Matthew Allsopp, aged 49, who lives in Kidderminster, spent his life convincing family and friends to keep lending him large sums of money so that he could punt, sometimes on “ridiculous sports” which he knew “nothing about”.

What started out as a “fun time” at the greyhound races when he was a child would lead Matt down a dangerous path of addiction, spiralling debt and self-sabotage, made easier, he says, by the creation of online betting exchanges.

Matt, who estimates that he has lost around half a million pounds over the years, says he should have been able to take his daughter, Daisy, now 21, on holiday every year and not worry about paying the bills, were it not for his gambling addiction.

Today, the former salesman has managed to turn his life around with the help of Gordon Moody, the UK’s leading charity dedicated to fighting gambling addiction.

Matt says his addiction was made easier by the creation of online betting exchanges (Image: Collect/PA Real Life)

Gambling has been a part of Matt’s life since he was 10 years old, when his best friend’s dad, Patsy, would take them to watch his greyhounds race in London, where he saw “wads of cash” changing hands.

In secondary school, Matt, who hails from Margate, would often gamble his dinner money, playing “money wall”, a game where players throw 50p coins at a wall and whoever gets the closest wins the pot.

He also became the school bookie, taking bets from fellow students, who he would then sometimes have to avoid until he could pay them back.

His appetite for gambling moved up a notch when he left school and began his first job, selling candy floss and rock at the Dreamland amusement park in Margate, where he would often dip into the till to cover his losses.

Skimming off the top became common practice for Matt, even after he relocated to the West Midlands to work for a successful carpet company.

“On my first morning, I remember walking around the town and asking the first person I spoke to: ‘Oh do you know if there’s a bookies anywhere?’ – my first morning,” he said.

He also found that having a low but steady income meant banks were willing to issue him with credit and debit cards, giving him access to thousands more pounds, which he poured into the bookies.

While the debts started adding up, it was not until the early 2000s and the arrival of online betting exchanges that Matt’s gambling addiction began spiralling out of control.

Matt became a father to Daisy in June 2002 and met the “love of his life” a few years later, Sarah, with whom he bought a house – but again, his addiction reared its ugly head.

The couple went their separate ways after Matt convinced Sarah to borrow £18,000 against their new property to pay off his debts, and ended up gambling it away.

In 2012 Matt set himself up as a door-to-door frozen food salesman when a colleague, due to retire, asked whether he wanted to buy his client list for £3,000.

Matt, who was known as “the fish man” to his 700-odd regular customers, was earning a decent wage, around £500 a week, but had a terrible credit score.

Unfortunately, one of his wealthier customers, an elderly couple who considered him to be a friend, offered to lend Matt the money.

“He said: ‘You’ve been coming here for a couple of years now, me (John) and Penny think the world of you, you’re a good lad,’” Matt said.

“He goes: ‘Give it back to us in a year’s time, no interest.’

“But then I started thinking: ‘Wait a minute – I’ve got 700 people here who love me just as much as John and Penny.’”

Matt was known as “the fish man” to his 700 odd regular customers (Image: Collect/PA Real Life)

Matt started working his way down the client list, targeting friendly customers who he knew could afford to lend him the money, which he then spent on the Betfair app.

“I got to know my customers and their backgrounds,” he added.

“If they were going to the Maldives for two weeks, they weren’t struggling to pay their bills.”

He soon found himself in £90,000 worth of debt and had no choice but to confess and work out a repayment plan with the help of his boss and brother, a successful teacher.

Squandering the £14,000 his father left him after he passed away in 2020 was the final straw for Matt, who called Gordon Moody, the UK’s leading charity fighting gambling addiction, a year later and asked for help.

Dave Hollingsworth, Gordon Moody Lived Experience and Volunteer Lead, said: “Matt came to Gordon Moody when he was ready and committed to tackling his gambling addiction.

“Through our unique treatment programme, Matt has been able to reclaim and rebuild his life free from gambling addiction.

“If you, or anyone you know, is suffering from gambling-related harm, details of our treatment programmes are available on our website.

“Recovery is possible; Matt is a perfect example of someone who has turned their life around and is now working towards making his dreams come true.”

Since completing the charity’s recovery programme, Matt has waved goodbye to gambling and written a TV series based on his personal experience of addiction.

He has also started acting and was cast in a “small role” in a movie which will appear later this year.

“It’s so nice to be able to wake up and not have odds in my head,” he said.

“It’s nice to actually be able to open my post and know that my direct debits are being paid.

“It’s nice to look people in the eye and not lie.”