Dominic Matteo progressed through the Liverpool academy and went on to make over 150 appearances for the Reds but his career was blighted by a problematic gambling addiction
When Dominic Matteo ran up a debt of £500,000 with one bookie, he knew his gambling addiction was seriously out of control.
The ex-Liverpool, Leeds United and Scotland defender once bet £200,000 on a single horse race, ended up owing over £1million and going bankrupt. Now he has teamed up with gambling harm prevention specialist EPIC Global Solutions to warn about the dangers associated with betting.
The 50-year-old will address players and staff at EFL, Scottish Premiership and Premiership Rugby clubs to speak about his gambling hell. Matteo said: “I think most footballers have an addictive personality and I grew up in Southport, where I would bet a few pence on the slot machines at the fairground.
“To then becoming a professional footballer, we’d have card schools on the bus back from away games and it felt like everyone was betting on horses. We’d go to the races at Aintree and Cheltenham – in my era all the clubs would be there.
“When you’re betting after a few beers as well, it makes it even worse. To then have the bookies chasing you for £500,000, you’re thinking ‘s**t, I’ve got to pay that back without the family knowing’. I did win chunks but the losses were so much more.”
Matteo’s problems escalated as his career began to wind down after joining Blackburn. Matteo added: “The worst time is when you’re not playing because you have time to think about which bets you’re going to place.
“Every day you’re looking at doing it and I bought some horses with Gary Flitcroft, my Blackburn team-mate. I’d have bets and got caught up in that whole world. The more you earn as a footballer, the more you bet.
“You’ve got then problems when you finish playing and aren’t earning that big money but still betting heavily. That’s when the problems at home begin and that was the tipping point for me – when I started to affect the people around me.”
Matteo was made bankrupt in 2015 but said: “The gambling was part of going bankrupt, but it was also down to bad investments and bad advice.
“I didn’t really have a plan – I got a bar in Leeds but it didn’t work out. I lost money on that and was probably still having a punt in the bookies over the road.”
Now, though, Matteo has stopped gambling altogether and wife Jessica has been hugely supportive throughout his troubles. In 2019, Matteo had a brain tumour removed which had lain dormant in his skull since childhood.
He had to learn how to read, write and talk again following emergency surgery and now has to go undergo regular scans. Matteo added: “My missus has been my rock and we’ve had to become a team again – and I don’t think we were for that period when I was gambling.
“Now I’m in a good place with my wife and my three kids. I’ve got my own gym in the house and that daily exercise for me is brilliant. As a family we’re a team and Jess will be getting involved with EPIC to tell people how my gambling addiction affected her too.
“When EPIC approached me about telling my story, I broke down because it’s such an emotive topic. I’m looking forward to getting on a stage and telling my story.
“Hopefully I can help people get to the root of their problem before they hit the point I got to. That’s the key and it doesn’t matter whether you bet £100 or a £100,000 a week – I’m happy to talk to anyone if it helps them.”
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