A documentary on Tipperary local radio has laid bare the problem of gambling among young men within the GAA.
While it is undoubtedly an issue that effects wider society, the impact of gambling within Gaelic football and hurling has been highlighted repeatedly and the warnings are becoming increasingly stark.
First there were the revelations in Oisín McConville’s autobiography, then the likes of Niall McNamee and Davy Glennon bravely opened up on their own struggles. There have been rumours of teams betting against themselves and just recently four of the brightest talents in the land told SportsJOE gambling is a problem that effects all dressing rooms.
Now three Tipperary men, including former county minors, Brian Glasheen and Timmy Dalton have revealed to Tipperary Mid-West Radio’s Stevie O’Donnell the dire straits their own gambling addictions landed them in.
"What's the easiest way out?" Harrowing stuff from Davy Glennon https://t.co/IucXN4n3XU
— GAA JOE (@GAA__JOE) May 8, 2016
A one time Tipperary minor footballer, Arravale Rovers man Glasheen admitted to stealing from former employees and racking up nearly €100,000 on multiple credit cards.
“I had no money and no way of getting money. I had blown everything I had. Every evening, I put on toast and I used to pick the mould off the bread to have the toast with water for a few days,” he tells O’Donnell, as reported in the Irish Examiner.
“The thoughts of it… lying in the bed every day for a week. When I came home from work, the first thing I did was go straight to bed and under the covers for the night. But that’s where gambling brings you.”
Unsurprisingly, his gambling had an impact on his football career, leading to him missing county minor matches to spend the afternoon in the bookies.
“We were playing Roscommon over in Cashel and my mother dropped me to Cashel and I got off on the main street and went off into the bookmakers at 1 o’clock. We were playing at 3 o’clock and were to meet up at 2. Before you knew it, you were looking at the dogs and horses and I knew time was coming and was looking for excuses.
“I just said ‘look it, I’ll pull a sickie’. At 5 o’clock, I was still below in that bookies backing when in came the minor football manager and I sitting in the corner looking at the dogs. He didn’t say anything and I didn’t say anything.”
Dalton,above, who won a minor All-Ireland championship in 2006, tells O’Donnell that gambling has become a widespread problem in the GAA.
“I’ve been a part of a lot of teams down through the years and gambling has been a part of all those teams. We have WhatsApp groups now and people constantly talking about prices of other teams, what teams have a good chance this weekend or what teams are missing players. I think it’s very common.”
