HARTSON: MY GAMBLING HELL
Hartson, who finally joined City from Wimbledon last week, has told of his fight against his addiction, a blight that the former West Ham and Arsenal star says is prevalent with Premiership players.
"Gambling became my addiction. I'm not a big drinker and I don't smoke or do drugs. Apart from football, I got my buzz from having a bet," Hartson told the News of the World.
"I never saw it as a problem at the time because I thought I had it under control - but I lied to myself, my missus and the rest of my family.
"I'd say I was betting in hundreds and it would be thousands. I'd be out in the car with my wife, Lowri, and get on my mobile to the bookies.
"We had this secret code. I would tell them I wanted to bet £100 but it would be £1,000. If it was £300, I would mean £3,000. The bookmakers would always have to add a nought to the end.
"I was out of control. I was on a slippery slope. I didn't want to own up to what I was doing because I was enjoying it so much.
"I'd be so content if I had a big bet on. I would be really buzzing and on a high. If I didn't gamble I would mope around the house feeling miserable.
"It drove my wife mad. I would just be sitting around the house looking at all the sports results on Teletext. She knew my mind was always totally fixed on what I was gambling on. We never had massive rows but we started bickering with each other.
"I was on around four grand a week at Arsenal but I more than doubled my wages when I went to West Ham.
"If there was sport on TV I would sit and watch it and have a bet. I didn't see anything wrong in it. I was earning lots of money and had lots of time on my hands.
"I didn't want to just win £100 a time. That wasn't going to change my life - but £20,000 might. That could buy me a new car.
"In one day I could lose up to £20,000. Then I would get into what's known as 'chasing'. If I lost that much one day I would try to make it up the next.
"It got to the point where I owed one bookie £65,000, another £40,000 and a third £25,000. To be honest, I don't know how much I've lost over the years - I haven't got a clue.
"Thankfully my debts never got to what I would call crazy money - like £500,000. But the bookies would have let me get into that much debt because of the money I was earning.
"They were not coming after me and threatening to blow my legs off or anything but I reached the point where I realised I could mess up my life completely.
"I knew I had to nip it in the bud, otherwise I would have been chasing all the time and I might have lost my family and it might have affected my career.
"I just hope that if anyone is reading this who has similar problems, they will go and get help like I did.
"I know quite a few people in the game who love to have a bet. It is very, very big."
