I was on £2,000 a week at Newcastle but only my team-mate stopped me from making a £120,000 bet


Michael Chopra has revealed only Kieron Dyer stopped him from making a £120,000 bet during their time at Newcastle United.

Chopra has spoken openly about his battle with a gambling addiction over the years in an effort to raise awareness and help others. The Geordie, who spent time at the Sporting Chance Clinic, previously estimated that he lost up to £2m through betting.

Looking back on when his gambling was 'really bad', Chopra said he had a £50,000 limit with a bookmaker used by Dyer when the former Newcastle striker asked his team-mate to place a £120,000 wager on Juventus to win a game.

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"He said, 'I'm not doing it,'" Chopra recalled to the Central Club. "I was like, 'Put it on'. He said, 'I can't do it for you. If they lose, you're £170,000 in debt.'

"Juventus won. I came in and said, 'That would have cleared the balance on my debt'. But he was looking out for me and not putting that much of a bet on for me.

"I had the same agent as [Alan] Shearer so Kieron told him, 'I think Chops has a problem with gambling. He has asked me to do this and that. He owes my bookmaker this amount. Can you speak to your agent and have a chat with him?' I was £50,000 in debt with the bookmaker. Every player would have a different limit that would pay off at the end of every month.

"I was only on £2,000 a week at Newcastle. You chase it. It didn't help when you're 17 and you're on a plane going to Malaysia for pre-season and you're watching all the lads play three card brag and there's £40,000 or £50,000 in fifties on the table. You're thinking, 'It's just the luck of cards. You could have three threes, the best hand, and walk away with £50,000.' Little things like that probably got me attached to it."