'I slept with money under the pillow': Wife on surviving her husband’s gambling addiction

For every one person who is a problem gambler themselves, around six to 10 further people are affected by the fallout of their gambling, including family members and friends. File Picture: PA

“When my husband was gambling, he’d gamble around family events. He always did it coming up to Christmas because he knew he’d get away with it, right? He knew I wouldn’t be able to face the family without him. I wouldn’t be able to face them and say ‘oh he’s done it again’, because I didn’t want people to judge him."

Those are the words of the wife of a man who suffered from problem gambling. She spoke of the enormous strain and impact she and her family felt from his addiction, describing the “stigma and shame” she endured as a result.