BURNLEY FC have told of how they teach young footballers to resist the pitfalls of wealth after Blackburn Rovers' David Bentley confessed to being a one-time gambling addict.

Rovers' England midfielder said live on TV how gambling had taken over his life, and that he first visited a betting shop at 14.

Before overcoming his addiction, Bentley said he would often put on up to 100 bets a day.

Clarets head of youth development Vince Overson said: "The education programme the youngsters go through has a Healthy Lifestyle module and that outlines the pitfalls of gambling and drinking.

"We try to enforce the fact that the one thing they have to focus on is the football and nothing else can distract them from that.

"The lads are coming away from families and so we try to put them into a family environment in digs, rather than being in a dormitory like at some academies, because with the latter comes boredom.

"We believe the best way is to get them away from that and put them somewhere with family values.

"Obviously we have regular discussions with the landladies to check on the boys' welfare and that also keeps a close lid on things.

"Thankfully, gambling and drinking problems are not things we have experienced with the young lads.

"I think they realise they have a chance in a million and they have to work hard to take it."

Former Burnley striker Andy Lochhead said: "Gambling was never a problem during my career in the 1960s.

"Back then, we'd perhaps play cards on the coach to an away game, betting for sixpence.

"That would be the extent of it."