Any form of addiction can take on a life of its own and consume a person’s entire being. Dan Bateman, 34, who lives with his mother in Carlisle and works part time at a supermarket, is painfully aware of this.
Dan, a Carlisle United and Manchester United fan, started gambling as a teenager while watching football games with family and friends.
He told i: “From 2003, I’d go to Carlisle United football games and give people £1 to put bets on for me. Eventually, I won my first bet. I won about £18.50. It wasn’t a big sum, but it was an exciting feeling.”
Over time, Dan started betting weekly on football games and he slowly started to realise that he had a problem with gambling.
He said: “By my mid-twenties, I knew I had a…
