Agbonlahor admits he had poker addiction and says ‘I was no good with money’

Gabby Agbonlahor says he became addicted to poker because he was always bored after training.

The Aston Villa icon, who played 391 times for the club, claims plenty of his team-mates struggled with boredom, particularly if they were single and didn't have any kids. Responding to news of Newcastle star Sandro Tonali's betting offences, Agbonlahor insisted it was easy for footballers to get hooked on betting, and after that it's a slippery slope.

"I was on good money at Aston Villa at the time. It was more about being single with no kids and living with a couple of kids," the 37-year-old said on talkSPORT. "Coming back from training, we used to finish quite early at around 12:30pm – 12:45pm.

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"You'll be bored, you'll get your laptop and play your poker online," he added. "Then you may go to the casinos in the evening and before you know it you are playing with the big dogs.

"It becomes an addiction, it happened to a lot of players at the club. For me it was never [about] betting on football. It was more the poker."

What punishment should Sandro Tonali receive? Let us know in the comments section below.

Tonali, who was Newcastle's marquee summer signing, joining for £53million from AC Milan, is facing a lengthy ban after admitting to placing numerous bets on football, including some on his own team. Juventus midfielder Nicolo Fagioli, who was named in the same probe, received a seven-month ban from football earlier this week.

Unlike Tonali, Fagioli reported himself to the authorities, though Tonali is expected to be handed a slightly lesser sentence after his agent revealed he has a gambling addition. Under Italian regulations athletes are forbidden from betting on the sports in which they participate, and there are severe ramifications for betting on matches involving yourself or your team.

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Tonali told investigators that he only placed bets on AC Milan to win, and only on games he wasn't playing in. In spite of the ongoing investigation, the Italian will be available for selection this weekend for Newcastle's clash with Crystal Palace.

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