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 gambling said he had actually "suffered in silence".
Taylor Hart, 32, placed his first small bet when he was 14 years old on a football accumulator, where you select groups and you get some money if all of them win.
The betting addict, from Dunstable in Bedfordshire, said that when he had won he was most likely hooked without understanding it as he could not wait till the next week to get a new football slip.
It was just in the early hours one morning about 15 years later on that he realised he had a gaming problem - and by then he had 72p in his checking account.
Hart stated he utilized to get ₤ 10 spending money from his moms and dads and "all of a sudden I am getting a lot more money by winning bets".
He stated with that income he "might not wait to do it once again; it was such a fantastic sensation".
From the age of 21, it started to become a bigger problem when he began putting bets with greater stakes.
For the last five years of his betting life, horse racing was the only thing he would bank on, he stated.
At 29 years old, 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 rehabilitation on 13 November 2023 for a 14-week residential stay.
He described it as "the finest choice I have ever made" and since coming out of rehabilitation he stated he had not positioned a single bet.
Hart stated that it was only after going to Gordon Moody that he worked out he had actually lost more than ₤ 250,000.
He likewise understood he had been heavily targeted by gambling advertising, which he referred to as "a genuine huge issue".
"You can not go anywhere without seeing betting, you can not listen to the radio without hearing betting adverts, and you can't even get on a bus without seeing gaming adverts on the billboards," he included.
"I suffered in silence for a long period of time where I was living from pay cheque to pay cheque and all my cash went on gaming.
"I was hiding my gaming and I did not want anybody to know just how much I was losing.
"That is when it becomes a problem. It was not pleasurable. It was kind of if I don't win this bet then the costs are not earning money."
'Silent addiction'
With racing's Cheltenham Festival under way, Hart said possibly bettors should believe whether they have a problem if they recognised themselves in what he was stating.
He said he had actually lost a lot of buddies and family due to his gambling as he was off them.
He added: "If someone is taking drugs or drinking alcohol it is more apparent, however gaming is a quiet dependency."
A representative for the Gambling Commission regulative body said there were "stringent rules governing the advertising of betting ... which are designed to make sure that marketing interactions for betting items are socially responsible, with specific regard to the need to secure kids, young persons under 18 and other vulnerable individuals from being damaged or exploited by marketing that features or promotes betting".
They included that "targeted action around advertising and sponsorship is essential, specifically to much better make sure that children and individuals who might be susceptible have actually substantially reduced direct exposure".
If you have actually been impacted by the concerns raised in this story, you can visit the BBC Action Line for assistance - look under "Addiction".
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