Nash eventually called the charity GamCare’s National Gambling Helpline, external, and was put in touch with Breakeven, external, a Sussex-based NHS organisation.
“Tournaments like the World Cup are brilliant,” said Mark Weiss, from GamCare.
“But for some people the intensity and opportunities to bet can make gambling harder to manage.
“Following the Men’s World Cup in 2022, the National Gambling Helpline saw an 11% increase in contacts.
“This year’s World Cup is the biggest in history, with 104 matches across June and July, often several games a day.”
A Betting and Gaming Council spokesperson said: “The evidence simply doesn’t show that licensed gambling advertising causes problem gambling.
What it does show is that illegal operators now account for almost half of all gambling advertising and are on course to overtake the regulated sector within two years.
“At the same time, black market betting is forecast to hit more than £33bn by 2028, with almost one in five pounds staked online going to illegal operators.
“The priority should be keeping customers in the regulated market, where there are mandatory age checks, safer gambling tools, deposit limits, online monitoring of play, self-exclusion schemes and funding for research, prevention and treatment.
“The more customers who move to the illegal market, the greater the risk of harm, because there are no protections. That’s why regulation must be evidence-led.”