Over the past 35 years, former Arsenal and England footballer Paul Merson has gambled away a fortune. In this programme, he sets out to understand why his life has been so badly blighted by gambling and explores the relationship between football and gambling at a time when it has never been more urgent to question the industry’s place in the world of sport.
Now on the path to recovery, he wants to understand what caused his addiction. Could it be the way his brain is wired, his environment or both? Paul sets out to meet old teammates, scientists and psychologists to see if he can get close to finding the answer. He starts by meeting former Arsenal teammate Wes Reid. When they received their first pay cheques as Arsenal trainees, Paul and Wes went to the bookies, and Paul lost his entire week’s wages in 15 minutes, kicking off a 35-year struggle with gambling..
