You may know him as the hooker of the Wales and Harlequins, the loving father figure or the man who got bitten while he was trying to pet a lion. Either way, Scott Baldwin caught the eye of the press when he admitted last month that had a gambling problem.
Even though the government took some harsh measures to diminish this, UK players find new ways to entertain themselves. According to UKGC analysis conducted in 2019, 47% of people gambled in the past four weeks (year to December 2019) and 21% of them played online. British online casinos are fully aware that the country's laws regarding this area became more severe, so they started to advise gamblers to consult the terms and conditions. Not only gambling sites adopted these measures, but bonus aggregators too urge players to check the bonus policy and be gamble aware. So in case you want to perfect your hand with some bonuses, you can check King Casino Bonus and discover some fun offers. Remember to always check the T&Cs before joining.
Scott Baldwin is not the only athlete that spoke up about his gambling problem. Do Michael Jordan or Floyd Mayweather ring a bell? What you do with your own money is your business, but when betting thousands can affect other people around you, you should consider stopping. And that was exactly what Baldwin did. Asked about the motif, he replied that he wouldn't want his son to do that too. “Someone said to me that if I wouldn't want my son to do it, why would I do it and that sat with me.”
Even though Baldwin hadn't so much money growing up, his single mother made sure he never went without. He is very grateful to her because she was always there, ready to help him, even though he started to battle with his gambling problem when he was 15. It may seem such a young age, but according to UKGC reports published in October 2019, 11% of 11-16-year-olds say that they spent their own money on gambling activities the previous week. So, there's no wonder that the rugby player discovered his “hobby” so young. He stated that his issues started with machines in pubs, poker and playing roulette online.
Most of you know that Baldwin started his career with Ospreys, but he also spent some time with ASR Milano in 2011. He was on loan with the Italian team and the money wasn't much. Being there for two, three months, sitting in his one-bedroom flat, it seemed that the only entertaining thing to do was gambling. He had the Internet connection, the best games just one tap away and the desire to win more, even though most of the time he always lost. “When you have a big win and after that, lose, you think it's going to come again”, but it doesn't.
Luckily, the player never got into debt while gambling, but he admits that he lost a lot of money, thousands of pounds. “When you are in that moment and it's digital and the money is online, you don't realise it's real money until the money is gone.”
Source: sports.yahoo
The moment he met his wife and had his son was crucial for him and he realised that he had to stop. He knows he is an addict because he thinks about gambling now and then, but he is not an active gambler anymore.
Recently, he received a call from a rugby player that asked him how he dealt with this whole situation and if would support him if he goes through something similar. Scott Baldwin says that he is open to chat and help any player that has a rough time.
