Thomas Melchior placed his first soccer bet in 2005. He was addicted to gambling for 13 years, and imprisoned for the crimes he committed in his addiction. Now, he stands in front of stadiums on gamedays around Europe to raise awareness for the problem that is gambling in football – and he’s using some controversial tactics.

HELPFUL LINKS FOR THIS EPISODE:

Thomas Melchior on Instagram

Fox Sports, "From prison to social media star: How one man is taking on sports betting at German soccer games" (September 2025)

Deutsche Welle, "Gambling in German Football: Time to Quit?"

The Guardian, "I lost 10 years of my life’: how UK betting giant’s unlawful marketing kept suicidal gambler hooked"

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Artwork for The Assistant Professor of Football is by Saige Lind

Instrumental music for this podcast, including the introduction track, is by the artist Ketsa and used under a Creative Commons license through Free Music Archive: https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa/

"Lost a Bet:" Soccer, Gambling, Addiction - and the Power of Recovery

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