Sheldon Irwin was 13 years old when he placed his first bet. It came at a nearby barbershop in his Montreal neighborhood, where the barbers let him build up losses at poker without calling those losses in.
Two years into his life of gambling and skipping school, he went to the barbershop and met a sports bookmaker there.
The term, also known as bookie, is used to describe someone who would take sports bets before doing so was legalized…
Irwin has been in recovery for over 17 years and now volunteers his time with Gamblers Anonymous. He said he has watched gambling evolve during his lifetime to include in-game gambling, leading to his own concerns about what people — particularly youth — are faced with.
