Gambler who Lost ₤ 250,000 'suffered In Silence'

11 March 2026
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Tony Fisherand


Lily-May Symonds, Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire


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A guy who lost more than ₤ 250,000 through gaming stated he had actually "suffered in silence".


Taylor Hart, 32, put his very first small bet when he was 14 years old on a football accumulator, where you choose groups and you get some money if all of them win.


The gaming addict, from Dunstable in Bedfordshire, said that when he had actually won he was probably hooked without realising it as he could not wait till the next week to get a new football slip.


It was just in the early hours one early morning about 15 years later that he understood he had a betting problem - and by then he had 72p in his bank account.


Hart stated he utilized to get ₤ 10 spending money from his parents and "all of an unexpected I am getting a lot more money by winning bets".


He stated with that earnings he "might not wait to do it once again; it was such a fantastic feeling".


From the age of 21, it began to end up being a larger problem when he started putting bets with higher stakes.


For the last 5 years of his gambling life, horse racing was the only thing he would wager on, he stated.


At 29 years of ages, he thought "this can not go on any longer" and he managed to find a rehab centre by means of a charity called Gordon Moody.


He went into rehab on 13 November 2023 for a 14-week domestic stay.


He described it as "the very best choice I have actually ever made" and because coming out of rehabilitation he said he had actually not placed a single bet.


Hart said that it was only after going to Gordon Moody that he exercised he had lost more than ₤ 250,000.


He likewise realised he had actually been greatly targeted by betting advertising, which he referred to as "a real big problem".


"You can not go anywhere without seeing gaming, you can not listen to the radio without hearing betting adverts, and you can't even get on a bus without seeing betting adverts on the billboards," he added.


"I suffered in silence for a long time where I was living from pay cheque to pay cheque and all my cash went on gaming.


"I was concealing my gambling and I did not desire anybody to know just how much I was losing.


"That is when it ends up being a problem. It was not pleasurable. It was kind of if I don't win this bet then the costs are not making money."


'Silent addiction'


With racing's Cheltenham Festival under way, Hart said perhaps bettors ought to think whether they have an issue if they identified themselves in what he was .


He stated he had lost a great deal of good friends and household due to his betting as he was borrowing cash off them.


He included: "If someone is taking drugs or drinking alcohol it is more obvious, however gaming is a quiet addiction."


A representative for the Gambling Commission regulative body said there were "rigorous guidelines governing the advertising of gaming ... which are developed to guarantee that marketing interactions for gambling products are socially responsible, with particular regard to the need to protect kids, young individuals under 18 and other vulnerable individuals from being harmed or exploited by marketing that includes or promotes gambling".


They included that "targeted action around marketing and sponsorship is needed, particularly to much better ensure that children and people who might be vulnerable have actually substantially minimized exposure".


If you have been affected by the issues raised in this story, you can go to the BBC Action Line for assistance - appearance under "Addiction".


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