Gambling addiciton stories can be found all around the globe. The world health organization even estimates that 1.2% of the global population suffers from gambling addiction problems. With a population of 8 billion people, this comes to 96 million people suffering from problems with gambling. This means that the same amount of people as the population of Vietnam, suffers from these problems.
Quality Mark Responsible Affiliates (QMRA) is a quality mark for responsible online gambling marketing. QMRA started as a Dutch project, ‘Keurmerk Verantwoorde Affiliates’ (KVA). Because we are highly involved with the Dutch market, as our company is based there, we have heard about a lot of Gambling Addiction Stories of (famous) Dutch persons.
To give you insight in how serious a gambling addiction can be, and to warn you to gamble responsibly, we will share some of these Gambling Addiction Stories here.
Gambling Addiction Story of soccer player Glenn Helder
Glenn Helder is a well renowned football player from the 80’s and 90’s who played at Arsenal and the Dutch club NAC Breda. His gambling addiction story is one of getting famous and rich quickly, not knowing how to handle it.
As he went to play at Arsenal his life changed dramatically. All of a sudden he had money and other people around him with money. Impressed with the lifestyle of his colleagues and friends he sought after this lifestyle for himself. Having expensive parties, dinners and shopping trips. Giving large amounts of money away to his friends. Sometimes as much as 10.000 Pounds and bought a very expensive BMW.
This is also the period he came in contact with gambling. Because where else could you spend large amounts of money in a short time than a casino?
Helder has said that there where two things that caused his misery. For 50% this was gambling and for the other 50% it was not being able to say no. Because of this lucious lifestyle the debts ultimately mounted.
Injury and Battling with depression
Sustaining a serious ankle injury in 1996, Glenn Helder became depressed and used pain killers to get by. At the end of 1998 his lifestyle and injury took a mental toll on him. Prompting a suicide attempt, with the use of painkillers he got from the NAC Breda club doctor. After chugging the whole bottle of painkillers at once, he was later found in his car at the side of the road. By ambulance he was rushed to the hospital where his stomach needed to be pumped.
Glenn Helder luckily survived his suicide attempt and has since gotten help for his addictions and other life problems. Nowadays he is a public speaker, helping people and inspiring them to seek help if needed.
Gambling Addiction Story of soccer player Patrick Kluivert
Patrick Kluivert is another well known footballer and coach from the Netherlands, who suffered from a gambling addiction. But in his case it would have far going consequences even getting involved with criminal networks.
A great career
Struggling with his gambling addiction for years, Patrick Kluivert would take more and more risks to satisfy his gambling needs. A well known football, that has played for multiple international clubs, the Dutch National team and other Dutch clubs, such as Ajax and PSV. He has played for international teams such as:
- Barcelona
- Newcastle united
- AC Milan
- Valencia
- and, Lille
His football career as a player ended in 2008. After his retirement from playing, he would begin his coaching career. He went on to coach for the Dutch clubs AZ, FC Twente and NEC, the Australian club Brisbane Roar, Curacao, Paris Saint-Germain, Kameroen, La Masía and the Turkish Adana Demirspor.
As coach he has flown over the world and now he is set to coach Indonesia for 2026.
Less great gambling habits
With his great career, came a destructive gambling addiction. The height of his addiction came around 2011 and 2012 when he gambled away large amount of money, with less than reputable individuals.
The succesful coach would place almost 1100 bets in a period of 8 months time. The total amount would rack up to 2.4 million Euros on which he lost hundreds of thousands of Euros. Making things worse is that he also placed bets on the club he was coaching, insighting match fixing.
However, this was not even his main problem. Patrick Kluivert did not place his bet at a normal betting agency. He went to an underground gambling syndicate, probably to hide his addiction. Over the years this crime syndicate would blackmail him over his outstanding debt of 1 million Euros. Patrick Kluivert was extorted by this crime syndicate to hand over more money. One of the ways the syndicate operated was by using a tape they may of a meting between them and Kluivert. On this tape he would talk about his gambling habits. The criminal organization would than threaten to send the tape to news outlets. The members of the organization where arrested around 2015. Kluivert never pressed charges on the crime syndicate.
Gambling Addiction of Najib Amhali
Najib Amhali is a well known Dutch-Moroccan comedian with a wide audience. After winning the Comedy train in 1997 his carreer skyrocketed. With multiple specials he became a force to be reconned with within the comedic space of the Netherlands. However, his fame also came with a darker side. He became addicted to alcohol, drugs and gambling, a toxic combination if there ever was one.
Losing yourself and coming back
Najib Amhali struggled with addiction to alcohol, drugs (mainly cocaine), and gambling for several years. This was the darkest time in his life. As he stated it himself he ‘lost himself‘ in this period. He would try to overcome insecurities, feeling of loneliness and coping with fame by doing whatever options there where. His addictions spiralled, until he would use 4 grams of coke per day. The gambling also did not stop and only intensified. Online gambling was for him the main culprit for his gambling habits. As he stated on the talk show ‘The table of Gert‘ he would lose 7000 Euros per night.
The accessibility and ease with which he could gamble where a huge problem for him, not being able to contain himself. The feeling of wanting to earn back his losses only made things worse. He thought to himself “If only I could win back half my money, that would be fine”. Of course he never did and things only got worse.
Fortunately, he did find his way back to reality and got help for his gambling addiction. He eventually went to ask for help at an addiction clinic and with support of his wife became clean and stopped gambling all together.
Gambling Addiction of RG advisor Feite Hofman
Feite Hofman has built a strong reputation in the Dutch gambling community. Not with players however, but with the casinos and gambling help institutions. As someone who has suffered from a gambling addiction for 23 years, he knows as no other of the risks gambling imposes. After his rehabilitation he started to commit himself to helping people with a gambling addiction. He is called an ‘Expered by experience’ and works for AGOG a gambling addiction help organization. Other endeavours are interviews, programs and seminars all aimed at explaining the risks of gambling and warning people for a possible addiction.
The worst thing that could happen was the first win
With a 23 year addiction and becoming clean at 39, the gambling addiction started early. It all started at 16 years old when he played at a slot machine with a friend in the local pub. His friend lost the money he put into the machine, but Feite won. He himself states that this was probably the worst thing that could happen to him. The rush of winning stayed with him and he would chase that dopamine rush for the coming 23 years.
When he started his study at the university of Groningen the addiction only became worse. With no supervision and living right next to a casino he could gamble at his leisure. The study eventually did not work out and he confessed everything to his parents. However, he still gambled, the addiction did not stop him.
Feite became an expert in hiding his addiction. He hid it from his wife, who eventually thought he was doing better. It only became worse. Becoming so bad that he even gambled away money from the school he was the principal of. It all culminated in him standing by the train tracks, contemplating suicide as he saw no way out. At that moment he got a phone call of his coach from the school. Immidiately Feite confessed where he was and why he was there. The coach came immidiately to pick him up and brought him to the hospital, where his wife also came.
Feite fortunately received all the help he needed, overcame his gambling addiction, and now helps people and organizations fight against it. He also paid back all the money he owed the school.
Tips for dealing with excessive gambling and gambling addiction
There are things you can do to mitigate the risks of a gambling addiction. When you want to visit an (online) casino it is very important to set boundaries and have a game plan. The following tips will help you with mitigating gambling risks:
- Be aware that you will probably only lose money, the winner is always the house
- Set a firm limit on how much money you’re willing to lose and stop as soon as you reach it.
- Do not chase your loses and try to make them up, the chances of doing so are close to zero
- When playing online, make use of the available software for setting limits, such as deposit-, playtime- and betting limits
- See gambling only as a form of entertainment and never as a form of income
- Do not borrow money from family, friends or strangers to finance your gambling habits
And the most important thing about your gambling habits is to stay honest to yourself and your environment and seek help whenever you need it. Also seek help whenever someone in your environment suggests it, they will see you have a problem earlier than you do. Just remember that there is no shame in a gambling addiction and it can happen to anyone everywhere. People all around the globe from all layers of society struggle with gambling problems. You are not the only one and help is available.
