X Factor Winner James Arthur admits Gambling Addiction Spiralled During Lockdown

UK songwriter and musician James Arthur has admitted to spending upwards of £370 every few hours on gambling apps whilst lockdown commenced last year. The award-winning musician felt he’d ‘got carried away’ after the isolation of lockdown and social distancing.

Lockdown Addictions

Arthur revealed at the beginning of lockdown he became addicted to playing online poker on the PokerStars app and would enter $500 tournaments every so many hours to relieve the boredom.He said, “I deleted the app for a little while as I sensed I was getting a bit carried away.”As reported by the Sun newspaper, Arthur admitted, “I was a bit of a wreck, I started smoking weed heavily again.”“I started eating irresponsibly as I thought no one is going to see me for ages.”The pop star is no stranger to addiction, he openly admits his depression and anxiety had opened up to addictions, and gambling on the PokerStars app had started to spiral.The admission of his gambling addiction to poker comes after he previously admitted losing a huge amount of money gambling on football games. He admitted losing £300,000 and said he had not realised how placing a few bets on football could end up causing financial instability.

Not a Gambling Addict

James Arthur insists he is not addicted to gambling however, he got into trouble last year after placing bets on various football matches and had a ‘few massive wins’. Eventually, the app operators were able to get Arthur banned from their apps. James Arthur admits it was the best outcome as he was no longer able to place such large bets on the outcome of a football game.James Arthur rose to fame began back in 2012 after the singer, songwriter won the series nine X Factor final. His first single released was ‘Impossible’, a Shontelle cover that debut in the number one spot in the charts.Since being catapulted into instant fame and fortune Arthur has faced many struggles regarding his mental health admitting he struggles with anxiety and depression which resulted in many addictions.

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