Former addict to help raise gambling awareness

Cricketers will get a first-hand account of the dangers of gambling from a former addict in a new initiative by the Professional Cricketers' Association, the players' union.

Phil Mawer, a former addictive gambler, has been enlisted to provide information to PCA members and has appeared in a video to help past and present players to spot the danger signs of gambling addiction.

Mawer, whose book Overcoming Gambling will be distributed to every PCA member, began gambling on an internet casino and his wife drank herself to death as a result.

Cricketers and footballers were found to be three times more likely to have a gambling problem than other sportsmen. PCA research shows that 1 in 6 of current players could either have a moderate gambling problem or be an addict already. Craig Spearman, the former Gloucestershire and New Zealand batsman, struggled with gambling addiction and appeared in a PCA video 2013.

"As professional cricketers or retired professional cricketers you will naturally be over-competitive by nature and unlikely to accept defeat easily," Mawer writes in the foreword to his book. "Coupled with this over competitiveness, is a relatively well paid occupation that can allow a greater degree of free time - for me this all adds up to a ticking bomb which potentially can lead you into gambling."

Jason Ratcliffe, PCA assistant CEO, added: "This is an important next step in educating our members and the general public of the risks associated with problematic gambling. Greater access and time are key factors which can influence our group of young men and it's great that Philip has offered direct access to share experiences and provide support."