A host of leading player associations have identified gambling as one of the most pressing mental health challenges currently present within sport, as it is revealed that 42 per cent of surveyed professional cricketers gamble on a monthly basis.

In a series of interviews with The Independent, the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA), the Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA) and the Rugby Players Association (RPA) all expressed concern over the rising accessibility of gambling and the psychological impact it’s having on today’s athletes.

“The biggest [mental health] issue at the moment is gambling,” Michael Bennett, head of the PFA, told The Independent. “The first part for me goes back to it’s easily accessible. On your iPhone, on your iPad, laptop, Mac, whatever. You click. ‘Are you 18?’ Yes, and you’re in.

“The other issue is that players have got so much time on their hands. You’ve got younger players in digs, that are finishing training at 1/2/3pm. They go home, they have a sleep, wake up 5pm and go ‘what do I do now?’ So it’s become something to fill that time.

“And you’ve got players with large amounts of money. It’s not an issue them losing it, because they’re on decent money, but they’re beginning to chase monies they’ve lost which becomes an issue.

Athletes who have spoken out Show all 13 1 /13 Athletes who have spoken out Athletes who have spoken out Heavyweight boxer Tyson Fury "I woke up every day wishing I would not wake up any more. But I am living proof anyone can come back from the brink.



"There is a lot of people out there suffering with mental health problems who think all their days will be grey, but life can improve again and you will start to enjoy the little things again." Getty Images Athletes who have spoken out Former Olympian Dame Kelly Holmes “I’ve been to the lowest point and to the highest point and everything in between. It shows we can go through life and have struggles and still actually achieve.” Getty Images Athletes who have spoken out Ex-England cricketer Freddie Flintoff "I was sitting in the room as this fella who will drag everyone with him. If I had turned around and said, 'look lads, I'm really struggling,' it would have sent shock waves. So I thought I shouldn't." Getty Images Athletes who have spoken out Ex-England footballer Kelly Smith “Even now talking about it, I'm thinking is this the right thing to do, to tell you and to tell the world.



“But if I can help other people along the way, because there are so many other athletes and people who go through these same things, that it's okay to talk about it, it can help other people.” Getty Athletes who have spoken out Former heavyweight boxer Frank Bruno “Mental illness can affect anyone, whether you are the heavyweight champion of the world or you’re working in a shop.



"It is the toughest fight I have ever had to face and the darkest period of my life. I did not know how I was going to get through.” Getty Images Athletes who have spoken out Former Olympian Crista Cullen "The first time I retired I was 27 after the London Olympics.



"I felt lost. It was like I had fallen off a cliff. It took me six months to find my feet, but I was still looking for that identity.



"I hadn't appreciated the impact that transitioning out of elite sport would have on me. I'm an extrovert but still really struggled." Getty Images Athletes who have spoken out England and Tottenham footballer Danny Rose “It’s no secret that I’ve been through a testing time at Tottenham. It led to me seeing a psychologist and I was diagnosed with depression, which nobody knows about. I had to get away from Tottenham.



"It was really hard, and being referred to a doctor and psychologist helped me massively to cope." Getty Athletes who have spoken out Ex-England Women’s rugby union captain Catherine Spencer "I was at the top of my game - England captain, first choice, 63 caps, I knew what I was and what I was doing. I felt like I was at the top of my mountain.



"Then suddenly it feels as if you're not needed on the top of that mountain and you plummet to the bottom. You don't know where you're going or how to look up. Your whole being is almost taken away from you.” AFP/Getty Images Athletes who have spoken out Somerset and former England cricketer Marcus Trescothick “No one knew. I guess I never told anyone about the pain I was going through because I didn’t understand it myself. It made no sense to me that I felt so bad. How could I explain something I couldn’t understand?” Getty Images Athletes who have spoken out Paralympian Danielle Brown "When you are training your whole life revolves around winning medals. For that structure then to be taken away from me was devastating.



"Having the plan that has come crashing to a halt, you're devastated. You have no idea what you are or who you are, want you want to do, where you want to go." Getty Images Athletes who have spoken out Former Olympian Michael Phelps “You’re at the highest level of sport you can possibly get. Then you’ll want to do something new, something crazy. That high to low can put you in a dark spot.” Getty Images Athletes who have spoken out Former Olympian Victoria Pendleton "It’s a very strange feeling. Being numb. Just. Physically. Numb.



"There were mornings I woke up and I thought: ‘I don’t want to see the end of the day.’ I was a zombie. Emotionless. I was so low. So helpless." Getty Images Athletes who have spoken out Ex-England rugby player Jonny Wilkinson “When you finish a career in professional sport, it can feel like nothing will ever make you as happy as the career you had. And as that happens you can start to feel alone, disengaged, unable to be happy any more.



"Hang in there. Keep looking for help...you're definitely not alone. Talk about it, people want to hear because everyone wants to share deep down. Talk about it, but also understand that also that this is potentially the beginning of something that will change lives forever." Getty Images

“The other issue is that players are trying to replace the buzz of football. They’re not in football anymore, maybe, they’re trying to chase that buzz of football and gambling seems to give them that buzz. That leads to the slippery slope of getting addicted.”

As part of The Sporting Mind investigation, The Independent has learned of the damage inflicted upon the lives of numerous current and former sportspeople as a result of their gambling addictions.

In one incident, a former professional footballer, who was 22 at the time, gambled away £11,000 after missing a penalty in an FA Cup qualifier. According to a source with inside knowledge of the case, “the theme that was coming out of this was that it was virtual money, it wasn’t money in his hand, it was on the screen. So when he lost it, it didn’t feel like he’d lost the money.

“It only dawned on him when the texts and emails started coming through.”

In another case, one Premier League footballer, who recently retired and was earning in excess of £24,000 a week, has been forced into living on friends’ sofas as a result of his gambling addiction.

The Independent has also been alerted to betting firms offering footballers free credit, via their agents, to endorse their services.

“I remember at my old agency being approached by a private betting firm,” one agent told The Independent. “The credit they would offer just to get these guys through the doors, I’m talking tens and tens of thousands, and the first 10 grand was free. That sort of stuff. I’d never pass on that message as it’s obscene. Toxic. Very irresponsible.”

Away from the world of football, The Independent understands one Warrington Wolves player, who had developed a particularly severe addiction, was accidentally transferred £8,000 by the Rugby Football League, having previously applied for a hardship fund. After initially denying he had received the money, the player later admitted to spending all of the money in one weekend at a local casino.

In figures shown exclusively to The Independent, cricket’s gambling issues have also been laid bare.

In the most recent nationwide PCA gambling survey, in which 384 players and 32 coaches were spoken to, it was revealed that:

76% of players feel gambling is a problem in cricket

78% of players felt that either they personally, or somebody close to them, gambles more than they should

51% of players believe there is a gambling culture at their club

15% of players admit to gambling every day

22% of players admit to gambling weekly

42% of players admit to gambling monthly

“Gambling is a challenge – and it’s a big challenge,” said Ian Thomas, director of development and welfare at the PCA. “It’s a big challenge in all sports, but one thing that has been evident to me is that players gambling issues have probably started when they were 16. They’ve started probably younger than people think. It’s very accessible for a young school lad to get into gambling.”

Caroline Guthrie, a senior personal development manager at the RPA, said the issue was being similarly addressed within rugby union.

“It has to be on our radar,” she told The Independent. “The demographic we’re dealing with are young men, they have some spare time on their hands, they’d be earning more than they would at university or the general salary.

“It has to be and is something we’re very aware of because previously if you go out and get drunk or take drugs you get tested for, there’s some visibility to it. Gambling, you can do it very quietly and under the radar.”

According to research by EPIC, an independent gambling harm-minimisation consultancy, sportspeople are “five times more likely” to develop a gambling problem than the general population.