Recovering gambling addict from South Yorkshire urges people to 'be careful' during the World Cup
During the last men's World Cup in 2022 - the charity GamCare reported an 11% increase in demand from those needing support
A recovering gambling addict from South Yorkshire is urging people to 'take extra care' over the next month or so.
Major sporting events - like the men's World Cup - which starts tomorrow - often trigger a spike in online betting.
Kieran Smith from Rotherham says it'll be a testing time for many football fans who like a flutter - including himself - due to an increase in advertising by the bookies.
The 35-year-old has struggled with a gambling addiction for the last 20 years:
"Even just in social circles you hear comments about wanting to have a bet on the World Cup, and nobody bats an eyelid because it is so socially acceptable.
"Peer pressure to have something as small as a £5 bet can really develop into something that you struggle with if you don't educate yourself about the dangers of gambling.
"After relapsing earlier this year, all I can do is keep trying, and if I keep falling off, I'll keep getting back up and trying again.
"With a lot of the games happening at night, you could end up in the home gambling alone, so please take extra steps - because in my experience with these big sporting events - gambling can get out of hand.
"Even if you're with your family, you can end up running off to the bathroom if you're gambling on your phone.
"That's just to put on more bets and chase potential losses, and before you know it, your actual enjoyment of the sporting event itself is lost to gambling."
The men's World Cup begins on the 11th of June and is set to carry on until the 19th of July.