Former Wexford player Anthony Masterson opens up about past problems with gambling

A former Wexford footballer player, Anthony Masterson, has opened up about his past struggles with gambling in a bid to help others…

Anthony Masterson, from Castletown in County Wexford, was the most recent guest on the new initiative, “Get Moving with Baz.”

The initiative sees former professional boxer from Gorey, Niall “Boom Boom Bas” Kennedy, interview guests while doing a 5km run as they openly and candidly share their past struggles with aspects in life such as mental health, gambling, and depression, amongst others.

On Episode 2 of “Get Moving with Baz” was the former Wexford goalkeeper – who was one of the first names on the Wexford Senior Football team for over a decade, spanning from 2005 when he made his debut until 2016 when he was forced to retire due to injury.

Firstly, Masterson spoke about the importance of fitness in every day life. Now eight years retired from the Wexford football playing scene, the Wexford man still views fitness as a vital part of his life.

“It highlights the importance of activity for a start. The important side of things is that exercise can benefit the mind and the body. But sometimes, it’s nice to throw on the runners, shorts, or tracksuit. Just get out. There’s beautiful runs, beautiful roads, and beautiful scenery around us. There’s loads of different places to get out and about for a walk and stay active. It’s important being a role-model for your children. If my son and daughter see me being active, there’s a better chance that they’ll become active. There’s a saying when it comes to coaching: ‘when you’re dealing with kids, you are your environment’. The more good habits you can show your children, there’s the hope that they’ll stay active too,” he said.

Masterson had the world at his feet when he realised his problems. He was a GAA player who progressed from the Wexford minor football team, the Wexford u-21 team, and then drafted into the Wexford Senior Football team. But despite the fact that he was a GAA player, this did not mean he wouldn’t suffer problems in his day to day life:

“We had a mutual friend, our good friend Colm who committed suicide. We were only in our teens and early twenties at the time. Little did we know at the time, we all had our struggles going on. The thing about struggles is that we try to be secretive and keep it to ourselves. My issue was gambling. I’ll never forget it; I gave up on 11 September 2007. I remember the date because that’s the last time I ever had a bet. I got to the end of my phone – I was on the letter Z. I thought at that time, I thought me getting help was getting money. I went to my parents – there was probably a bit of shame. I had issues over the previous two years, but things had spiralled out of hand. There was no coincidence that in 2007, I was 11 and a half stone and sub goalkeeper – then when I was playing, a year later against Tyrone, I was 14 and a half stone. 12 months before that, I was struggling with chronic gambling issues. But I got help, my parents stood by me.”

Anthony Masterson’s gambling started when he was young. It is typical that many start with casinos or small bets in the bookies at a young age, and it was the same for Masterson.

“I would have started very young in Courtown on the slot machines. I would have had small bets on accumulators. It was easy enough to bet. I found a bookies, casinos, and things spiralled and got out of control. I was a Wexford minor or u-21 at the time, but the only thing on my mind at the time was a bet.”

For Anthony, there are some things that he utilised and continues to utilise to make sure that his issues with gambling remain a distant past:

“I was amazed by how supportive they were. My parents didn’t feel any different. Without them, I wouldn’t have got the support. My both parents drove me down to Aiséirí in Wexford. Without my parents, I wouldn’t have had a hope. The horrible thing about gambling, it’s always there niggling away in the background. But whether it’s exercise, friendships, or speaking with people, it helps to keep it at bay,” he said.

For both Masterson and interviewer Niall Kennedy, the aim of the new initiative is simply to help others: whether it’s one person, 10 people, or 100 people, the aim is just to get the message out there that we, as humans, struggle – but that there is never a need to struggle alone with your problems.

“I know there’s so many people in my area, that are struggling with gambling problems or they are going to. I want to try do something that can help them. If one, two, or three people realise that they are getting a bit over the top – struggling to pay debts, can’t pay car insurance, struggling to put diesel in the car, or can’t go out with my friends, then I know there’s a small problem. Not everyone needs help straight away, but talking to someone and understanding the situation is what I’m trying to get across.”

“When you contacted me about this, I was probably a little bit apprehensive. Talking to your followers wouldn’t be comfortable, but I did it because I know for a fact that it will help someone. Someone will resonate with it. I wouldn’t have finished up my gambling if someone didn’t help me,” he said.

Both Niall Kennedy and Anthony Masterson agreed that one of the most important things when you’re struggling is simply “putting your hand out and asking for help.”

The full interview from “Get Moving with Baz” can be watched below: