WESTERN Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge believes gambling is a "huge concern" for the AFL in the wake of former Hawthorn defender Brent Guerra's struggles.

Beveridge formed a strong friendship with Guerra as his backline coach during the Hawks' back-to-back premierships years and hoped his admission of his addiction would help others.

"It's a huge concern because of the downtime our players have and the amount of, I suppose, disposable income that they have," said Beveridge

"There is a lot of things that we can do to help guys that are vulnerable. Brent and I are really close, he was one of the players I coached when I was coaching their backline.

"I knew that he liked to punt, but I didn't have any idea of the gravity of it.

A concerned Beveridge said he'll seek out Guerra and see if they he could a turn a negative into a positive.

"I will call him next week and there might be an opportunity for Brent to come out and talk to our players about his experiences and help our guys ward off the possibility of it happening to them because the risks are always there," said Beveridge

"Anything we can do, the AFL can do, the AFLPA can do to help our players we should explore it."

If you or someone you know has a gambling problem please call Gamblers helpline on 1800 858 858 or visit http://www.responsiblegambling.vic.gov.au/getting-help