HK Varberg is a newcomer to the Handball League. In parallel with the team's journey upwards in the series system, goalkeeper Viktor Bergström has traveled on his own, dark road.

For several years he had wasted large sums of money on betting and online casinos, but a year ago he hit the bottom. One evening he wasted $ 160,000.

- It went fast that day in September and then it went too fast. Once that happened, I sat down and pondered. I called the girl and both just cried, says Viktor.

He also testifies to how gambling addiction took over life. That every Saturday he sneaked up to sneak up on his girlfriend before waking up and then falling asleep.

- In the beginning I set a bell, but in the end I didn't have to set any alarms. I had an alarm clock in my head. I knew it was time.

An important factor in the turnaround was the in-laws who eventually set an ultimatum.

- They said that if I keep playing, they couldn't let me be with my girl. They didn't want her future to be sabotaged, either. It was very gray at that time.

At the same time, he is glad that an ultimatum was issued.

- Then I woke up and took hold of things.

Today, Viktor Bergström is critical of the gaming companies' aggressive marketing methods.

- What they (the gaming companies) do to make money on us people is totally sick. They saw how I was playing constantly and should have given a warning signal. Instead, they offered me free trips and a lot of stuff to keep me going, says Viktor and continues:

- Zlatan has been a great role model, but now I don't like him. He doesn't have to make the money he does. I don't think he even knows what he does sometimes. How it can hurt or how the young people who look up to him think that "then I might as well play". We have many Swedish athletes and actresses who advertise gaming companies, but you don't see anyone doing it at Systembolaget. It's not that you get a liter of liquor when you are 20 years old and you have to buy your first beer. That is not the case in Sweden.

SVT Sport has sought representatives from Zlatan Ibrahimovic and the gaming company in which he is a partner .

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