [Post edited 12 Oct 2021 6:58]
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Glad you came through all that and it’s in the past. | |
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| Paul Merson - Gambling and me on 12:16 - Oct 12 with 2127 views | Parky |
A good programme and fair play to Merson and the others for opening up and trying to sort themselves out.
What doesn’t sit right with me however, Merson was blaming and bad mouthing all the bookies [and rightly so in a lot of cases] but he sits on the adverts for Sky Bet and no doubt gets paid to do so. | | | |
| Paul Merson - Gambling and me on 12:33 - Oct 12 with 2082 views | Basuco |
| Paul Merson - Gambling and me on 07:08 - Oct 12 by The_Romford_Blue |
I wouldn’t necessarily say it’s a horror story as gambling in my case (as someone who bets tens of thousands a year) is a case of understanding my points system and knowing that there will be big losers as well as the big winners.
The most obvious example of one that were a huge kick in the stomach were Benie Des Dieux falling at the last when 10 lengths clear at the Cheltenham Festival. I’d been backing her for literally the whole year and her fall was a swing of about £5,000. What hurt a bit more was that she was my favourite horse in training and I was stood by the last hurdle about 30 feet away just praying she’d get over it, and she didn’t. I was most relieved to see her get up to be honest. A few moments after watching her gallop away, it hit me that the bets I’d placed all year were now losers. I took 10/15 minutes to walk away and get over that and then get my head screwed on for the next race. That’s the important thing for gamblers in my opinion.. being able to let each bet be on merit rather than changing stakes after a big loss or a big win. The race after Benies fall was a handicap and probably my smallest bet of the entire meeting. I’d had something like £35 antepost and £30 on the day at an average price of 6/1 (A Plus Tard in the novice handicap if I remember correctly). I knew even if the lad won (which he did coincidentally), I was looking at not even £400 just minutes after being a hurdle away (she fell because she saw a shadow before the hurdle apparently) from 5k. But it was a new race, a new bet and a fresh bet. You can’t go chasing that 5k back. It’s gone. I think if there was one thing I’d try to coach people if they wanted to start betting, it would be to treat each bet as separate entities and ignore all previous winners/losers you’ve had that day/week/month.
One other potentially unlucky bet i have that’s still running but is a loser is a £1 free bet 20-fold I did in June on the big UFC fights of the year. At 3,800/1, it’s had 16 of them go so far (including two void postponed fights) and just one loser. Omar Morales. He was winning the fight before slipping and being caught in a submission at the end of the penultimate round. If the last 4 win (the last four combined are just 7/1), i’ll consider that an unlucky loser.
You win some, you lose some.
My life isn’t for everyone. Or for the majority. And I wouldn’t ever suggest it as a lifestyle choice because there’s enough examples like Paul Merson. You’re more likely to become Paul Merson than me. Because gambling is incredibly difficult to remain subjective and disciplined. And they’re the two things you need most. |
The big question is, when does "enjoying a bet" become "a regular gambler" become "a problem gambler". I have known three people who have bet on the horses daily , but they all used to keep a log each year to see if they are financially up or down on the year. All three used to roughly break even each year, one was a daily "work watcher" on Newmarket heath, knew all the trainers and many jockeys and stable staff and still only broke even. That was when knowing only 2 or 3 horses in each race could win. | | | |
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