Losing S$150,000, stealing from work: Why this former gambling addict will not watch live World Cup games

SINGAPORE: By the age of 30, Peter (not his real name) had lost almost S$150,000 (US$118,000) to his gambling addiction. His poison of choice? Football bets.

“There were many months in a row where I would lose my entire salary of about S$3,000 on the same day it came in. Salary will come in at 12pm. By the end of the day, everything will be gone already,” said Peter, who works as a social service professional.

The problem hit home when he was fired from his job after stealing company funds to pay his debt. It drove the 34-year-old to seek help.

With the quadrennial FIFA World Cup looming this June, counselling firms are on the alert for a surge in cases like Peter’s, while Singapore’s legal gambling service provider is pushing messages on safe betting.

Counsellors and psychologists told CNA that major competitions like the World Cup typically see a rise in the number of people seeking help for gambling addiction afterwards.

However, those who require help may not be able to see the problem themselves, nor are they able to draw the line between betting for entertainment and addiction.

“I was constantly in debt, I lost all my friends, and I was struggling at work as well,” he said.

“The reason I didn't do anything about it was because I saw my dad go through the same kind of process, and he kind of just went through life and kind of made it work. So when it was happening to me, I also thought it's normal.”

He felt isolated, depressed, sad, guilty and in shame, he told CNA.

“The thing with gambling addiction is that there's a lot of lying and cheating. So when I lost my salary on the same day it came in, and then my girlfriend or my mum asked me to pay for something, I wouldn't be able to and had to come up with some reason. It was usually that my salary came in late,” he said.

By this time, he had lost contact with the NS mates who had introduced him to bookies.

The final straw was when he stole from his workplace – he was then working in a local start-up in the sports sector – to pay off his debt, and was sacked.

A chance encounter with a secondary schoolmate pointed him to a support group through which he started his recovery journey. Come July, Peter would be four years clean.

MORE CASES EXPECTED

Counselling firms and Singapore Pools, the only legal sports betting operator in the country, expect a rise in football betting during the World Cup period, along with a consequent increase in the number of people seeking help for gambling addiction.

“Major football tournaments such as the FIFA World Cup and UEFA European Championship typically see an increase in football betting given their scale and significance as global sporting events,” said a Singapore Pools spokesperson.

“We therefore expect to see an increase in betting during the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2026 and will continue to provide a safe, regulated avenue for customers who choose to bet.”

SHIFTING PROFILES OF ADDICTS

The profile of gambling addicts has gradually shifted over the years, experts told CNA.

“The stereotype of the compulsive gambler as an older, lower-income male no longer holds,” said Dr Lim of the Singapore Counselling Centre.

Dr Thomas Lee, consultant psychiatrist at Resilienz Clinic, said his clinic sees a significant number of working-age males, typically between the ages of 25 and 50, who often have the disposable income or access to credit that facilitates their betting habit.

When it comes to football betting, the demographic often skews younger, he noted.

“This group typically consists of individuals who are mostly males, tech-savvy and comfortable with online betting platforms,” said Dr Lee.

“They often perceive soccer betting as a 'game of skill' rather than luck, believing their knowledge of the sport gives them an edge.”

While men form the majority, there has also been the emergence of more women seeking help for gambling addiction, experts told CNA.

They often gravitate towards casino games or lotteries rather than sports betting, said Dr Lee.

“Female clients are a growing segment, often arriving later and with more accumulated shame,” said Dr Lim.

Gambling addiction comes about for a variety of reasons, but one thing among clients is that they were introduced to it by their family members or friends, said experts.

The progression into addiction is largely driven by the brain's reward system, said Dr Lee from Resilienz Clinic.

“When a person wins, or experiences a 'near-miss', the brain releases a surge of dopamine, which is the chemical associated with pleasure and reinforcement. This dopamine rush creates a powerful 'high' that the gambler seeks to replicate,” he said.

Addiction typically starts innocently as participation, said Dr Lim of Singapore Counselling Centre.

“Watching football is more exciting with skin in the game, that's the hook,” he said.

It is also something that has escalated with the rise in digital access – online betting platforms remove natural friction points and social accountability. “A few taps at midnight while watching the match, and the escalation begins,” he said.

Radin Mas MP Melvin Yong, who sits on the government parliamentary committee for social and family development, said that gambling addiction is increasingly driven by the proliferation of illegal online platforms, which let users bet on almost anything.

“We must therefore stay ahead of these evolving tactics and strengthen efforts to disrupt how such operators attract and hook users, especially our youths and the elderly,” he told CNA.

Parents have also shared with him concerns about the online content their children are exposed to.

“Much of it is international, where gambling is often normalised, and influencers are sometimes paid to promote betting platforms and gambling culture,” he said.

Mr Yong added that more can be done with social media firms to address this, through stricter enforcement on gambling ads, proactive removal of influencer promotions, tighter age controls, clearer labelling of paid content and stronger public education.

SPOTTING THE SIGNS

Dr Chow said that those with a history of trauma, neglect, abuse or chronic emotional distress may be at higher risk of gambling addiction, as it can serve as a temporary escape from anxiety, low mood or stress.

Experts said that family and friends should look out for the signs of gambling addiction, as they are the closest to the addicts and the first line of defence.

“Loved ones can identify a downward spiral into gambling by watching for unexplained financial secrecy, mounting debt, defensive behaviour regarding money or their whereabouts and sudden isolation from activities,” said We Care Community Services senior counsellor Yvonne Yuen.

One common warning sign that an individual may be spiralling into addiction is when a person is increasingly preoccupied with gambling, constantly checking the odds or match scores even during dedicated family time or important social events, said Dr Lee.

“It is important for family members to establish firm boundaries and avoid 'bailing them out' by paying off their gambling debts, as this often inadvertently enables the cycle of addiction to continue,” he added.

Gamblers can also avoid slipping into addiction by treating gambling strictly as a paid form of entertainment with a fixed budget rather than a source of income, he said.

Ms Yuen urged family members to approach the troubled individuals in a non-judgemental manner and guide them towards professional help.

“A conversation framed around concern, ‘I've noticed you seem stressed lately, I'm worried about you’, opens a door. A confrontation framed around moral failure closes it and drives the behaviour underground,” added Dr Lim.

TAKING STEPS TO CHANGE

Peter said that the two women in his life – his mother and his girlfriend – were key figures in his recovery journey. He married his girlfriend last year.

After he lost his job, he hid the truth from them for a while before coming clean, expecting them to cut him out of their lives. However, they stuck by him and provided him with the support to face his problems.

“They said, ‘No, this is a problem that we will go through together and we'll solve together’. And that gave me the encouragement and push that I needed to come back and deal with the issues,” Peter shared.

“I had got to a point where I had given up on myself.”

His partner backed his regular attendance at support group meetings and provided a listening ear when his withdrawal symptoms kicked in.

Today, she holds him accountable. Peter lets his wife handle their finances, handing over his full salary each time it comes in and receiving only a portion for his daily expenses.

If he needs a significantly large sum to pay for something, she would question him and find out more first. This eliminates the risk of a relapse and addresses his incapability to manage his finances, he said.

“It got to a point where if I'm feeling a bit down or I feel like I don't have enough money to pay for something, immediately I think about gambling and trying to make fast money,” he said.

He has also lost contact with almost 90 per cent of his old friends, as they gambled and dabbled in other vices, which was not safe for his recovery process.

Initially, it was hard to do so as he had been close to them for years and the ties were strong. “But the more important thing is that I am able to stay clean and sober,” said Peter.

“When I decided to stop, it's not like things got better immediately. There are a lot of things that you’ve got to work through. There are a lot of withdrawal symptoms as well. You have to deal with a lot of guilt and shame,” he said.

Peter said that on reflection, there was a lot of “misplaced pride” that drove his gambling addiction.

“I've been a massive Manchester United fan since eight years old, so I had this impression that because I know this team so well, I will be able to make the most money off them. But the weird thing is that, actually, I think Manchester United is the team that I've lost the most money on,” he said.

Peter sought help for one and a half years, during which he got by on funding through community assistance programmes.

Today, he no longer watches live football matches, something which he said is a big part of how he has managed to stay clean.

“Once I watch a live game, almost immediately I’d think, ‘What are the odds? Who's the favourite? How many goals are there going to be? How many goals at halftime’,” said Peter.

When his counsellor first told him to stop watching live matches, Peter was initially resistant due to his passion for the game. These days, he watches only delayed telecasts or post-match highlights.

With the World Cup coming up, Peter said he will be similarly avoiding live screenings, and also not head to bars or friends’ houses where matches are being shown.

Peter noted that the frequency of triggers to gamble does not decrease, but he is now better equipped to handle them.

They could come in the form of text messages from illegal bookies, which he now instinctively deletes and blocks, or through social media, such as coming across a video of someone playing in a casino or talking about betting.

Some intangible triggers include the onset of negative emotions that have nothing to do with gambling, such as disagreements in the workplace, he said.

“There's a misconception that after a while, totally everything's (beautiful) but no,” he said.

“In the past when I wasn't in recovery, if I got triggered, I would just go and gamble. But now, I know there are these things that I can do.”

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