I gambled my paper round wage. Since then I’ve lost £250,000

When Colin Brown was 15, he poured 50p into a slot machine and won £4.80. Feeling so good, he returned to the arcade with the salary he had earned from the newspaper and spent a lot.

This was the beginning of a gambling addiction that is estimated to have cost the 42-year-old from Fife more than £250,000.

He could lose thousands of dollars in minutes on online gambling sites, and once lost £3,500 on a single spin of roulette.

The distillery worker shared his story as the UK government agreed to require bookmakers and casinos to fund NHS services that deal with problem gambling through a statutory levy.

Mr Colin told BBC Scotland News that he intended to spend his entire paycheck within hours of it being deposited into his account.

He took out dozens of loans and credit cards and stole from his mother’s wallet. He lost his home, his partner, and wanted to commit suicide every day.

“My brain was wired to gamble from an early age,” he says.

“I thought it was easy because I won at such a young age, and I was also excited.

“My brain released dopamine early on, and then I was constantly chasing that same feeling.”

By the age of 18, he was a member of Gamblers Anonymous, but was gambling on his cell phone during his breaks.

Then, at the age of 21, when he won £12,000, he increased his bets from £20 to £500 each.

“You don’t get the same dopamine release with small bets. Your brain craves the chemicals you get with big bets,” he says.

“Like any addiction, you crave the excitement it brings. Gambling, I didn’t have that feeling.”

He tried to quit gambling hundreds of times and was even banned from all betting shops in Fife and online.

But the desire became so strong that he began driving to nearby cities to bet and asking friends to place bets online.

His mother and sister have paid off dozens of loans and debts over the years.

“I didn’t buy anything myself and the fridge was empty because I wanted to spend the money gambling,” he said.

He often went to his mother’s house to eat.

“They believed in me and that made it really hard because I was always letting them down,” he said.

And 15 months ago, after losing £1,500 in 3 minutes online, I decided to start teaching myself about dopamine and how the brain works.

He listened to podcasts about people who have turned their lives around and experts about the brain and happiness, which gave him a different perspective.

Now, he has founded his own business, Gambling Leap, to help other gamblers break free from addiction.

Colin says traditional therapy-based group meetings follow a 50-year-old model, and there are alternatives that may be more effective for some gamblers.

He believes that ways to tackle addiction should include educating people about how chemicals and hormones in the brain influence decision-making.

He also believes that having role models is key to success.

Earlier this week, the Labor government approved the previous government’s plans to tackle problem gambling.

There is a £2 cap on the amount you can bet on online slot machines. new statutory levy Around £100m a year of proceeds will be used to fund research, prevention and treatment of gambling harm.

“The government needed to do this to take gambling more seriously. I think they knew how bad the situation was across the country,” Colin said.

For too long, he said, gambling companies have allowed people to be fired too easily.

“Gambling destroyed my life, my relationships, my trust with people, but you can rebuild it. That’s the message I try to get across to people,” he said.

“Life will be better if you overcome your addiction.”

Mark Weiss, deputy chief executive of gambling support charity Gumcare, welcomed the government’s announcement.

“With a record 55,000 people calling the National Gambling Helpline last year alone, now is the right time to provide important clarity about the future system,” he said.

He added: “While we welcome the renewed focus on treatment, we also recognize the importance of protecting vulnerable people, especially children, before harm occurs.”

Gambling and Gambling Council chief executive Grainne Hurst said the gambling industry body supported plans to reform betting limits and introduce compulsory levies.

But she added: “Ministers have confirmed that while the vast majority of the 22.5 million people who enjoy betting each month at lotteries, bookmakers, casinos, bingo halls and online do so safely, the latest NHS The UK Health Survey estimates that just 0.4% of the adult population are problem gamblers.

“The tone of this announcement suggests that the government is simply dancing to the tune of anti-gambling opponents and is at risk of losing perspective on these facts, but what good is that? I can’t even stand.”