A UK man has changed his name to Mick Jagger as he tries to distance himself from his past struggles with gambling addiction. The 62-year-old was homeless for decades and estranged from his family after falling on hard times. He says he lost hundreds of thousands of pounds and even contemplated suicide at certain stages.
Jagger explained that while he had jobs in the past, he often spent more time in retail sportsbooks than doing his work and would lose his rent money placing bets. His struggles date back to when he was 12 years old, when he wagered on a horse race for the first time.
Jagger eventually built a relationship with a homeless charity called Emmaus and is now living at the organization’s base in Norfolk having given up gambling 18 months ago. He now works as a gardener and is able to save up his money.
Jagger said that he still gets an urge to gamble each day
Despite his success over the past 18 months, Jagger said that he still gets an urge to gamble every day and even dreams about it. He noted that advertising from operators is everywhere in the modern age, saying that soccer is “run by gambling advertising now.”