Assembly Speaker – 12 January
Gab Stone (entrepreneur, ex sports agent)
Our assembly featured a powerful talk by Gab Stone, a lived-experience speaker and former high-profile gambling addict. Gab shared his personal journey, from being a high-achieving student and successful sports agent to experiencing severe gambling addiction that led to bankruptcy, prison, and serious mental health struggles.
Through his honest and engaging talk, Gab explained how his addiction began at a young age, escalated through online gambling, and was hidden behind outward success. He spoke openly about the impact on his family, career, and wellbeing, highlighting how easily gambling can become dangerous, especially when access is constant and behaviour goes unnoticed.
Stone was a successful agent managing athletes like Greg Rutherford, Louis Smith, and Nicola Adams. He became so desperate and so heavily in debt that he syphoned off money from sponsorship and appearance fees to fuel his very severe gambling addiction. In 2017, he was sentenced to 18 months in prison for fraud by abuse of position. He was ordered to pay back the stolen funds. Gabe used this time to really reflect on what he wanted going forward and how to make sure he never fell back into gambling again.
Gab also focused on recovery, explaining that he is now over ten years gambling-free. He emphasised the importance of self-awareness, asking for help, and recognising warning signs in ourselves and others. He discussed how modern pressures, including online gaming and social media, can increase risks for young people. He answered a series of questions towards the end from students, one of which was asking about his views of gambling companies and how blatantly and aggressively they target vulnerable people who are obviously addicted to gambling. He outlined that, over the past few years, laws have been passed to make it more difficult for these companies and to protect the public from aggressive marketing. He believes that even more measures need to be taken by these companies going forward to fully ensure others struggling are not encouraged by them like he was.
Following his release, Stone has been in recovery for nearly 10 years. He now works to help others with gambling addiction, describing his journey on podcasts and social media. The assembly ended with a strong message of hope. Gab reminded students that mistakes do not define the future and that support is always available. His talk was a thought-provoking and impactful reminder of the importance of making informed choices and looking out for one another.
