“I am a successful 3-time olympian, but I was addicted to gambling” – Paddy Barnes discusses betting issues

“I am a successful 3-time olympian, but I was addicted to gambling,” declares Paddy Barnes at the start of a short video released by Sports NI.

The former world title challenger and one of Ireland’s greatest ever amateur boxers spoke up as part of the Sport Wellbeing Hub campaign.

The two time Olympic medal winner had opened up about his issues with gambling and online gambling in particular two years ago and revisited the subject this week.

Barnes explains the trouble he found himself in and pointed out how talking helped massively.

Speaking previously he said

“I wasn’t feeling depressed over it or anything, it was more just frustration that I was addicted to something and I hated it. I’d say I wasn’t gambling again because I lost something, and the next day I was doing it again.

“I was always chasing. It was the thrill of it, the rush, more than the money.”

“£100 is enough. It doesn’t matter whether it’s £1 or £100,000, it’s not yours any more, you’ve lost it.

“I was gambling and I talked to my wife, and then I stopped, but I started again. I knew I shouldn’t have been doing it. I was able to tell her I had a problem and once I did, I felt really relieved.

“I’ve stopped gambling for that long now that I never thought about going back, because I wasn’t enticed. It wasn’t in my thought process any more, it had just gone out of my head. I didn’t care about it any more,” said Barnes.

As well as working with Sports Northern Ireland and coaching with the IABA, Barnes has a very interesting podcast out there for consumption.

Having interviewed the likes of close friend Carl Frampton and Shane Lowry none other than Nonito Donaire is up next.