Paul Merson has revealed he lost his family’s £160,000 house deposit by betting on things such as table tennis during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Merson is known to have a past addiction to gambling and has previously spoken openly about his struggles.
Last year, the former Arsenal footballer was involved in a BBC documentary titled ‘Paul Merson: Football, Gambling & Me’, in which he spoke about the impact that his gambling problems have had on his life.
The pundit stated that he lost around £7m gambling in 35 years and recently admitted that he relapsed during the pandemic.
As a result, Merson has also revealed that he now gives all his wages to his wife, and in return, she gives him ‘pocket money’.
The former footballer believes that his current wife will leave him if he relapses again after Merson’s previous marriages all fell apart due to his addiction.
What has Merson said about his relapse during the pandemic?
“I was on furlough from Sky Sports and at first I enjoyed the lockdown,” Merson stated via Sport Bible.
“I was in the garden with my youngest kids and the sun was out. But then I started getting addicted to bulletins when Boris Johnson and the bloke with the red tie came out.
“My anxiety kicked in and I thought, ‘They’re not going to have Soccer Saturday anymore’ was thinking, ‘I’m not going to be able to earn anything’. My older kids’ mums have houses and I want to give my younger kids a future.”
Merson added: “Kate [Merson’s wife] and I had £160,000 saved up and I blew it in a few bets. It was all online, but it wasn’t a bookmaker, it was a private bookie.
“My last bet was eight grand on a table tennis player. I didn’t have a particular knowledge of table tennis but everything was locked down at that point, so there wasn’t much to bet on.”
“I remember sitting in my front room and having suicidal thoughts and my kids were playing and I was thinking, ‘Oh my God, I’ve just done everything in’.”