I was a possessed animal – recovering gambling addict
A RECOVERING FOBT addict has said the machines left him “a broken person”.
Martin Paterson, 58, from Coatbridge, lost “thousands” after becoming addicted to FOBTs in 2005.
He described himself as “just a normal punter” until he started playing the machines.
He now campaigns for changes to legislation around the machines that he says left him “a possessed animal”.
The former taxi driver was gambling away £60 in the space of 20 minutes at the height of his addiction, stopping when his son passed away unexpectedly at the age of just 29.
He said: “Once you walk in the door it takes over your life. I don’t understand it myself.
“It’s not all about the thousands of pounds. My £60 was more important to me than thousands.
“The next thing you know you’re borrowing from lenders to pay the bills. You can’t go and tell your wife.
“I was constantly gambling to the point it interfered with my work because I didn’t have change to give customers. “I lost everything.” He said: “You end up a broken man. I realised I wasn’t a father, I wasn’t a husband. I was a possessed animal.”
Mr Paterson, now a landscape gardener who is recovering from his addiction with the help of his family and employers, said he most regretted the time he lost with loved ones. He is now closely watching the government’s consultation and said anything more than £2 stakes with a gap of at least 60 seconds would be “catastrophic”.