TWO-time Hawthorn premiership player Brent Guerra has revealed a crippling gambling addiction cost him $400,000 in four years.

Guerra finished his ­career in 2013 in the hold of an addiction which he kept from his wife, ­Rachel, his parents and Hawks teammates.

He warned of a major gambling problem among elite footballers and is set to join a revamped AFL ­responsible gambling program to be headed by ­reformed punter David Schwarz.

Guerra, who said he had not had a bet since January, spoke of his despair as gambling took over his life.

“I could probably name every TAB from here in ­Richmond to Cheltenham,” Guerra, 33, said.

“That’s the sad thing. If I had a spare half an hour to kill, that’s where I would kill it, in a TAB or a pub or even on my phone in the car waiting.”

PUNTING NIGHTMARE: HOW GUERRA LOST IT ALL

If not at the TAB, he would punt all day and into the early hours of the morning in front of his TV.

“I’d watch the races, betting on South African races, European races, Swedish trots, Perth races normally finish about midnight, Mandurah greyhounds ... ,’’ he said.

Guerra’s problems began when he arrived at Hawthorn in 2006 and was drawn into a betting culture.

“It became a thing where it was once a month, once a fortnight, to once a week to, in the end, I was punting every day,’’ he said.

“It was mainly horses, the greyhounds, the trots. It got to a point where I would drop three or four thousand on a weekend.’’

At its worst, he owed his family money and at least half a dozen online bookmakers $5000 to $10,000 each.

Guerra’s betting mode was to watch the market movers and swoop in the last 30 seconds on horses that were crunched.

“I thought I had a little system going, but I was kidding myself,” he said. “You’d get two big wins in a row and not get a collect for the next 10 races.”

But the winners kept seducing him. One time, in 2012, he won $25,000 on two races, on two market movers.

One paid $13 and the other $14. He put $1000 on each to win. That was on a Saturday afternoon. By Sunday night, he had lost it all.

“You get greedier and greedier and greedier,” he said.

He never punted on football, but it seemed footy got in the way of punting. After footy training sessions, he often couldn’t wait to get home.

“I’d rush home from ­training to put on Sky Racing channel, and I mean rush, and I’d just sit there to get that thrill,’’ Guerra said.

On game day, he would be distracted. He recalled Hawks coach Alastair Clarkson talking at three-quarter time in one game while he was scanning the scoreboard for the ­result of a Flemington race.

“A couple of the guys at the club were betting and you’d look up and then look at each other and either wink or nod your head,’’ he said.

Other times Guerra would be warming up and pretend he needed something from his bag and check his phone for ­results. “You’re stuffing your own life gambling,” he said.