The professional football player Kyle Lafferty provided more details about his rehabilitation from gambling addiction. Earlier this month, he used his official Twitter account to reveal that he celebrated a major landmark in his battle against problem gambling, as he managed to stay “clean” of his gambling addiction for one year.
Now, the 31-year-old striker who has never scored in European football shared that he was ready to clean his reputation and reach another important landmark for him in the Rangers’ match against Villarreal on Thursday night.
As Casino Guardian has previously reported, the football player has publicly confessed that he has been having serious gambling problems. Now, he has opened up about him attending the meetings of Gamblers Anonymous and shared that his rehabilitation has been going well, with him not placing a bet over the past 12 months. The problem gambling treatment has also helped Lafferty by making him feel confident about his mental shape but he is aware of the fact that there is still a long way for him to go.
“It’s going to be a long road but I’ve got my family and friends around me (…),” – Kyle Lafferty cited by The Scottish Sun.
Lafferty further shared that staying away from gambling for another year is his next goal, and reaching it would be a massive milestone for him.
More Professional Athletes Involved with Problem Gambling
Previously, in an interview for Sky Sports, Lafferty shared that he had managed to stay away from gambling for a month and a half of the most. However, he now managed to turn his back on his addiction for a year, as he had not gambled since last September, which was a massive achievement for him.
It was in September 2017 when the forward first opened up about his addiction and confessed he was a problem gambler having lost thousands of pounds. He then admitted that it was not easy for him to reveal that he had faced problems with gambling, as it was hard to realise that he had been suffering from an addiction in the first place.
Never thought I would ever see this day. It’s been 1 year today since the last time I placed a bet. I was in a dark place and lowest iv ever been and to come out off it and celebrate this achievement is amazing and Iv never been happier. 3️⃣6️⃣5️⃣ days
— klaff10 (@laffk10) September 11, 2018
Kyle Lafferty is not the only professional football player who has faced gambling-related harm as a result of problem gambling behaviour. Earlier this year, Joey Barton, the former midfielder of Manchester City, Newcastle and QPR, has made claims that about 50% of the footballers in the UK have been betting, and by this violating the rules imposed by the Football Association (FA).
Over the last few years, an increasing number of professional athletes, and especially football players have been rumoured to have been illegally betting despite the restrictions set to prevent them from doing so. Apart from Joey Barton who has revealed that he had bet on more than 1,250 football matches in a period of ten years, the former midfielder Kieron Dyer also made some revelations about the gambling habits of the players in the National football team of England.
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Daniel Williams
