Not everyone comes out of addiction with their lives, health, and family still intact.
Beyond being a compulsive behaviour, Matthew Etherington now knows and admits that pathological gambling is a disease for which the victim needs help.
The ex-Tottenham, Stoke City, and West Ham United winger had a really tough struggle with gambling, blowing away a whopping £1.5million at some points on horses, pokers, and greyhounds.
Battle With Gambling Addiction
Matthew Etherington intially went for trials at Manchester United, where he was valued at £500,000. He eventually joined Tottenham, and that was where his addiction ordeal began.
“My first bet was at Walthamstow Dogs when I moved to Tottenham. I loved the greyhounds, loved the concept of it, it was proper East-End old school, even though I was a young lad from Cornwall, that had a resonance with me.”
“I ended up buying six greyhounds further down the line. Albeit that comes with me becoming a gambling addict and spending a fortune on the game”
Years after the sports career of Matthew Etherington, he would later realise that addiction is not just an absence of strong will; it is a disease. Several times, he had vowed to stop the act but it seemed that the harder he tried, the more he failed.
No wonder many legitimate online casinos advocatesafe and responsible tips for iGaming. The first downward step can prove fatal and irrecoverable. Philip Martin, an expert at iGaming addiction with Slotsjudge warns that patronizing sites with no minimum and maximum deposit is a window to irresponsible gaming.
Matthew Etherington gambling got the best of him because he never carried anyone along. According to him, “I went by myself and I loved it.” Unfortunately, before anyone could come to the scene and offer the help that he desperately needed, things were already falling apart in his life.
Death Threats & 2M Gambling Debts
The sports career of Matthew Etherington took another dimension immediately as the Stoke winger got himself entangled in the web of betting. From living a comfortable life with his football payment (£20,000 per week) at that time, he became financially distressed, owing approximately £2 million at a time.
Because he couldn’t pay what he owed, the Premier League player admitted that he received many death threats from his creditors. Most of them took place while he played for West Ham.
Matthew Etherington West Ham experience got so pathetic that he could barely have money to fuel his car. Once he got paid, he would sometimes almost finish everything before the team’s journey ended. It often happened that minutes before matches, he would be on his mobile phone staking on horses.
“After a few years, it became a bit too much and my wife, who was then my girlfriend, organised an intervention with my mum and my dad.”
His family members knew he was addicted to gambling but they didn’t know how bad it was. The player had managed to be a loner in his struggles, often withdrawing to himself.
“I didn’t realise, because as a gambler you’re very selfish, I didn’t realise what I was doing to them. Just telling them was a huge weight off my shoulders.”
His mother eventually took over the management of his account, while he focused only on paying small living bills. Interestingly, Matthew’s soccer form improved just when he started receiving help, suggesting that the burdens on his mind affected his career performance.
Important! Slotsjudge also affirms that many more influential sportsmen and women are hooked and need all the help they can get.
Matthew Etherington Claims Bookies Would Chase His Debts at West Ham During Gambling Addiction
Although Matthew Etherington transfer rumours travelled far during his playing days, they never did as his weakness. At West Ham, the player claimed that bookies from Romford regularly came to track their money while in the training ground. Matthew Etherington West Ham debt totalled £800,000.
Matthew Etherington transfer rumours to Stoke City heightened the debt tracking. In an attempt to avoid his creditors and save face, the former West Ham player admitted that he became a “big liar.”
At 34, after being at Stoke City for five and a half years, he had to retire from football because of a back injury that refused to get better. He now manages Colchester United’s under-21 team, currently doing well in the FA Cup.
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