Ex-English professional footballer light Belgian clubs dangers of gambling. I cut off at a certain point in my chest

Friday signed the Pro League and the gambling commission, a collaboration agreement regarding sports betting. Among others, ex-English professional footballer Scott Davies rides the whole country by the 24 professional clubs to make them aware of the gokproblematiek. “Eventually I was about to give up while I roulette played.”

The Pro League and the gambling commission, Friday afternoon, the forces with the signing of a protocol around sports betting. Together with ex - English professional footballer Scott Davies is going to the Pro League with all 24 clubs along to the dangers of gambling and explain what restrictions there are for players. But they also talk about matchfixing.

“I lived in three worlds”, said Scott Davies. “I had my family, football and gambling.” Davies is an ex-professional from England, who as 18-year-old in the first team of then-Premier League club Reading. “I have this against Chelsea and played a free-kick against Petr Cech to score. I was rich as a king.”

“I earned 57.000 euros per month. There was a whole new world for me. I started to play roulette. I got my first deposit and I lost everything all at once. I wanted to go home from the casino, but I could even that one euro for the bus do not pay more. Two hours steps then. When we got to a match went, I began with the cards to play on the bus. I think it was on that ride about 2.200 euros lost. I said then that I would never gamble, but nothing was less true. In the meantime I had also been three red cards picked, two children with two women and all of my car in the mash driven. Read more under the picture.

Olivier Deschacht had against Anderlecht gambled during the Champions League match against PSG, and in return got to 23,000 euro fine. Photo: Photo News

Sometimes I had no money for four weeks. I could make the switch to Leeds, and a day for I wanted to draw, there was someone else in my place. That night, I am more than 11.000 euros lost. Eventually I came a few years later, again on the straighter path and I could when my parents go to live. Two and a half years, they have everything to me paid. Eventually I came to a club in the seventh division and earned 2000 euros per month. On June 8, 2015 I put my last bet in a horse race. I was all alone in the world. At a certain moment I was chicken to cut and I cut me. Without realizing it, I was in my chest to the cut. I needed help. I came with my parents and my mother burst into tears when I told that I'm after eleven years went to help. ‘Thank God’ is the only thing that they said.”

“Now I work for EPIC Risk Management and I go for them to speak at all professional clubs in England of the first teams to the junior about the hazards and the consequences of gambling. In England one out of six sportsmen a gambling problem. In total, there are that 181.000. Per addiction involve ten people to get involved in your problem. So indirectly there are in England more than a million people involved in gokverslavingen. That is also about your parents, a psychologist and a police officer.” Read more under the picture.

Stijn Van Bever. Photo: Beaver spotted

In the Pro League, they are happy that there is someone like Scott comes to them join during the office hours. “We know that soccer players have a higher risk profile. Especially the young players,” says Stijn Van Bever, spokesman of the Pro League. “They come into a new situation in which they are often bored, and then for the thrill of gambling. They earn in a short time, also a lot of money. Therefore, we are pleased with Scott that he has the players his story can tell. From next season we want every year to do this because the cores of the Belgian clubs is changing rapidly and new players often do not know what rules they must adhere to. Now it is clear: in Belgieë, you are not allowed in matches of your own club or league gambling. In a foreign match.”

Both Dennis Mariën Unibet as Peter Naessens, director of the gaming commission, are pleased with the new charter. “Unibet can notify customers, but more could in the past. Now we can report to clubs and the Pro League if we notice that football players committing mistakes or excessive gambling show,” explains Marien. “That will happen under the new GDPR regulation, of course. The clubs have had their fiat for that. Of the total population who ever gamble's two percent problem. There you have to just work in the stitches and not think ‘98 percent is not.”

“We do now with the Pro League a good campaign,” says Naessens, proudly, “but we also hope that in the future more and more players are also behind. They also have an exemplary function. Unfortunately, We have after the affair with Olivier Deschacht is not really improving.” Read more under the picture.

Mike Vanhamel. Photo: Photo News

Few players of Beerschot Wilrijk, where the press conference went on, testified that in the past they once problematic behavior of the other players saw. “When I was in France played, I saw young people that all but through the window outside threw,” said goalkeeper and vice-captain Mike Vanhamel. “I've never personally been, but I found this session quite well. So I know in the future how I should act when there is someone to me. But I am convinced that we have no example herein. Our role is to the profession of footballer to promote, not the non-gambling.” Read more under the picture.

Tom Van Hyfte. Photo: BELGA

Also, captain of Beerschot Wilrijk, Tom Van Hyfte, shares that opinion. “The Clubs themselves can also do more. I think that in Belgium there is no single club is where there is someone who is thus engaged. I, myself, have ever three times in a casino and fifty euros played and then I was home. That's as far as my history in it. Clubs can be in their values, sportsmanship and fair play, but they also need to act. Young guests really need to know and learn that it is not okay.”

“The clubs must not deviate from the penalties associated with it. For me, zero tolerance is the perfect punishment. Gambling for or against your club, do you not,” added Vanhamel there.

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