About this episode

Tony O'Reilly shares his harrowing journey through addiction and recovery after gambling €10 million.

​Topics covered: insecurities, psychology of addiction, secrecy, manipulation, shame, suicide ideation, finding meaning. My first guest of this brand new season of Ready to be Real is someone I’ve wanted to sit down with since the podcast launched back in 2019. Tony O’Reilly is the co-author of the bestselling book  Tony 10: The Astonishing Story of the Postman Who Gambled €10,000,000…and Lost It All  ​ - the extraordinary true story of how a one pound bet in his early twenties spiralled into a devastating online gambling addiction that completely consumed his life. Over time, Tony gambled more than €10 million and stole €1.75 million from An Post while working as a branch manage​r and ultimately losing almost everything: his job, his marriage, his peace of mind and very nearly, his life. But behind the sensational headlines is a​ real story. In this conversation, Tony speaks with extraordinary honesty about the psychology of addiction - the secrecy of online gambling, the lies, ​the manipulation, ​the fear and ​the chaos happening quietly behind closed doors ​- and the moments that still haunt him today. We also discuss…

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