Gambling addiction

[Tangled up in Blue]

What are people's experiences with gambling? Has anyone ever been addicted?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/nov/05/gambling-machines-double-number-addicts

My own father was(I believe)a gambling addict.He used to bet on the horses every day,went to the dogtrack every weekend,owned greyhounds and played chemin de fer, for serious money .At one time in his life(just after the war) he was a professional gambler,apparently.
I can still remember a bookie coming round to our house,a day or so after his funeral,trying to collect on some unpaid gambling debts.
That was all the aversion therapy I've ever needed.Never been much of a gambler at all,apart from the occasional fun bet on football.

 

[MK Shrimper]

Fortunately not me. I bet very very rarely and when I do it's for buttons.

Family member has a big problem though and has lost thousands.

 

[shallowshrimper]

Thats spooky I was having a conversation with a work colleague only half an hour ago on this very subject.


I think there was a thread on here a few months back about the perils of gambling and how many adverts on the tv now for online betting. Add that to adverts encouraging people to use what appear to be little better than loan sharks it all seems very dangerous to me. They have done away with smoking and booze adverts but now we are encouragedto get into debt and gamble.

My father would have a few bob each way on the horses of a saturday afternoon but really small time stuff. Probably luckily for me I have never been tempted, mainly because my natural meaness acts as a deterrent.:blush:

 

[OldBlueLady]

I think a lot on here know that my ex was a massive gambler and that was what prompted my divorcing him. He'd spent a 6 figure sum in casinos over the years whilst here and travelling on business in other countries, ok, that wasn't all lost, but probably 2/3rds of it was. That was effectively all our savings down the toilet, no spare cash to do anything, constant lies about where money had gone instead of explaining it was servicing loans he'd taken out to repay credit cards, my credit cards getting bumped up to give us a standard of life I considered appropriate, and providing the kids with clubs, pocket money and mobile phones. After confronting him about it and him promising to do something, and a further 4 years of lies and him still not making any effort to do anything about it, I decided enough was enough, and for the sake of the kids and myself I had to distance ourselves from it and secure what I could that was left.

He fought against things, making it awkward - refusing to move out for 18 months, refusing to leave the "marital bed" for 3 months! It was taken to the courts to settle, which is a most horrible experience, sitting there having a judge making a judgement on you. He admitted to £75k in front of her, but we all knew it was more than that. Anyway, subsequently having met and now married a wonderful man, I know I made the right decision. The ex may now have plenty of disposable income as he's managed to get a grip of his problem, and has repaid the loans, but he has no property, renting a room in the UK and living in a leased company apartment in Romania for the majority of the time. His family know why I did what I did, and they bear me no grudges. I am, however, still very bitter about all he denied the kids while they were growing up.

I don't bet, other than maybe an occasional flutter on the lottery or in a sweepstake at work for the National or World Cup. I never have done, even before all this.

 

[TrueBlue]

I think a lot on here know that my ex was a massive gambler and that was what prompted my divorcing him. He'd spent a 6 figure sum in casinos over the years whilst here and travelling on business in other countries, ok, that wasn't all lost, but probably 2/3rds of it was. That was effectively all our savings down the toilet, no spare cash to do anything, constant lies about where money had gone instead of explaining it was servicing loans he'd taken out to repay credit cards, my credit cards getting bumped up to give us a standard of life I considered appropriate, and providing the kids with clubs, pocket money and mobile phones. After confronting him about it and him promising to do something, and a further 4 years of lies and him still not making any effort to do anything about it, I decided enough was enough, and for the sake of the kids and myself I had to distance ourselves from it and secure what I could that was left.

He fought against things, making it awkward - refusing to move out for 18 months, refusing to leave the "marital bed" for 3 months! It was taken to the courts to settle, which is a most horrible experience, sitting there having a judge making a judgement on you. He admitted to £75k in front of her, but we all knew it was more than that. Anyway, subsequently having met and now married a wonderful man, I know I made the right decision. The ex may now have plenty of disposable income as he's managed to get a grip of his problem, and has repaid the loans, but he has no property, renting a room in the UK and living in a leased company apartment in Romania for the majority of the time. His family know why I did what I did, and they bear me no grudges. I am, however, still very bitter about all he denied the kids while they were growing up.

I don't bet, other than maybe an occasional flutter on the lottery or in a sweepstake at work for the National or World Cup. I never have done, even before all this.

So he sorted himself after you went?

Sounds like you drove him too it! :winking:

 

[OldBlueLady]

So he sorted himself after you went?

Sounds like you drove him too it! :winking:

Lol, no, I like to think it was the wake up call he needed! He used to justify it by saying it was all the foreign travelling he had to do for business and a way to pass the time.

 

[TrueBlue]

Lol, no, I like to think it was the wake up call he needed! He used to justify it by saying it was all the foreign travelling he had to do for business and a way to pass the time.

But does not make him a bad person just somebody trapped and consumed by his own demons?

 

[Uncle Leo]

Love a punt, but am generally pretty disciplined. I have made a note of every bet I have placed since the start of 2006 and on a five figure turnover am 0.17% down. Not bad for all the enjoyment it has given me in that time.

PS Del Potro to beat Ferrer today.

 

[OldBlueLady]

But does not make him a bad person just somebody trapped and consumed by his own demons?

But refusing to do anything about it, not even face up to it. His father was an alcoholic and his brother a heroin addict. He knew this, but when his own demon materialised, he couldn't see that it was spiralling out of control and destroying our family life and our marriage. The £250 limit he set himself slowly increased to £1k, then to £3k. When I discovered the bank statements which confirmed this, I can't tell you how sick it made me feel.

Like I said, it's in the past now. I'm much, much happier than I ever was. He's now able to flash the cash with the kids and to enjoy things like cruises when he always insisted he never liked or needed holidays. I like to think it was the shock of realisation that has hopefully set him on a path to recovery.

 

[FarmdogSUFC]

Always £1 per bet and never any more unless it's my birthday or a special ocassion. Nothing to lose but a lot to gain.

 

[TrueBlue]

But refusing to do anything about it, not even face up to it. His father was an alcoholic and his brother a heroin addict. He knew this, but when his own demon materialised, he couldn't see that it was spiralling out of control and destroying our family life and our marriage. The £250 limit he set himself slowly increased to £1k, then to £3k. When I discovered the bank statements which confirmed this, I can't tell you how sick it made me feel.

Like I said, it's in the past now. I'm much, much happier than I ever was. He's now able to flash the cash with the kids and to enjoy things like cruises when he always insisted he never liked or needed holidays. I like to think it was the shock of realisation that has hopefully set him on a path to recovery.

all goes back to addictive personality as well documented my vice was drugs - I do like to gamble but I can handle that

 

[Davros]

Thats spooky I was having a conversation with a work colleague only half an hour ago on this very subject.


I think there was a thread on here a few months back about the perils of gambling and how many adverts on the tv now for online betting. Add that to adverts encouraging people to use what appear to be little better than loan sharks it all seems very dangerous to me. They have done away with smoking and booze adverts but now we are encouragedto get into debt and gamble.

My father would have a few bob each way on the horses of a saturday afternoon but really small time stuff. Probably luckily for me I have never been tempted, mainly because my natural meaness acts as a deterrent.:blush:

That or he watched Panorama last night as well? :winking:

 

[Its Only A Game]

I think most people that have a problem wouldn't openly admit it though.

I probably gamble too much. Never huge stakes, a tenner here and a fiver there, but sometimes i might lose £50 in a week when I can't really afford to be losing it, but then some weeks I'll win a couple of hundred and its all good again.

Not a good habit to get into generally though:blush:

 

[Mad Cyril]

I don't gamble but will admit to occasionally hunting people for sport.

 

[Billy Bests boot laces]

Fortunately never been interested in it. Never been in a bookies in my life On 2 occasions when i went to Lingfield with the company taking our best customers for a day out, i had to get someone to fill the betting slip in, as i did'nt know how to!.

 

[Crawliano]

Fruities for me.

At the moment, I can take them or leave them, but if I'm drunk enough I'm in a bad zone as I'll play them, often to the detriment of a good night out with friends etc.

 

[The General]

Ive gambled for the past 10 years ... When i hit 16 i'd do the lottery and buy stratchcards now and then but never anything major ... Id also enjoy a fruit machine or two (mainly in the Spread!) but back in them days they were 25p max stake and £25 JP's. They are much more dangerous animals now with a quid a spin and a JP of £70. I barely touch them nowadays as most of the enjoyment has gone from them. You got 5 spins on the board and if you last longer than that you are lucky! Between 18-21, id be down the casino once every 2 weeks and would enjoy a go on roulette and blackjack but would only ever do £7 a spin on roulette and 5 quid on Blackjack. I then discovered poker in card rooms (when i was 20) and since then, i dont find myself gambling much at all, bar perhaps a fiver in the slot machines playing at 10/20p a spin in the breaks. Played alot of poker online between 18-20 and made a profit on Ladbrokes and only play occassional online now (1 night a week) as hard to find the time being a homeowner! Probably play poker live 1/2 a month. Ive always been in control, never have big swings emotionally when i win OR lose and i couldnt honestly tell you if im or down over the past 10 years. Had some nice wins and max loss would be £50/60 an evening when playing roulette (when i was living at home!)

Will add more later but need to pop out

x

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

OBL/TB - I think you were vehemently opposed to the legalisation of drugs.

Where do you stand on the legality of gambling?

 

[The General]

Always done sport betting but only ever do accy's and win now and again. Never kept a betting record but im probably down on sports betting but im def up on the poker front (both live and online) as have records of that and always kept tally. The most dangerous thing about online betting is the slots but ive banned myself from playing on most sites as thats the first thing i do when i sign up (as normally i join a site due to poker!) Ive got so many accounts and money sitting in various sites its a bit of a joke. Can count bet365, Ladbrokes, Sky, 888, Genting, Stars, FT (!!) and Genting off the top of my head!

Ive always enjoyed it and can honestly say ive always been in control. I almost wish id played some of the bigger online poker tourny's when i had the bankroll for it and hoped to bink a big win (5k-15k), but i always so catious, i never went for it ... Pity as who knows where it could have taken me!?

Any questions fire away or any general observations then go for it.

 

[OldBlueLady]

OBL/TB - I think you were vehemently opposed to the legalisation of drugs.

Where do you stand on the legality of gambling?

Difficult question. I objected to the sponsorship of the Zone and the advertising that went along with it. I also object heartily to all the various advertising campaigns on tv for betting shops or online bingo etc. I really struggle with the idea that supermarkets are no longer allowed to even have cigarettes in view but it's quite okay for promotion of bingo etc to go on in main stream newspapers and on all kinds of tv stations. I accept that there's no health issue associated with gambling but it's every bit as damaging in the long run.

Personally, watching Grand Prix back in the day when you had the JPS specials out on the track never persuaded me to smoke them, you had your brand and tended to stick to it. You could say the same for gambling, but the rise of online gambling of all kinds is truly frightening. The invitations to join poker or bingo sites arrive in my spam every day. i honestly think that legislation of some kind is needed, but am really rather at a loss to suggest where or how.