The Chase host Bradley Walsh’s new game show has led to a barrage of complaints after a dark twist was revealed.
Channel 4 game show Million Pound Shot was marketed as a quiz with "one huge twist in a night of drama, tension and life-changing outcomes".
The show aired on Sunday night with three contestants putting their own money on the line for a chance to win big.
One contestant, schoolteacher Reece, deposited £500 (NZ$1198.20) on the first question before eventually losing £2000 (NZ$4792.80). Despite being given a chance to cash out, Reece was enticed to play on as Walsh offered up the prospect of bonus balls of free money – to the cheers of the audience.
"I can’t really afford to lose £3000 (NZ$7189.05)," he said. "But then, if you have another free £3000 (NZ$7189.05)..."
After ending up short £6000 (NZ$14,378.40), Reece tearfully told the host he could go into an overdraft to continue playing as the camera panned to his distressed partner in the audience.
He then fled the set to begin apologising to his partner.
A heckler in the audience asked if there was "no one else that thinks that this is wrong?"
But after the ad break, the truth was revealed.
"The whole thing was a performance, everything you’ve seen tonight draws on the techniques used by the gambling industry," Walsh told the studio audience.
The contestants, their families and even the heckler, as it turned out, were paid actors.
The second half of the show shifted to an unflinching look into the methods used by the gambling industry to draw people in and keep them playing, with the actors and various experts weighing in on the harm caused.
Around £17.5 billion (NZ$41.9 billion) was lost by British customers to gambling last year, the show said.
"The chances are, they could be coming for you next," Walsh warned.
Gambling 'at the click of a button'
The character of "Reece" was inspired by teacher Patrick Foster, who had struggled with a gambling addiction for 13 years after he began visiting betting shops in university.
Foster told the actor playing Reece, George Reid, the habit soon shifted online.
"Suddenly I had a betting shop and a casino in my pocket, and I could do it any time, any place, at the click of a button."
Foster ended up £250,000 (NZ$598,867.50) in debt and contemplated suicide.
In a post to social media the day after the show aired, Foster said he took part to "raise awareness, educate and hopefully help someone who needed to hear it".
"Seeing the reality of gambling addiction on mainstream television matters. The chasing of losses, the secrecy, the desperation and the impact on those closest to you are things I know all too well.
"Not everyone will agree with the programme or its approach. I respect that. My hope is that it helped people understand something they may never have experienced, and helped someone struggling feel less alone."
He continued: "I am not anti-gambling. Personal responsibility is a huge part of my recovery. I have to own my actions, the harm I caused and the choices I make today.
"Addiction is complex. Reducing it to a lack of willpower can make it harder for people to admit they need help."
Foster called for an "honest conversation" around "relentless advertising, constant access and incentives to keep gambling".
"Taking responsibility myself does not mean the industry should escape scrutiny.
"I want people to know that recovery is possible. There is hope, even when you cannot see it yourself."
Ofcom, the UK’s broadcasting regulator, received 65 complaints after the show aired on November 1.
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