Former Irish League players launch gambling support group amid rising betting sponsorship

Former goalkeeper Aaron Hogg spent much of his 20-year Irish League career battling a gambling addiction that led to debt, broken relationships and severe depression. Eight years after placing his last bet, he is now one of four ex-players behind a new player-led Gambling Support Group (GSG).

The initiative launches as betting company sponsorship expands across the men's and women's Irish Premiership this season, with both League Cups and a regional tournament also backed by bookmakers.

From social bet to addiction

Hogg said his gambling began casually as a teenager before escalating once he joined men's football at Crusaders, where pre-match trips to the bookies with team-mates opened the door to horse racing and roulette. Irish FA rules bar players from betting on matches involving their own team, but addiction issues extend well beyond that.

PFA Northern Ireland head Michael Carvill said the problem can go unnoticed even among close team-mates — he once sat beside a colleague for seven years without realising he was struggling.

Sponsorship deals draw criticism

Several Irish Premiership clubs, including Glentoran, Cliftonville and Crusaders, carry betting company logos on their shirt fronts, and the league's new sponsorship deal with a bookmaker has been valued at more than £1m. Addiction treatment specialist Tommy Canning criticised the trend, arguing that advertising directly drives betting uptake and comparing the situation to restrictions long placed on tobacco and alcohol advertising in sport.

Support, not punishment

The GSG allows players to seek help anonymously via text message or QR codes placed around Irish Premiership grounds, avoiding the need for a phone call. Carvill stressed the group exists to support players rather than police or punish them. Hogg said he will never be fully free of his addiction but now has tools to manage it, and hopes his story offers hope to others still struggling.