Compulsive gambling

I wish I had never gambled. It is the most destroying thing that can happen to anyone. Money is everything to a successful and secure life and if you don't have money, your life becomes extremely stressful and demanding.

I severely recommend that you don't gamble at all.

If I held the power, I would close all bookmakers and ban online gambling once and for all.

Its the sickest disease of them all.

That's it. That's all I wanted to say.

cheekymonkey said:

I wish I had never gambled. It is the most destroying thing that can happen to anyone. Money is everything to a successful and secure life and if you don't have money, your life becomes extremely stressful and demanding.

I severely recommend that you don't gamble at all.

If I held the power, I would close all bookmakers and ban online gambling once and for all.

Its the sickest disease of them all.

That's it. That's all I wanted to say.

Click to expand...

I agree and disagree with you here on one hand it can ruin everything but on the other hand believe it or not gambling on freebies/contest winnings has got me by the last 2 months! My job came to an impasse recently and I relied purely on freebies and government peanuts(handouts) Currently seeking employment so gambling is my only way to make any cash poker,no deposit chips etc. This may sound barmy but when I won the other week I was spinning to save my exes house ironically she nearly lost the place as a result of my gambling xmas 2012 but this year I saved the day by winning £195 at vera and john and £331 at mrgreen only £10 in deposits. So I can't completely hate the slots as I could do a good thing with my money as a result of them. It does ruin lives but also can be a way to get by if you are smart. £400 of my winnings went towards her rent arrears that were sprung on her she didn't even ask me either I offered. Felt really good doing it too. We have a baby boy so I'll always have a soft spot for her.

dave1888 said:

I agree and disagree with you here on one hand it can ruin everything but on the other hand believe it or not gambling on freebies/contest winnings has got me by the last 2 months! My job came to an impasse recently and I relied purely on freebies and government peanuts(handouts) Currently seeking employment so gambling is my only way to make any cash poker,no deposit chips etc. This may sound barmy but when I won the other week I was spinning to save my exes house ironically she nearly lost the place as a result of my gambling xmas 2012 but this year I saved the day by winning £195 at vera and john and £331 at mrgreen only £10 in deposits. So I can't completely hate the slots as I could do a good thing with my money as a result of them. It does ruin lives but also can be a way to get by if you are smart. £400 of my winnings went towards her rent arrears that were sprung on her she didn't even ask me either I offered. Felt really good doing it too. We have a baby boy so I'll always have a soft spot for her.

Click to expand...

Sounds like you simply just got lucky and where able to pay the rent.

In general, $10 free no deposits with up to x100 WR attached doesn't amount to anything. Even if you constantly scavenge the web of casinos and find 5-10 of these, their still mostly meaningless unless you happen to have some positive variance on your side when you play.

jshort said:

Sounds like you simply just got lucky and where able to pay the rent.

In general, $10 free no deposits with up to x100 WR attached doesn't amount to anything. Even if you constantly scavenge the web of casinos and find 5-10 of these, their still mostly meaningless unless you happen to have some positive variance on your side when you play.

Click to expand...

A mixture of got lucky and played smart mate I got 5 scatters on doa when down to my last £3 something then went on fruit case at a very conservative 20p spins and hit a 500x free spins hit. As for at vera n john wagering was easy as I started with 26p won £10 on mega fortune(5 limos) then doa then casinomeister slot back down again and nearly blew my last 20 something on blackjack/video poker. Got my head out my ass and went on gonzo hit free falls at min bet won £172 in free spins. Is a crazy story right Least I did something good with the winnings though

cheekymonkey said:

I wish I had never gambled. It is the most destroying thing that can happen to anyone. Money is everything to a successful and secure life and if you don't have money, your life becomes extremely stressful and demanding.

I severely recommend that you don't gamble at all.

If I held the power, I would close all bookmakers and ban online gambling once and for all.

Its the sickest disease of them all.

That's it. That's all I wanted to say.

Click to expand...

Try switching to poker. The financial swings are smaller and it can be a great intellectual endevour

cheekymonkey said:

I wish I had never gambled. It is the most destroying thing that can happen to anyone. Money is everything to a successful and secure life and if you don't have money, your life becomes extremely stressful and demanding.

I severely recommend that you don't gamble at all.

If I held the power, I would close all bookmakers and ban online gambling once and for all.

Its the sickest disease of them all.

That's it. That's all I wanted to say.

Click to expand...

Sorry to hear it sounds like you've had a rough time mate.

Maybe it's time to give it away and seek some help to do so. There's a lot of good and free services out there, and I'm sure a simple Google search will bring some up in your area.

I wish you the best.

dave1888 said:

I agree and disagree with you here on one hand it can ruin everything but on the other hand believe it or not gambling on freebies/contest winnings has got me by the last 2 months! My job came to an impasse recently and I relied purely on freebies and government peanuts(handouts) Currently seeking employment so gambling is my only way to make any cash poker,no deposit chips etc. This may sound barmy but when I won the other week I was spinning to save my exes house ironically she nearly lost the place as a result of my gambling xmas 2012 but this year I saved the day by winning £195 at vera and john and £331 at mrgreen only £10 in deposits. So I can't completely hate the slots as I could do a good thing with my money as a result of them. It does ruin lives but also can be a way to get by if you are smart. £400 of my winnings went towards her rent arrears that were sprung on her she didn't even ask me either I offered. Felt really good doing it too. We have a baby boy so I'll always have a soft spot for her.

Click to expand...

So much of this is extremely concerning to me, and I extend my advice to the op to you also.

It sounds like your past gambling nearly caused some major issues for those around you, and judging by your comments above, it sounds like your current gambling is a time bomb waiting to happen.

Azzurri said:

So much of this is extremely concerning to me, and I extend my advice to the op to you also.

It sounds like your past gambling nearly caused some major issues for those around you, and judging by your comments above, it sounds like your current gambling is a time bomb waiting to happen.

Click to expand...

Don't worry man she's out the hole now so no need to have such crazy goals. I'll stick to the lowrolling don't need to be concerned about me. cheers though.

cheekymonkey said:

If I held the power, I would close all bookmakers and ban online gambling once and for all.

Click to expand...

That's like an alcoholic saying he wants to ban ALL booze for everyone.

The problem lies not with the gambling industry, but with the individual.
Yes the temptation is there, just as it is with many other things in life; drugs, credit card debt, infidelity, theft, etc...
But at the end of the day, only one person is responsible for your actions - you.

Wishing you all the best mate
KK

KasinoKing said:

That's like an alcoholic saying he wants to ban ALL booze for everyone.

The problem lies not with the gambling industry, but with the individual.
Yes the temptation is there, just as it is with many other things in life; drugs, credit card debt, infidelity, theft, etc...
But at the end of the day, only one person is responsible for your actions - you.

Wishing you all the best mate
KK

Click to expand...

I wouldn't compare alcohol to gambling. I would compare it to heroin and cocaine. Alcohol is legal in all over the world except for muslim countries. Wheras gambling is illegal everywhere except for a few (designated) places around the world. There's a reason for this.
Online casinos CAN be a scary place if not used responsibly. I have had a few very close friends lose everything to online gambling where as they would never find the time to or energy to drive up to a casino anytime they felt like it. There will be a lot of people getting hurt by the online casinos.

To the op. It is never too late to stop. Stop now. Self exclude yourself from every casino site. Even if you get free chips put in to ypur account, dont play them. They know how to trick people to come back. Dont get fooled by them. Delete their emails before you have a chance at reading it. Dont look at the winners screen shots. Neither the 5 wilds. It takes months if not years to get hits like that. I played for 7 years online so I know this is the fact. instead, look at the "screen shots that suck". they tell you the real everyday story. your chances of hitting those is guaranteed. Enjoy life. Make money by working for it. Gambling has brought you to post your thoughts on this forum. Read your post 10 times a day for 30 days to remind yourself of how it ruined you. I helped a compulsive friend of mine quit gambling who lost her house, her car and all of her jeweleries to gambling. This was 2 years ago. She is back on her feet now and making five figures. She bought another property and enjoying life. She travels a lot now where as before she stayed home on her laptop 24/7. I had to beg her to come out for a coffee. Ive known her for 20 years and it hurt me to watch her destroy herself. When she was in a good mood I knew she had won. Online gambling was controlling her life and those around her.
Another friend of mine lost everything he had (was a wealthy artichect) to online gambling. This friend's story is a sad ending. He lost a 3 million house, 2 expensive cars, went in huge debts, his wife divorced him and he lost custody of his child. It just awed me to see such a nice, kind and a wise man do this to himself.

All the best to you.

Online gambling is the VD of the internet. It's in the same category as porn. You sit there lost from reality. It disgusts me.

KasinoKing said:

That's like an alcoholic saying he wants to ban ALL booze for everyone.
KK

Click to expand...

That's a weak retort KK.

Does your kid watch you play slots all day? Would you allow your kid to play slots all day and night, instead of doing something constructive with their life?

Hmmmm....

Mate do you want to talk about what brought on this angst constructively to see if we can be of any help?

Sorry, but you've been a member here for a long time, so it's just kinda out of left field to come on here suddenly and share your disgust on one of the biggest casino advocates on the web.

cheekymonkey said:

Online gambling is the VD of the internet. It's in the same category as porn. You sit there lost from reality. It disgusts me.

Click to expand...

That it can be and it can be so so easy to lose and lose big relative to your earnings, whilst entrapped in this virtual world.

Self exclude and do it now from the all the properties you have an account with, whilst you are in the right frame of mind to do so. Because there will be a time later on that you will think one more time won't hurt...

Get another hobby as well to fill the time that gambling used to take and if that means getting off the internet, then so be it.

All I know is, that there is no way in a physical casino I would spend the amount I have spent in the past online.

I wish you the best of luck Cheekymonkey and am rooting for you.

KasinoKing said:

That's like an alcoholic saying he wants to ban ALL booze for everyone.

The problem lies not with the gambling industry, but with the individual.
Yes the temptation is there, just as it is with many other things in life; drugs, credit card debt, infidelity, theft, etc...
But at the end of the day, only one person is responsible for your actions - you.

Wishing you all the best mate
KK

Click to expand...

Totally agree. No one puts a gun to your head and makes you spend your money repeatedly and carelessly. Life is choices. Only you have control of the choices you make. The Casinomeister has a great area that should be read on how to stop playing and how to help control and manage your online gambling. Addiction is a sickness, but again, no one forced you into the addiction. Only you can stop it just as you started it.

Good luck on your journey.
.

silcnlayc said:

Totally agree. No one puts a gun to your head and makes you spend your money repeatedly and carelessly. Life is choices. Only you have control of the choices you make. The Casinomeister has a great area that should be read on how to stop playing and how to help control and manage your online gambling. Addiction is a sickness, but again, no one forced you into the addiction. Only you can stop it just as you started it.

Good luck on your journey.
.

Click to expand...

I dont agree, as I think this is a very simplistic view. It is a sickness, it is a disease, but a compulsive gambler doesnt set out to be a CG, the addiction grabs them before they realise how addicted they have come. It is a mental illness and a physical illness would never be dismissed so lightly as this illness is dismissed by a lot of people.

cheekymonkey said:

That's a weak retort KK.

Does your kid watch you play slots all day? Would you allow your kid to play slots all day and night, instead of doing something constructive with their life?

Hmmmm....

Click to expand...

No, my kids don't watch me play slots all day - because I don't play slots all day.
Just like some evenings I like to have a beer or 3, other days I don't have any booze at all. Some days I play online for a couple of hours and other days I don't play at all. All things in moderation.

I was "addicted" to gambling (fruit machines) for about 25 years and blew away at least £30,000 in that time, but I eventually realised I had to either stop or control it. I was lucky enough to be able to control it and by becoming an online casino "bonus hunter" in 2001 I was also able to make a proportion of my losses back. Of course, in those days the bonuses were MUCH easier to beat - you could even do it playing Blackjack, other card games & roulette.

ANY addiction is harmful to to the individual and their family and I strongly urge anyone who has a problem to seek expert help.

KK

KasinoKing said:

I was "addicted" to gambling (fruit machines) for about 25 years and blew away at least £30,000 in that time.

KK

Click to expand...

This is why gambling is a sick disease.

I truly don't believe anyone that says they have it under control and even if this was the case, the percentage of people that actually do, would be miniscule.

cheekymonkey said:

This is why gambling is a sick disease.

I truly don't believe anyone that says they have it under control and even if this was the case, the percentage of people that actually do, would be miniscule.

Click to expand...

So what do you intend to do about it?

Is there a point to this thread?

If you seemingly only wish to discuss it with KK, why start a public thread rather than pm the man himself?

Sorry but I'm confused.

Azzurri said:

So what do you intend to do about it?

Is there a point to this thread?

If you seemingly only wish to discuss it with KK, why start a public thread rather than pm the man himself?

Sorry but I'm confused.

Click to expand...

Yeah, let's end this thread. Pointless.

cheekymonkey said:

This is why gambling is a sick disease.

I truly don't believe anyone that says they have it under control and even if this was the case, the percentage of people that actually do, would be miniscule.

Click to expand...

Just as it's difficult for someone who isn't addicted to truly understand addiction, it's difficult for someone who is addicted to understand how someone can play and not be addicted. Alcoholics I've spoken with can't understand that I sometimes like a beer with pizza, and only buy a 6 pack a year (or so). They think I'm lying, that if anyone drinks at all, they're a closet alcoholic.

Get over worrying about what others are and are not doing and put your head to getting your gambling under control. No one can do it for you, and you know it.

We all know it's a sick disease & it sucks for many that can't control it.
You just need to teach yourself Self Control & gamble what you can afford & set that limit.
& if that don't work stop all together & find some other entertainment to pass the time.
For me I look at it this way Yes I do gamble & other bad habits but I do know my limits.
My Father has told me many times in my life if you do gamble set that limit and that's it & if you Win a days pay Stop for the day.
I wish you the very best of luck.
PS. If you are way over your head please set out & get some help You do have many great Groups & Organizations that will help you.
And the many great people here will give you great advice also.

Quit Gambling here at CM's
good stuff to read.
https://www.casinomeister.com/forums/community/183/

cheekymonkey said:

This is why gambling is a sick disease.

I truly don't believe anyone that says they have it under control and even if this was the case, the percentage of people that actually do, would be miniscule.

Click to expand...

You have clearly suffered personally as a result of online gambling, and for that I'm sorry. I can also extend some support to your inference that more people here may have a bigger issue than they are letting on. Like Azzurri I was shocked by Dave1883's frank post.

I find it quite insulting though that you should judge others' self-control by your own personal parameters. You seem unable to accept that some or many of us look upon spending 50 quid each weekend on a few hours entertainment as a treat, the same as some would going out on Saturday evening and spending 50 quid on a taxi, meal and a few drinks.

I personally play the same stake each month at each site, limited and all returns when received are sent to another online bank where they cannot be withdrawn other than by me writing myself a cheque. So, I budget say £50 per week AFTER all other savings, bills and expenses. I write the 50 off before I start. Any returns after my entertainment are a bonus and get sent over to that account. After each 6 months I have therefore spent £1300, minus what I send to the other account in winnings. The last 2 6-month periods have yielded a net profit of over 3k. The 2 before that lost me 1400 in total.

Please accept that many of us have inherent discipline which is consistent and thus never leads to issues. To back this up we utilize the facilities sites have for responsible gaming like deposit limits. I also have too much in life to ever risk playing it away on what is essentially a RNG with a 96% return.

Like any of the 'vices' it will have its casualties. Society must accept that, despite the best intentions of legal controls. To have no risk is to have no society, be drones of the nanny state.

I am sorry you appear to be a 'casualty' (or someone near you is) but please grant us the respect of allowing us our own freedom of choice.

dunover said:

You have clearly suffered personally as a result of online gambling, and for that I'm sorry. I can also extend some support to your inference that more people here may have a bigger issue than they are letting on. Like Azzurri I was shocked by Dave1883's frank post.

I find it quite insulting though that you should judge others' self-control by your own personal parameters. You seem unable to accept that some or many of us look upon spending 50 quid each weekend on a few hours entertainment as a treat, the same as some would going out on Saturday evening and spending 50 quid on a taxi, meal and a few drinks.

I personally play the same stake each month at each site, limited and all returns when received are sent to another online bank where they cannot be withdrawn other than by me writing myself a cheque. So, I budget say £50 per week AFTER all other savings, bills and expenses. I write the 50 off before I start. Any returns after my entertainment are a bonus and get sent over to that account. After each 6 months I have therefore spent £1300, minus what I send to the other account in winnings. The last 2 6-month periods have yielded a net profit of over 3k. The 2 before that lost me 1400 in total.

Please accept that many of us have inherent discipline which is consistent and thus never leads to issues. To back this up we utilize the facilities sites have for responsible gaming like deposit limits. I also have too much in life to ever risk playing it away on what is essentially a RNG with a 96% return.

Like any of the 'vices' it will have its casualties. Society must accept that, despite the best intentions of legal controls. To have no risk is to have no society, be drones of the nanny state.

I am sorry you appear to be a 'casualty' (or someone near you is) but please grant us the respect of allowing us our own freedom of choice.

Click to expand...

I agree.