- By Angelle Joseph and Nadia Gyane
- BBC News
Image source, Angelle Joseph/BBC
Singer Myles Stephenson has struggled with gambling addiction for several years
X Factor winner Myles Stephenson has said he went to a “really dark place” after losing “hundreds of pounds” gambling.
The singer, a member of R&B group Rak-Su, said he was in trouble between the ages of 18 and 21 and would hit the betting shops at 7am on his way to work.
The 32-year-old said the habit started small while playing with friends but then grew.
Stephenson has now teamed up with charity GamCare and said no one should have to suffer alone.
Image source, Getty Images
Myles Stephenson (center) said his addiction started before he arrived at Rak-Su
“When I started working, it was on the way to work,” he said.
“On my phone and on my online slots, that’s when it started to become a problem and it evolved into an addiction.”
Stephenson said his addiction developed in part because “you can do it anywhere, on a bus or in the toilet, you can do it anywhere in the world.”
He began losing “hundreds of pounds” and said that’s when things started to “go to a very dark place.”
“I had to put things in place.”
Stephenson was able to turn his life around by blocking gambling sites from his phone and dropping a work colleague off at their house to stop himself from going to betting shops.
“These are the things I put in place to get rid of my gambling addiction and to this day I have not returned to a bookmaker and I am still blocked from all gambling sites. “
It has partnered with GamCare, which offers support via calls, messages and online chat.
“When they approached me and my management and proposed this campaign, it made me question what I could do,” he said.
“They gave me a platform to speak on and gave people with gambling problems a way to seek help.”
The Gambling Commission is responsible for regulating gambling and overseeing the Gambling Act.
Its spokesperson said: “All operators should be on the lookout for potential signs of gambling-related harm, such as spending large sums of money or spending time gambling.
“We take tough action against operators who do not follow our rules and since April last year, 31 gambling companies have paid out a total of €67.8 million due to regulatory failings.”
- If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this story, you can visit BBC Action Line.
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