NOTW:
Wayne Rooney lost so much money text betting that a top bookmakers had to close his account.
Rooney's former bookie today blows the lid on the Manchester United hero's gambling problems and says the star was hooked on text bets TWO YEARS ago. The striker, then just 18, ran up debts of £50,000.
But then, like all gamblers, he started to lose and his account rapidly plunged into the red with debts in the region of £30,000 to £50,000.
Wayne Rooney's gambling problems began 18 months ago when he sat at home and used his mobile phone to place text bets on televised horse racing.
He was just 18 and the buzz increased as he enjoyed an early winning streak, reaching a £30,000 profit as he successfully gambled on a string of winners.
Bet Direct's former PR consultant Matthew Stubbs last night revealed:
"We refused to take further bets from him."
"We are not all ruthless pigs in the gambling industry, you know.
"An arm was put around Wayne's shoulder and he was told we were not going to take any more bets from him.
"Everyone could see the emergence of one of England's great footballing stars. At any age gambling needs to be undertaken with a sense of responsibility and a sense of the value of money. The view was taken and I made the point strongly that we did not want to encourage him.
"The company agreed that to have such a young and high-profile gambler on our books who was losing a lot of money was not good.
"If anything came out about the scale of his gambling it could be damaging to the reputation of the company.
"So we closed the account down. We refused to take bets from him.
"It's fair to say we were worried he was getting out of control."