American Idol's William Hung reflects on gambling addiction one year after quitting poker: 'I got greedy'

It’s been one year since American Idol alum William Hung quit professional poker and began the 12-step program at Gambling Anonymous in order to battle the addiction that cost him dearly.

‘I knew I was good at poker, but then I got greedy,’ the 41-year-old reality TV icon admitted to People on Sunday.

‘I got into sports betting. The whole gamut. I know better [now]. I wasn’t supposed to do those things, but I did it anyway. And I paid for it. I got divorced [from my second wife], and I learned I had to be smart about which risks I chose to take.’

William – who still enjoys board games – was initially ‘scared to go’ to Gambling Anonymous, but little by little they helped him see how his addiction ‘changed me.’

Hung has since gone back to work analyzing data and statistics for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and he even married his third wife Hannah.

It’s been one year since American Idol alum William Hung quit professional poker and began the 12-step program at Gambling Anonymous in order to battle the addiction that cost him dearly (pictured Saturday)

‘It’s a work in progress,’ the Hong Kong native said of welcoming a family.

‘There’s nothing wrong with having a steady job after fame. I think it’s the right thing to do, to provide for my family now.’

Since retiring from the music industry full-time in 2011, William still has the occasional singing gig, motivational speaking gig, and he commands $29 on Cameo.

Hung was a 20-year-old civil engineering student at UC Berkeley when he decided to audition for the formerly Fox singing competition in 2003 for ‘fun’ and his off-key rendition of Ricky Martin’s 2000 hit She Bangs went viral in 2004.

‘Most people would be angry or upset, or throw their water bottle at [judge Simon Cowell,’ the Champion by Choice author recalled.

‘I didn’t see the need to do that, and people seemed to like [my positive attitude].’

William went on to make countless lucrative appearances on TV lampooning his American Idol stint and he recorded three albums between 2004-2005.

In 2018, Hung’s journey came full circle when he joined Ricky Martin onstage the Park MGM Las Vegas to perform a duet of She Bangs.

The Cal State Northridge grad – who boasts 17K social media followers – also triumphantly returned to American Idol in 2016 for the 15th season finale and in 2022 for The Great Idol Reunion special.

The 41-year-old reality TV icon admitted to People on Sunday: ‘I knew I was good at poker, but then I got greedy. I got into sports betting. The whole gamut. I know better [now]. I wasn’t supposed to do those things, but I did it anyway. And I paid for it. I got divorced [from my second wife], and I learned I had to be smart about which risks I chose to take’

William – who still enjoys board games – was initially ‘scared to go’ to Gambling Anonymous, but little by little they helped him see how his addiction ‘changed me’ (pictured in 2023)

Hung has since gone back to work analyzing data and statistics for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and he even married his third wife Hannah

Since retiring from the music industry full-time in 2011, the Hong Kong native still has the occasional singing gig, motivational speaking gig, and he commands $29 on Cameo (pictured September 23)

William was a 20-year-old civil engineering student at UC Berkeley when he decided to audition for the formerly Fox singing competition in 2003 for ‘fun’ and his off-key rendition of Ricky Martin’s 2000 hit She Bangs went viral in 2004

Hung recalled: ‘Most people would be angry or upset, or throw their water bottle at [judge Simon Cowell. I didn’t see the need to do that, and people seemed to like [my positive attitude]’

In 2018, the Champion by Choice author’s journey came full circle when he joined Ricky Martin onstage the Park MGM Las Vegas to perform a duet of She Bangs

William – who boasts 17K social media followers – also triumphantly returned to American Idol in 2016 for the 15th season finale and in 2022 for The Great Idol Reunion special (pictured)