Ex-Premier League star admits to blowing £500,000 on playing in a single yr

Footie ace Dominic Matteo has opened up about his terrifying gambling addiction that saw him rack up a staggering £500,000 debt with just one bookmaker.

The former Liverpool and Leeds United star once splurged £200,000 on a single horse race and ended up over £1million in the red, leading to bankruptcy.

Now, the 50 year old is joining forces with EPIC Global Solutions, a gambling harm prevention firm, to share his cautionary tale with EFL, Scottish Premiership, and Premiership Rugby clubs.

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Matteo confessed: “I think most footballers have an addictive personality and I grew up in Southport, where I would bet a few pence on the slot machines at the fairground.”

He reminisced about his playing days, saying, “To then becoming a professional footballer, we’d have card schools on the bus back from away games and it felt like everyone was betting on horses. We’d go to the races at Aintree and Cheltenham in my era all the clubs would be there.”

Matteo also highlighted the dangers of mixing booze and betting: “When you’re betting after a few beers as well, it makes it even worse. To then have the bookies chasing you for £500,000, you’re thinking ‘s**t, I’ve got to pay that back without the family knowing’. I did win chunks but the losses were so much more.”

Reflecting on the darker times, Matteo revealed, “The worst time is when you’re not playing because you have time to think about which bets you’re going to place.”, reports the Mirror.

He adds: “The gambling was part of going bankrupt, but it was also down to bad investments and bad advice. I didn’t really have a plan I got a bar in Leeds but it didn’t work out. I lost money on that and was probably still having a punt in the bookies over the road.”

Now, Matteo has kicked gambling for good and beams about how supportive his wife Jessica has been including through his battle back from a brain tumour scare in 2019, saying: “My missus has been my rock and we’ve had to become a team again and I don’t think we were for that period when I was gambling.”

“Now I’m in a good place with my wife and my three kids. I’ve got my own gym in the house and that daily exercise for me is brilliant. As a family we’re a team and Jess will be getting involved with EPIC to tell people how my gambling addiction affected her too.”

He said when EPIC approached him about telling his story he “broke down”. “Hopefully I can help people get to the root of their problem before they hit the point I got to. That’s the key and it doesn’t matter whether you bet £100 or a £100,000 a week I’m happy to talk to anyone if it helps them.”

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