Glasgow gambling addict was losing entire wages in minutes on slot machines

There was a time when Martin Coyle could lose his entire week's wages in minutes using slot machines.

His gambling addiction was so strong he couldn't walk past a bookmakers without going in and would regularly lose his wage on one slot machine.

Now Martin, from Kings Park, has not gambled in 11 and a half years and helps others in the midst of addiction to try to break the habit. Martin, 34, started gambling when he was just 16-years-old, using machines in bookmakers and money from his job at an ice cream factory.

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He has since turned his life around and runs SSL, a security and media company, says he could pass for 18 - the legal gambling age - so started in his early teens and was an addict by the time he was 18.

He said: "I started taking the few pounds I had spare to use in the slot machines and try to win more, I had a couple of decent wins and it soon spiralled out of control.

"The slot machines are so addictive, there is no waiting like with racing or football coupons, the return is instant and it is easy to just keep going try and trying to get your big win."

By the time Martin was in his early 20s he was blowing every penny he had on slot machines and gambling and every thought was consumed by gambling. Online gambling was in it's infancy then, but he still had accounts and would pay virtual slots any time he could.

"I wasn't living like a young man should. I didn't socialise, or go on holiday or buy clothes - every single penny went to the bookies. My pals would dread me phoning because it was to borrow money so I could gamble or repay someone else I'd borrowed from. It was a vicious cycle constantly chasing that next big win.

"My biggest slot machine win was £740 - an absolutely terrible return when I think what I spent, but it's an addiction and I just couldn't stop."

Around 200,000 people in Scotland have a gambling problem with online betting meaning it is available 24/7. New legislation from the UK Government has been announced this week which will limit online slot machine bets to a maximum of £5 and £2 for those aged 18-24. They will also levy bookmakers profits, bringing in £100m in revenue to be spent on gambling addiction services.

But Martin doesn't think this will deter gamblers.

"Gambling isn't like a drug or alcohol addiction in that eventually you will pass out or be sick, with gambling you can just keep going and going. The maximum bet won't make a difference, you could put on 100 £5 bets and still lose every penny you have.

"By the end of my addiction, I wasn't even chasing the win or the money, I was just gambling for the sake of gambling. It was a compulsion."

Martin attended Gamblers Anonymous to help break his addiction and since then has helped others and talks frankly on his TikTok page.

"It's not easy, I'm 11 and a half years down the line and I still have that inner demon saying just go to the bookies. But now I have so much to lose, much more than money. I've got my wife Sinead, a young family, a business and a house. In all honesty this is a life I could not have envisioned when I was in the depths of addiction.

"Beating a gambling addiction isn't easy, but there is help, there is a whole community of gamblers to help and if you do it for yourself, no one else, you can do it."

Gambling minister Baroness Twycross said: “We are absolutely committed to implementing strengthened measures for those at risk, as well as providing effective support for those affected.

“The introduction of the first legally mandated levy will be instrumental in supporting research, raising awareness and reducing the stigma around gambling-related harm.”

If you think you have a gambling problem, visit Gamblers Anonymous Scotland.

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