Hold or Fold

For the final episode of the series, Ben and Steve are laying it all out. Every question, every truth, every angle left unexplored. This is a full-length “Cards on the Table” special, created because there were simply too many listener questions to squeeze into the series… and far too many worth answering. In this unfiltered, deeply personal finale, the hosts dig into the topics listeners most wan...

In this powerful must-listen episode of Hold or Fold, Steve sits down with Naman, whose extraordinary journey lays bare the complex intersections of gambling harm, culture, faith, and the Criminal Justice System. Naman opens up about how his religion shaped both his addiction and his recovery, a belief system that ultimately helped save his life. He reflects on how cultural expectations kept him s...

In this episode, Ben stepped back inside the prison walls to meet with a group of lads at HMP Berwyn. There he shared his own story of gambling and prison, took questions from the group and facilitated a powerful and meaningful conversation around addiction & recovery  After the session he spoke with Rob & Rebecca from the fantastic charity ARA: Recovery for all, to find out more abou...

Ben Howard first made an appearance on Hold or Fold when it was exclusive to National Prison Radio. At that point he was in limbo, waiting to see if his crimes would lead him to prison or not. He waited 4 years for his case to land, served his sentence, and came out determined to turn hard lessons into real change. In this episode he talks about how gambling took over his life, the unlikely friend...

In this raw and powerful episode of Hold or Fold, Nottingham rapper and poet Jah Digga opens up about his battle with gambling addiction, and the creative lifeline that saved him. Behind the viral hit “Addictions”, there’s a deeply personal story; nights spent haunted by visions of cards and chips, insomnia, and the relentless “chase” that drove him to near rock bottom. Raised in a rough neighbour...

In this powerful episode, we sit down with Mark Murray, co-founder of the mental health and addiction charity Whysup, to unpack a life that could’ve gone very differently.  As a teenager, Mark was on the books at Manchester City, a promising football career ahead but everything shifted when he became a father at just 16. To cope with the pressure, Mark turned to gambling. What began as a way...

On this episode, Steve sits down for an open and honest chat with Martin. Martin tells us how his childhood led him to gambling and what started as fruit machines by the sea soon became spending a full day, on one machine, in a bookmaker Martin also shares how his prison experience changed him, made him better understand himself and taught him to make the best of every situation through embracing...

This episode explores the links between gambling harm in Black communities and the Criminal Justice System. Ben is joined by Ryan Taylor-Hines & Kiki Marriott from BetKnowMore to unpack how culture, targeted industry practices and social inequality shape gambling risk - And what community-led responses like “Breaking the Cycle” actually do on the ground to help address the problem and raise aw...

It's another episode of 'Hold or Fold: Worldwide' - Where Ben speaks to people in other countries to find out how their experience of gambling and prison was different, or similar, to his own What starts as a seemingly innocuous £1 bet spirals into a life-shattering obsession. In this riveting episode, we speak with Tony O’Reilly - Once a trusted post office manager, later a headline-making gamble...

We’re back with Series 5 of Hold or Fold - The podcast that explores gambling harm through the lens of the Criminal Justice System. In this episode, we're joined by Clarke Carlisle, former Premier League footballer, ex-PFA Chair, and mental health advocate. This is a raw and moving discussion about Clarke's journey through football, gambling, depression and how he rebuilt his life after hitting ro...

In the final episode of the series, Ben & Steve hear from Neil. Neil had a transformative experience in prison where he took time to work out what he wanted from life – He has since gone back in to prisons helping others as a liaison worker for Gambler’s Anonymous and now works for Breakeven who we featured on the previous episode  Neil has a great way with words and quite a different per...

It’s another ‘Spotlight On’ episode where we celebrate the work of an organisation or charity within the gambling harm space that can offer you help, support and guidance. This time, we’re speaking to the fabulous Ian Semel, CEO and founder of the fantastic ‘ Breakeven ’ - A charity for whom “Lived experience plays a major part in everything they do…” In 2024, ‘Breakeven’ supported more than 15000...

The number of 11-17 year olds showing signs of problem gambling has doubled over the past year. As technology improves, young people are exposed to gambling a lot more frequently through social media, sporting events and online activity.  On this episode, Ben & Steve are joined by Craig & Verity from Gamcare to discuss the scale of the issue, why the figures are increasing and what ca...

It’s another follow along episode as we serve up another practical session to aid you in your recovery. In the previous series we looked at mindfulness to help ease anxiety and in this episode we are focussing on a different method, Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) or, Tapping  Potential benefits of tapping include.. Minimising cravings Helping withdrawal symptoms Reducing the risk of relaps...

In a desperate attempt to continue gambling, Bryan walked into a high street bank and gave the clerk seconds to hand over cash. He threatened to blow up the premises with the explosives in his rucksack, if his demands were not met… Bryan had no such explosives and almost instantly walked out of the bank to call the police and tell them what he had done. Unsurprisingly, Bryan was arrested and sente...

“For every 1 person that gambles, there are 6 to 10 people within their network who are directly impacted by that gambling harm” On this episode of Hold or Fold we are looking at ‘Affected Others’ - Those who are affected by the gambling of people in their lives. We are joined by Rebecca, Gamcare’s ‘Lived Experience Manager for Affected Others’ - Who talks about the ripple effect of a person’s gam...

Ben has been traveling the world again (From the comfort of our virtual studio!) and welcomes Ed to the show. Ed was born in the UK but in an attempt to escape his gambling habit, left for the warmer climes of Australia where everybody “Wants to keep fit and live healthy lifestyles” - What he found though was an even more challenging environment for someone trying to curb their addiction. Pubs fil...

An important step on anyone’s road to recovery is stopping access to the source of your addiction. Thankfully, GAMSTOP has made this a much easier process as they will do the leg work for you. On this episode, Ben & Steve are joined by Katie from GAMSTOP who tells us all about the service, how to use it and the far reaching benefits. Ben & Steve share their own experience with self exclusi...

While Men are statistically more likely to gamble and suffer from gambling harm, the gender gap seems to be narrowing but does this mean more women are gambling or more women are now coming forward for support?   To ask this question and find out more about the experience of women who have gambled, Ben & Steve welcome Sian and Lisa to Hold or Fold. Sian spent some time in HMP Styal after...

Hold or Fold returns for a brand new series in style with an incredible conversation with Comedian, Broadcaster and Writer, John Robins John has had a fantastic career which has seen him scoop the Edinburgh Comedy Award and a Gold ARIA (The Audio & Radio Industry Awards), front several successful Podcasts/Radio shows and he can even boast the highest ever score on Taskmaster! But more recently...

In the series finale we hear Tracy’s incredible story. Tracy suffered breakdowns and strokes as a result of her gambling but doesn’t have any regrets as she is now at peace and most importantly….Happy! Tracy now goes into prisons to run GA groups and provide prisoners with a safe space to talk about their addiction. She gets just as much out of it as those attending the sessions Ben & Steve also p...

One in 10 people in Britain now hold cryptocurrency but what is it? How does it work? and could it be linked to gambling? Hold or Fold are investigating another gambling grey area as Steve & Ben explore their thoughts around crypto and welcome Tony & Stewart on to the show. Tony has had his own battles with addiction and now works as senior specialist therapist at Castle Craig Hospital in Scotland...

In this episode we’re looking at betting shops and the role they play in the wider gambling culture. Ben & Steve let us know if betting shops played a part within their own journeys and we hear from two people who were impacted by betting shops for very different reasons… David lost a large amount in a betting shop and fell into a cycle of robbing them, to claim ‘revenge’ - He ended up serving a 1...

Hold or Fold's very own Steve founded ' Reframe Coaching ' alongside his wife in 2020. They had spotted a need for gambling support after treatment and now offer bespoke coaching services to those with direct experience of gambling harm as well as affected others, using the power of lived experience This episode focuses on the journey of Reframe , how it came to be, the services offered and how yo...

On this episode of Hold or Fold: Worldwide, Ben has a chat with Patrick Chester from the USA  Ben quickly realises that he and Patrick have many similarities in their stories. From knee injuries ending their sporting careers and leading to gambling to their partners suspecting infidelity due to their secretive behaviour.  What follows is a fascinating conversation between two people, who live thou...