September 19th 2024.
Michael Chopra, a former Premier League and Championship striker, has recently opened up about his struggles with gambling addiction. He estimates that he lost up to £2m due to his addiction and even had to seek help at the Sporting Chance Clinic. Chopra, who played for Newcastle United, Cardiff City, Ipswich Town, and Sunderland, admits that at times he played through injuries in order to cover his mounting debts.
Reflecting on a particularly tough period in his life, Chopra revealed that he once asked his Newcastle teammate, Kieron Dyer, to place a bet of £120,000 on a Juventus match. Dyer, a former England international, refused to do so and instead informed their captain, Alan Shearer, about Chopra's problem. The Juventus match ended up being a winner, but Dyer's refusal to place the bet actually ended up being a blessing in disguise for Chopra.
"I had the same agent as [Alan] Shearer, so Kieron told him about it and said, 'I think Chops has a problem with gambling...he has asked me to do this and that and owes a bookmaker this amount,'" Chopra shared on The Central Club podcast. He also revealed that at the time, he was £50,000 in debt with the bookmaker, a debt that he and many other players would pay off at the end of each month.
Chopra's addiction was fueled by the fact that he was only making £2,000 a week at Newcastle, while watching his teammates play high-stakes card games with large sums of money. "You're thinking, it's just the luck of cards. You could have three threes, the best hand, and walk away with £50,000. Little things like that probably got me attached to it," he admitted.
It wasn't until he signed with Sunderland in 2007 and received a signing-on fee that Chopra was finally able to pay off his debts to the bookmaker. However, even after seeking help in rehab, he continued to gamble, sometimes up to £20,000 a day. "As soon as I'd step over the white line I would focus on football - but as soon as I got to the dressing room I would check my phone to see if I'd won," he said.
Chopra also admitted that his addiction affected his career, as he sometimes played through injuries in order to earn appearance money to pay off his debts. "In my first season at Cardiff, I had a gambling debt from when I was at Newcastle. I had to leave Cardiff and sign for another team to pay that debt off," he shared. In total, he estimates that he lost between £1.5m and £2m due to gambling.
Despite his struggles, Chopra had a successful career, scoring nine goals in 60 Premier League appearances and over 50 goals in two spells at Cardiff City. He also represented England at the youth level, though he never earned a senior cap. However, his addiction has taken a toll on his life and he hopes that by sharing his story, he can help others who may be facing similar struggles.
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