AN EX-NEWCASTLE United player has told how he spent his month's wages in days – and ended up living on just £5 a week.
Centre-back Karl Colley has opened up about his gamble problems during his professional career football career.
After signing with Sheffield Wednesday aged just 17 he eventually moved to Newcastle and played under Peter Beardsley.
However, the move came with mental consequences health problems and he eventually dropped to non-league teams.
Now he has opened up about the depression he endured it – and the gambling addiction that it brought with it.
He told the Undr The Cosh podcast: “I was surrounded by gambling growing up. My father was a gambler, my grandfather and uncle were also gamblers.
“My father always made me stand outside the bookies, but you couldn't see what was happening inside. You could just hear the commentary, I was always intrigued.
“When I left the Newcastle training ground the only place I felt safe was the bookmakers. I was like a lost child in a big city. When I spend hours at the bookmakers, I naturally gamble more money and it's getting worse, but that's my safe place.”
It got so bad that Karl started placing a bet every 30 seconds.
He explained: “When I was betting, nothing else mattered. Then you know you have a problem. My monthly pay would be gone in a week, maybe less. Thousands of pounds. I remember living on a fiver in Newcastle for a few weeks.”
Colley was infamously dismissed by Goole when he tried to attack a rival supporter after being sent off in 2014.
He says the struggle with gambling continued during his time at Non-League, adding: “I only played to raise money, that's all I've ever known, playing for money. I wasn't in the right state of mind, I was still gambling and still suffering from depression.
“No one knew because I wasn't open yet. People knew I was a gambler, but the depression and where my mind was going, no one knew.
'You saw me on Saturday and I was smiling and laughing with a few quid in my pocket. No one saw me struggle the other six days a week as I broke down and faced my demons.”
A responsible gambler is someone who:
- Sets time and money limits before playing
- Only gambles with money they can afford to lose
- Never chase their losses
- Does not gamble when angry, upset or depressed
For help with a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133 or visit www.gamstop.co.uk are banned from all UK regulated gambling websites.