A SINN Féin assembly member has revealed how a gambling addiction left his children "without necessities" and "ruined many a Christmas".
Philip McGuigan said he became addicted to online poker and over the course of eight years, lost more than £100,000.
Speaking about his addiction for the first time, Mr McGuigan described himself as a "recovering compulsive gambler".
The North Antrim politician wants Northern Ireland's gambling laws changed to protect others from falling victim.
"In a period in my life, I lost huge sums of money, but more than that, it changed me as a person and had a huge impact on my family life," he said.
"There were times, lots of times, when we had no money to buy food to eat, where my children had to go without necessities, where the mortgage wasn't paid and I wasn't able to fuel the car. I ruined many a Christmas and birthday because of my gambling".
Mr McGuigan spoke about his addiction for the first time in an interview with BBC NI's The View last night.
"There's no closing time to online gambling - its 24 hours a day, seven days a week," he said.
"For someone like me, who is a compulsive gambler, the sad reality is the only time I stopped playing is when I lost money.
"I had given up on life [but] thankfully my family and friends hadn't given up on me."
Mr McGuigan said he would like to see a gambling regulator appointed to oversee the industry.
