A man has claimed he was allowed to spend £100,000 at a College Town branch of the Coral bookmakers before staff intervened to stop him.

John, 40, from College Town, says he visited the bookmakers up to three times a day – and had even told staff he’d blocked himself from gambling online.

But despite the warning signs – and rules that say shops must intervene if they think a gambler is at risk – he says he was allowed to keep betting.

John told the News: “I’ve been gambling for about 20 years, battling sort of an addiction. I don’t feel I have to wake up every morning and spend my money. But when I do gamble, I gamble heavily.

“I moved into the area in December 2022. Over the last year, I have turned over £100,000 in gambling in Coral. Out of £100,000 I think I’ve lost a third of that at least.”

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Industry regulator the Gambling Commission says betting shops should try to ‘minimise the risk’ of harm to customers. This includes by identifying which customers might be at risk of harm from gambling and interacting with them.

John says staff occasionally asked him if he was okay to carry on betting. But he also says he was sometimes given advice on how to avoid triggering a block such as by betting small amounts at a time.

It was only once he’d spend £100,000 in a year that John says he was asked whether he could afford to keep gambling and stopped being served.

He said: “I would probably go in there once or twice a day and spend anywhere between £200 and £1,500 a day. They know me in there. They know I work, but they know I’m not wealthy.”

He added: “I’ve got a good job. I’ve had savings, and when it’s escalated I’ve taken out loans – one £20,000 loan and two £25,000 loans. But nobody asked me where the money came from.”

John’s story comes as the government is considering laws that would mean bookmakers have to conduct affordability checks for some customers.

He says his gambling habit is his responsibility, and that he feels he’d have to hit ‘rock bottom’ before seeking help. But he adds that he doesn’t feel Coral has paid ‘due care and attention’ to its customers.

A spokesperson for the Gambling Commission did not comment on John’s case. But they pointed to rules that say ‘operators must step in where they have concerns that a customer’s behaviour may indicate they are experiencing or at risk of experiencing harm associated with their gambling'.

The News has approached Coral and the Public Protection Partnership – which handles gambling licenses in Bracknell Forest – for comment, but has not yet received a response from either.