A sad sad story

[Black21Jack]

3. Get a program which will block your access to gambling site (I believe there's one called Gamblock or something similar, I'll go digging for it and post the link if I find it).

www.gamblock.com

 

[nafanny29]

You have my heartfelt sypathy mate. I had a problem 15 years ago (Severely addicated to fruit machines) and it brought me close to losing everything important to me.

I recovered (ironicly discovering how to empty them ) and have never looked back but I really do hope you sort yourself out and beat the demons inside you.

Addiction to anything is really horrible and really hard to beat. I wish you the very best of luck mate.

 

[toofast4u]

Toofast, sorry to hear about your predicament.

I believe that gambling should be treated as a form of entertainment, but I also know that it can become addictive (even video games did that to me, and I've also gambled with what I call blood money).

Bethug's comments are quite sensible - you have to try and control the urge, and of course never play with rent money (I have) or money you need for other things. Easier said than done though.

If you really believe you have a problem, you need to:

1. Uninstall all casinos from your computer.
2. Notify the casinos that you wish to be excluded from any further play, as well as any offers, and to be manually unsubscribed from their mailing list.
3. Get a program which will block your access to gambling site (I believe there's one called Gamblock or something similar, I'll go digging for it and post the link if I find it).
4. Read some of the suggestions provided by place such as Gamblers Anonymous, and perhaps join one or more of the programs. I have a small list of these at Old / Expired Link - and I'm sure some people may suggest some other alternatives (btw, if anyone finds a good reference not on my list I would really appreciate it if you would send me an email to suggest a site).
5. Plot alternative travel routes if you currently use one which might take you close to a casino.
6. If you have any facility like Neteller Instacash, at least ask Neteller to disable your Instacash privileges, if not closing your account entirely.

These are only a few suggestions, others may have some other sensible advice worth following and naturally I would encourage them to post in this thread. This thread should not be a debate about what has happened - it should instead serve as a warning to others by someone genuinely concerned about the potential for addiction.

I am sure others such as the Meister and Jetset will chime in with some good advice - we are all currently in Barcelona for an i-gaming conference, of which one topic is responsible gambling (not sure where you are, if you're in the UK one further option is Gamcare).

With regard to pawn shops - in Cambodia the pawnshops are IN THE DAMN CASINO! Now if that isn't total greed and bullshit I don't know what is... besides that they allow kids to play on occasion...

Here's hoping you are able to successfully deal with your problem and get your life and finances back on track.

I blocked myself from instacash a long time ago, really I haven't internet gambled in probably about a year or so, so thats not really a big temptation right now, its the instant gratification of the land based casinos that tempt me.

Wholly crap, inside the casino??!! Now thats just plain wrong, next thing will be pawn at the ATM, lol.

They are already developing a system that will take debit/credit cards right at the table, thats just another way to make you 'loose' with your money.

Just thought I would let everyone know, I am feeling a little better tonight, thats for everyone comments.

 

[DealerBusts]

toofast4u, i wish you success in dealing with your addiction. Like a previous poster said, you need to learn to manage the addiction. Find out what makes you lose control and fall into that "trance" where all sense goes out the window. It has happened to the best of us at some point. I've had success playing online but there have been times when i've lost control and lost big. Those times when i've lost big, i've been tired or been in a bad mood and i've overbet and chased my losses which is why i avoid negative progressions or betting big in general. I don't gamble when i'm unhappy because its dangerous to try to lift your mood from gambling. Keep your sessions short and don't take it too seriously. My friend has gambling problems because he takes his losses personally and he feels a right 'loser' when he loses. Guess what? he tries to make himself feel better by trying to win it back......don't use gambling to boost your own ego and try to deal with your personal problems in a different way.

 

[Stanford]

set limits, any think you do

Even sex you have to set limits.

Never play with rent money or money you need for something, if you need the money dont play. Dont pawn nothing to play. In los angeles pawn shops right by the casinos and you see people going back and forth

Good advice Bethug.

However, I think casinos have to allow a player to play within there limits. As well as the player should have limits.

I remember you funny comment about cashing out in Vegas and having to wait a week. It made me smile. But at least landbased casinos provide jobs and taxes and other entertainment other than gambling.

Onlines are far more dangerous because of ease of access and provide far less to the society. Your advice of control is good - but onlines should also promote control. Instead, they try to push players to play beyond their limits. The are the real bonus abusers.

Thanks for a good post.

Stanford.

 

[Stanford]

Another Sad Story

I remember this sad story from last year. I found it reported again in Citizen Magazine. Excerpt below:

"He told Moner hed been playing at the MGM Grand Detroit, but that hed lost too much over there and was going to try his luck at MotorCity, at the high-limit blackjack tables, where you can forfeit $5,000 on every hand and no one says a word. Moner would not join him.

Win me some if you can, he told Solomon.

And Solomon did win, at first. A half-hour in, he was up $2,000. He started out in Pit No. 12, Blackjack Table 83, before moving to Table 84, then on to other tables. But he was making odd bets, dealers said, and he kept changing his wager: $4,000, then $500, then $700, then $100. He tried playing two hands at a time, at $500 each. He visited the ATM. His fingers trembled. He came back to Table 84. He produced a little black book from his pouch, called it his profit and loss book. He showed the dealer that hed handed over several grand at the MGM the day before. He bad-mouthed casinos, complaining that they, too, keep track of whos winning; that they only say something to you when you win, never when you lose. He said he was from New York, and that he liked to gamble in Florida. He drank only cranberry juice. He said winning or losing meant nothing to him.

The dealer at Table 84 went on break. His replacement was a woman, and Solomons luck had soured. With each losing hand, he lamented: Youre killing me.

Twenty minutes later, when the male dealer returned, Solomon was begging for better cards. He had $6,000 left. On the next hand, he wagered half $3,000. He held at 20, but the dealer pulled 21. Again he bet $3,000. Again, his 20 to the dealers 21.

Youre killing me, Solomon said.

Who knew he had one more item in that now-depleted black leather pouch; a .40-caliber Glock? He put it to the right side of his head and squeezed. He sat motionless for what seemed like forever, maybe a few seconds, then turned and tipped over."

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Stanford

 

[KasinoKing]

You have my heartfelt sypathy mate. I had a problem 15 years ago (Severely addicated to fruit machines) and it brought me close to losing everything important to me.
I recovered (ironicly discovering how to empty them ) and have never looked back but I really do hope you sort yourself out and beat the demons inside you.
Addiction to anything is really horrible and really hard to beat. I wish you the very best of luck mate.

Good post. Reminds me of someone I know VERY well - me!
I was (am) also addicted to fruit machines (slot machines), and don't even want to say how much I reckon I've wasted on them in my adult life.
Perhaps if I say it quickly it wont hurt too much... at least 30K ($54.6K) - OUCH!
And we are talking British machines - average payout 78% - HOW CRAZY IS THAT???

When I started playing online in 2000 I was similarly out of control. By the end of 2001 I was running up some nasty credit card bills.
I realised I had to do something - either stop gambling, or stop losing.
I know I'm hopelessly addicted, so I chose the latter. Since then I have only lost money in 2 months. I have paid off all my debits, and my gambling is entirely self-funding. I am therefore now enjoying the best of all worlds - I gamble pretty much every day, I usually make profit, but I don't have to worry when I do lose.
This is the reason for my very 'happy-go-lucky' attitude towards gambling that some of you other posters may have picked up on!
I'm not trying to make a living from it - it's just a bad habit!

As for Toofast4u - pretty much 'ditto' to all the other posts.
You may not be asking for my sympathy - but you certainly have it. Gambling IS an evil monster that can easily get out of control & wreck lives, and I can totally understand what happened to you, and to many others.
I could imagine it happening to me too, if I had a B&M casino on my doorstep. Luckily, the nearest one is 35 miles away, so I only gamble online where the minimum bets are MUCH smaller, and I find it a lot easier to control myself.
I hope recognising & admitting your problem is your first step to full 'recovery'.
Warmest wishes to you mate!

 

[sw2003]

I was (am) also addicted to fruit machines (slot machines), and don't even want to say how much I reckon I've wasted on them in my adult life.
Perhaps if I say it quickly it wont hurt too much... at least 30K ($54.6K) - OUCH!

Ouch, Ouch, Ouch, Ouch, that hurts real bad!

 

[Simmo!]

Ouch, Ouch, Ouch, Ouch, that hurts real bad!

Serious KK. Serious. But knowing Hastings the temptations all around and i guess there's F.A. else to do - except walking up in the Firehills maybe.

 

[Slotster!]

Kasino King - Surely you must be defeating all known Casino odd's to make money consistently, all the time, with very very few exceptions?? I hit a few big wins here and there - but I always assume that any money I gamble with I'll lose.. If I win it's a bonus!

Which games are your favourites??

 

[toofast4u]

well, I gotta say today I feel about 100% better, now just working on a solution on getting the money back, and gambling definitely is not the answer to that one.

IMO, gambling is only worth a few small bucks of your money, I was playing with critical money and I was stupid to play that way. I went from going in with $40 and walking out with $1800 to walking in with $1800 and leaving with $0.

Oh well, if we could predict the future we would all be winners.

 

[toofast4u]

I remember this sad story from last year. I found it reported again in Citizen Magazine. Excerpt below:

"He told Moner hed been playing at the MGM Grand Detroit, but that hed lost too much over there and was going to try his luck at MotorCity, at the high-limit blackjack tables, where you can forfeit $5,000 on every hand and no one says a word. Moner would not join him.

Win me some if you can, he told Solomon.

And Solomon did win, at first. A half-hour in, he was up $2,000. He started out in Pit No. 12, Blackjack Table 83, before moving to Table 84, then on to other tables. But he was making odd bets, dealers said, and he kept changing his wager: $4,000, then $500, then $700, then $100. He tried playing two hands at a time, at $500 each. He visited the ATM. His fingers trembled. He came back to Table 84. He produced a little black book from his pouch, called it his profit and loss book. He showed the dealer that hed handed over several grand at the MGM the day before. He bad-mouthed casinos, complaining that they, too, keep track of whos winning; that they only say something to you when you win, never when you lose. He said he was from New York, and that he liked to gamble in Florida. He drank only cranberry juice. He said winning or losing meant nothing to him.

The dealer at Table 84 went on break. His replacement was a woman, and Solomons luck had soured. With each losing hand, he lamented: Youre killing me.

Twenty minutes later, when the male dealer returned, Solomon was begging for better cards. He had $6,000 left. On the next hand, he wagered half $3,000. He held at 20, but the dealer pulled 21. Again he bet $3,000. Again, his 20 to the dealers 21.

Youre killing me, Solomon said.

Who knew he had one more item in that now-depleted black leather pouch; a .40-caliber Glock? He put it to the right side of his head and squeezed. He sat motionless for what seemed like forever, maybe a few seconds, then turned and tipped over."

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Stanford

I read that story yesterday, Although this is an extreme case it just shows how dramatic effect gambling has on some peoples lives.

I remember a few years ago when I was visiting the casino on a regular basis. There was a guy that had lost his job and came to the casino with $1700 in his pocket, and walked out with $500k, playing blackjack!!!! For probably 2 weeks he was there every day playing and losing his butt, betting anywhere from $500 - $2500 a hand, hopefully he got wise and walked away with at least some of the money, but I can only imagine what happened. I noticed that he disappeared after a while and i didn't see him around anymore, probably spent every penny of it trying to get back to that magic number. I think he would be the type of person that the casinos refer to as a 'shooting star'

 

[mitch]

Kasino King - Surely you must be defeating all known Casino odd's to make money consistently, all the time, with very very few exceptions?? I hit a few big wins here and there - but I always assume that any money I gamble with I'll lose.. If I win it's a bonus!

Which games are your favourites??

Slotster you answered your own question with the last six words of your penultimate paragraph.

See my last post on "VIP Casino reward scheme" for KKs method.

Mitch

"win don't gamble"

 

[KasinoKing]

Ouch, Ouch, Ouch, Ouch, that hurts real bad!

Sounds horrendous, doesn't it?
But bear in mind that's over 20+ years, so it was actually a slow trickle that works out at less than 30 a week = very easily done while hardly noticing.
Anyone who plays pub machines in the UK knows it is extremely easy to blow 30 quid in under an hour!
There are many people who are worse than me, but doesn't make it any easier to swallow!
If I smoked 20 a day, I would have spent more than that!
(and I'd be more stinky! )

 

[Petunia]

** Please allow me to say that I have not read ALL that was said. BUT I got the idea behind the first post, the support and the redicule behind some others.


* Do not confuse greedy behaviour with addiction.
* Gambling is a game, we all want to win, we all loose at times. I am down way more than $500 buddy - but it is not the casino's fault, or the government's that you show addictive behaviour.
* Get help. You are not going to get it by feeling sorry for yourself, and rounding up the troops to feel sorry for you. If you think you have a serious problem, then go to Gambling AA, or find someone in your local county. THey usually hang around at casino's too. Amazingly!
* Gambling is not a way to earn a living. IT IS A GAME pple. IT cannot be evil. It cannot be dangerous, it cannot be a health risk. YOU, as a person with your actions and intend creates that!
And then, finally.

If you cannot stand the heat in the kitchen, then get ouT!

I know it is harsh, but then, I have been there, and done that.

 

[bewitch]

Petunia, I am totally agree with what you said here. I always blame myself when I gamble, no matter win or loose. It is a type of entertainment, expensive one.

I firmly believe it's "personality" issue. We gamble everyday no matter which firm. It can be health(Smoking, over eating, drug...), stock/investment, slot machine, BlackJack, having sex without protection, etc. Gambling with money is more "obvious" than others. We need RIGHT personality to do it. I DO NOT have this right personality to gamble at casino. I visited this forum for more than a year and saw a lot of posts. So I give myself a judgement and realize I can't do this job or enjoy it even I really want to. Being honest to yourself is NOT fun.

I have hard time to stop this hobby and really HATE myself to be this way. (Don't get me wrong. I am even on this since I started, I NEVER go over my "limit", either.) You see, I was told/educated with this kind of knowledgement since I was a kid, GAMBLING is evil thing. But so are a lot of other things around.

When I read Toofast4u's post. It really make me think more. I hate to loose my hard earn money and wish I stop it or didn't do it at first place. I am not Anti-gamble. In fact, I like gambling and I can afford it but I felt guilty all the time. I won't blame casino for this because IT'S MY CHOICE and I should be responsilbe for it. You are right about this.

Nobody like to lost money. I wish I can make money like bethug, Blackjack21, Ciper, hhfreebie and some players here, but I can't. I wish I can enjoy gambling as an entertainment(don't care about lost money) like my dear friend, Linda7 and Wanda. But I can't either.

I believe there are a lot of people like me having similar thought. I felt sorry for Toofast4u but also hope he will find some help.

Just my thought to share tonight. Have a great weekend!

 

[luckyseven777]

I've always put myself at a limit. When I know I'm going to the casino, I set aside money and that's all I will play for the night. I'm not saying it's always easy to pass by the ATM on your way out when you know you can pull out more money, but I've never regretted leaving when I did.

 

[The Viking]

wow dont know if its a new reckord but reply to a thread thats been away for 14 years
good advise never the less though

I've always put myself at a limit. When I know I'm going to the casino, I set aside money and that's all I will play for the night. I'm not saying it's always easy to pass by the ATM on your way out when you know you can pull out more money, but I've never regretted leaving when I did.

 

[bebo67]

What a loser....
"...evil dirty casino", "...governed by evil"
According to your posts you were approximatedly $4,000 ahead and STILL 1,000 ahead now (even after the losses.) And you wanna whine about it. Makes me wonder who REALLY is the evil? I do feel for you, everyone of us has experienced this sometime somewhere somehow. You are ahead and you could have gone home rich but instead you chose to stay and lose your shirts. I don't see why you are making it such a big deal...when you are in fact still WINNING?? And you are blaming the casino??

Methinks tis not the gambling problem or addiction that's your problem, IT IS BLAMING OTHER PEOPLE FOR YOUR FAULTS THAT MAKE YOU A LOSER

wtf????????? You slimy POS! Your comment should be removed.

 

[bebo67]

Wishing all the best! Sometimes the hardest lessons are the best lessons. You should print off your post and read it when ever you get the urge. And judgmental people irk me beyond belief! People want to piss me off, that will do it!

 

[bebo67]

wow dont know if its a new reckord but reply to a thread thats been away for 14 years
good advise never the less though

Bahahaha. You're right! I can't see crap on here anymore since its changed. The date looks so faded. I still stand by my comment to the other dude

 

[goatwack]

Right, who bumped this thread!

Oh...that'd be me

 

[ed skull murphy]

Just goes to show how we have all moved on, in 13 years... so much more sophisticated and whatnot... I blame the internets (it's a series of toobs!).

 

[rena35]

Same thing 13 yrs later....lose, lesson learned (maybe)

 

[goatwack]

13 years ago I was still using my Spectrum 48K, and for the internet I'd use Teletext. I'd also use smoke signals when corresponding with friends, failing that, lob a bottle into the Thames o_O