Hold or Fold

Can lived experience change the way gambling harm is understood inside prison?

In this episode, Hold or Fold meets Andy, a prisoner with lived experience of gambling harm, and David, the Deputy Governor who supported him in establishing gambling support at HMP Channings Wood. Their story is about much more than a new support service, it’s about trust, collaboration and what can happen when people in very different positions find common ground. Together, they reveal how their work helped people inside, why lived experience matters, and what it would take to see meaningful gambling support become available across the prison estate.

USEFUL LINKS:

Beacon Counselling Trust
Gamfam
Gordon Moody
Shannon Trust
Reframe Coaching
Gambling Harm UK
Gamcare
Gamble Aware
Bet Know More
Breakeven
Gamlearn
Gambler's Anonymous
GAMSTOP
Gamban
Whysup
ARA

Call the National Gambling helpline, for free, on 0808 8020 133

If you would like to get in touch with Hold or Fold and ask us a question, suggest a topic or start a conversation, you can E-mail us at...
📧: Podcasts@prison.radio
💬 DM us: @holdorfoldpod on Instagram & Twitter (X)
✉️ Write to us: Life After Prison, National Prison Radio, HMP Brixton, London SW2 5XF

This episode is hosted by...
Ben Jones & Steve Girling

You can find out more about the work of the 'Prison Radio Association' and 'National Prison Radio' here:
https://prison.radio/
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What can be done to tackle gambling harm across the criminal justice system and what happens when people from across the sector come together to find answers?

Hold or Fold heads to the National Gambling Support Network conference in London, hearing from campaigners, professionals and people with lived experience. Clarke Carlisle discusses data, family and criminal justice, while Jeff shares an extraordinary story of gambling, crime and recovery, including a relapse after around 15 years gamble-free. With honest conversations about shame, desperation and the gaps in support, this episode asks what needs to change and how we can make it happen.

USEFUL LINKS:

Reframe Coaching
Gambling Harm UK
Gamcare
Gamble Aware
Bet Know More
Breakeven
Gamfam
Gamlearn
Gambler's Anonymous
GAMSTOP
Gamban
Whysup
Gordon Moody
ARA

Call the National Gambling helpline, for free, on 0808 8020 133

If you would like to get in touch with Hold or Fold and ask us a question, suggest a topic or start a conversation, you can E-mail us at...
📧: Podcasts@prison.radio
💬 DM us: @holdorfoldpod on Instagram & Twitter (X)
✉️ Write to us: Life After Prison, National Prison Radio, HMP Brixton, London SW2 5XF

This episode is hosted by...
Ben Jones & Steve Girling

You can find out more about the work of the 'Prison Radio Association' and 'National Prison Radio' here:
https://prison.radio/
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The 'British Podcast Awards' PODCAST OF THE YEAR 2026 Returns for a brand new series

What happens when one of football’s most recognisable voices decides there’s a line he won’t cross? In the first episode of the new series, Hold or Fold sits down with legendary football commentator Clive Tyldesley to talk about gambling, advertising, personal values and the responsibility that comes with having a public platform.

Clive opens up about why he walked away from a role at talkSPORT rather than promote gambling on air, and reveals some deeply personal experiences that have shaped his views. It’s a thoughtful and revealing conversation that goes far beyond football.

USEFUL LINKS:

Article on Clive
Gambling with Lives
The Big Step
Reframe Coaching
Gambling Harm UK
Gamcare
Gamble Aware
Bet Know More
Breakeven
Gamfam
Gamlearn
Gambler's Anonymous
GAMSTOP
Gamban
Whysup
Gordon Moody
ARA

Call the National Gambling helpline, for free, on 0808 8020 133

If you would like to get in touch with Hold or Fold and ask us a question, suggest a topic or start a conversation, you can E-mail us at...
📧: Podcasts@prison.radio
💬 DM us: @holdorfoldpod on Instagram & Twitter (X)
✉️ Write to us: Life After Prison, National Prison Radio, HMP Brixton, London SW2 5XF

This episode is hosted by...
Ben Jones & Steve Girling

You can find out more about the work of the 'Prison Radio Association' and 'National Prison Radio' here:
https://prison.radio/
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For the final episode of the series, Ben and Steve are laying it all out. Every question, every truth, every angle left unexplored. This is a full-length “Cards on the Table” special, created because there were simply too many listener questions to squeeze into the series… and far too many worth answering.

In this unfiltered, deeply personal finale, the hosts dig into the topics listeners most wanted to know about:
• How did prison really shape their recovery?
• What became of the money they stole and gambled?
• What does life look like after addiction, crime, and time behind bars?

But this episode isn’t just Q&A, it’s a celebration of the journey so far. Expect moments of emotion and surprise as Ben and Steve share unheard clips that never made previous episodes, spotlight powerful poetry, and reflect on the guests and stories that left the biggest mark on them this series.

Honest, reflective, and packed with never-before-heard content, this finale brings the heart of Hold or Fold into sharp focus: real people, real consequences, and real recovery.

USEFUL LINKS

Reframe Coaching
Gambling Harm UK
Gamcare
Gamble Aware
Bet Know More
Breakeven
Gamfam
Gamlearn
Gambler's Anonymous
GAMSTOP
Gamban
Whysup
Gordon Moody
ARA

TELL US WHAT YOU THINK BY FILLING OUT THIS QUICK SURVEY - THANKS SO MUCH

Call the National Gambling helpline, for free, on 0808 8020 133

If you would like to get in touch with Hold or Fold and ask us a question, suggest a topic or start a conversation, you can E-mail us at...
📧: Podcasts@prison.radio
💬 DM us: @holdorfoldpod on Instagram & Twitter (X)
✉️ Write to us: Life After Prison, National Prison Radio, HMP Brixton, London SW2 5XF

This episode is hosted by...
Ben Jones & Steve Girling

You can find out more about the work of the 'Prison Radio Association' and 'National Prison Radio' here:
https://prison.radio/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this powerful must-listen episode of Hold or Fold, Steve sits down with Naman, whose extraordinary journey lays bare the complex intersections of gambling harm, culture, faith, and the Criminal Justice System.

Naman opens up about how his religion shaped both his addiction and his recovery, a belief system that ultimately helped save his life. He reflects on how cultural expectations kept him silent for far too long, pushing him deeper into gambling as he tried to provide his partner with the love and security he felt his own mother never received

His story takes unexpected turns: being mistaken for the prison doctor, completely misjudging what life in an open prison would be like, and an almost darkly comedic, but ultimately dangerous, incident born from his naivety around drugs behind bars.

For Ben and Steve, who both served prison sentences for gambling-related crimes themselves, Naman’s story feels strikingly familiar, yet it also challenges them, revealing new layers of harm, identity, and resilience they haven’t explored before.

Raw, reflective, and at times astonishing, this episode shines a fresh light on the hidden pathways that lead people from gambling addiction to prison, and the unexpected forces that help them find their way back

USEFUL LINKS:

Gamlearn
Gordon Moody
Reframe Coaching
Gambing Harm UK
Gamcare
Gamble Aware

TELL US WHAT YOU THINK BY FILLING OUT THIS QUICK SURVEY - THANKS SO MUCH

Call the National Gambling helpline, for free, on 0808 8020 133

If you would like to get in touch with Hold or Fold and ask us a question, suggest a topic or start a conversation, you can E-mail us at...
📧: Podcasts@prison.radio
💬 DM us: @holdorfoldpod on Instagram & Twitter (X)
✉️ Write to us: Life After Prison, National Prison Radio, HMP Brixton, London SW2 5XF

This episode is hosted by...
Ben Jones & Steve Girling

You can find out more about the work of the 'Prison Radio Association' and 'National Prison Radio' here:
https://prison.radio/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.