Why was Channel 4's Million Pound Shot game show a hoax?

The Million Pound Shot, aired by Channel 4 on a Sunday night, appeared to let contestants bet their own money on quiz questions for up to £1 million. Half an hour in, a contestant collapsed after losing £6,000 and the broadcast seemed to cut out, before the presenter revealed it was staged theatre about the dangers of gambling. The contestant was based on Patrick Foster, who ran up debts of hundreds of thousands of pounds.

A psychologist on the show said its golden betting balls work like casino chips, making money feel unreal.
A reform campaigner said half of addicts report being lured back by a free bet.
The UK's Betting and Gaming Council said the market is among the most tightly regulated in the world.

▸In their words

“What started with a £2 bet ended up with me 13 years later,” Patrick Foster · at 30:26 — open in the transcript →

Source: our own transcription of the episode. The full conversation is on Global News Podcast (2026-11-03). Read the whole episode summary →

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