Hi Guys...My names Chris and i'm A Gambling Addict...damn!

[ergosum]

Hi there,

I'm a late 30 something from a little place in the UK called Tipton (i'm originally from Yorkshire, i don't talk funny like these folks round here ).

Anyways its great to find such a wealth of info on here to do with my favourite place at the moment, Online Casinos!

I've played on them for years, and probably learned nothing at all in that time, I remember always playing at £0.30 a spin on Thunderstruck 2 and was really happy to leave the casino £30-£40 up, I don't know when things changed but now I play at £1 a spin and blow my balance very quickly, I think its the adrenaline rush of winning decent amounts with bigger wagers.

Unfortunately I had a win of £3500 3 weeks ago on Immortal Romance, tea time on the first saturday in the new month, I say unfortunately because since that win greed has definitely taken over and now I have probably spent and lost around 2k with no wins at all hardly, I keep self excluding then after a few days the demon comes back and I go off and sign up to another casino, 32red, dash, bet365, I've excluded myself from, which is probably really stupid as the ones I am currently a member of - Guts, Betsafe, Vera and John and BGO I just can't seem to win on at all, got through £200 in an hour earlier with bugger all, and I'm scared to add up the deposits I've made so far this month, other than the good win at the beginning I've had nothing at all.

I tend to mostly stick to the same games - Immortal romance, thunderstruck 2, Avalon 2, Battlestar Gallactica, all of which I have had decent wins on, but not any more, Gonzo's Quest can be ok too, and I like Medusa 2, but only ever had one good session (my first) which has kept me going back.

I guess I'm looking for advice on a few things, trying to control the addiction, which casinos are worth sticking with, best times to play for a UK based player, and best games and bet amounts for longevity (I know, stupid questions some of them, but it would be good to hear what works for others).

Cheers guys, and I look forward to posting more, and hopefully eventually adding some value to the forum myself.

 

[PaaskeDenmark]

Hi and welcome. No questions are to stupid to be asked so don't be afraid to ask

We are all here to help and guide you. And you can find accredited casinos here. But as new UK law is kicking in it is all bit up and down at moment for UK players.

Best Casinos which 100% are getting UK license would be 32Red, Guts, BetAt just to mention a few.

I will get back with more in regards to your question unless someone else gets before me

 

[ergosum]

Thanks

Hi there,

Thanks for taking the time to reply to my post , I think I might end up regretting my self exclusion from 32red, I had a bad run and thought that was the only way to combat it, bit counter-intuitive considering I then missed 32red and signed up at dash, I was shocked that they allowed me to actually. I think I might contact 32 red and see if I can get my account reinstated, none of the other Casinos seem to come close, I thought Guts might be good, they have a great selection of games, but after spending around £500 with them and not getting a win over £50 I'm beginning to think otherwise, although it might be the time of day/day of week I was playing, I have read that early hours tend to be best, and weds/thurs in the week, I just think I am having a terrible luck run since my previous win.

 

[PaaskeDenmark]

Hi there,

Thanks for taking the time to reply to my post , I think I might end up regretting my self exclusion from 32red, I had a bad run and thought that was the only way to combat it, bit counter-intuitive considering I then missed 32red and signed up at dash, I was shocked that they allowed me to actually. I think I might contact 32 red and see if I can get my account reinstated, none of the other Casinos seem to come close, I thought Guts might be good, they have a great selection of games, but after spending around £500 with them and not getting a win over £50 I'm beginning to think otherwise, although it might be the time of day/day of week I was playing, I have read that early hours tend to be best, and weds/thurs in the week, I just think I am having a terrible luck run since my previous win.

Let me quickly point out time of day has nothing at all to say. Also how much money you put into a slot has nothing to say that it has to payout soon or has to payout a big feature.

It is all very random. So be careful not put yourself into thinking what time of day is best. Or get caught up betting to much at one slot because NOW its ment to pay up.

Ps. Guts is great. If you have a bad run or having dry run you might wanna ship them an email or pm Ben I am sure they will be able to comp you. Ask them to check you RTP and see

Also just to give my own suspicion I tend to find that my luckiest runs are at night time between 1am-5am UK time don't know why. But at these times is where I had big wins at mainly 32Red.
Also had nice big wins at Betsafe, Guts and Vera&John.

 

[Tirilej]

You sound like someone who really needs to take a break. By continue when you notice already that you sometimes are losing control or get frustrated over not winning, then you have to be able to say stop.

If you didn't tell 32Red that you was self excluding because of gambling problems, then they don't know that. Maybe you said other reasons like just losing.
If you set a time, then don't ask. You will not be allowed to open it before that time has ended.

You have already called yourself a gambling addict so...how bad is it really?
That may sound like an abrupt question but well worth thinking about.

 

[KasinoKing]

I tend to mostly stick to the same games - Immortal romance, thunderstruck 2, Avalon 2, Battlestar Gallactica, all of which I have had decent wins on, but not any more, Gonzo's Quest can be ok too, and I like Medusa 2, but only ever had one good session (my first) which has kept me going back.

Personally I think this is a big factor in your problem - those games are all high variance (I don't know Medusa 2).
They CAN throw out huge and exciting wins from time time to time, but as you have found out they can also decimate your balance time AFTER time.

I hardly ever play those games - I prefer low variance games which generally give longer play-time and still the chance of a decent (but not mega) win.

However, I don't really think we should be discussing the games at all because the REAL problem is your lack of self control in sticking to a gambling budget. If you can't do that, then you'll be better off not playing any games and trying to get the "gabling bug" out of your system - if you don't all you are ever going to do is lose regardless of which games you play.

My suggestion: don't spend ANY more money gambling this month - wait until October. In the meantime decide your budget for October and stick to it. Try some different games and keep your stakes SMALL. If you don't over-spend in October, you can do the same the following month. But if you can't stick to it then I think you need to stop all gambling. They are organisations who can help you with this.
If it's not fun or if it's effecting your personal life (as in running up debts and not paying bills) you shouldn't be doing it.

KK

 

[ergosum]

Personally I think this is a big factor in your problem - those games are all high variance (I don't know Medusa 2).
They CAN throw out huge and exciting wins from time time to time, but as you have found out they can also decimate your balance time AFTER time.

I hardly ever play those games - I prefer low variance games which generally give longer play-time and still the chance of a decent (but not mega) win.

However, I don't really think we should be discussing the games at all because the REAL problem is your lack of self control in sticking to a gambling budget. If you can't do that, then you'll be better off not playing any games and trying to get the "gabling bug" out of your system - if you don't all you are ever going to do is lose regardless of which games you play.

My suggestion: don't spend ANY more money gambling this month - wait until October. In the meantime decide your budget for October and stick to it. Try some different games and keep your stakes SMALL. If you don't over-spend in October, you can do the same the following month. But if you can't stick to it then I think you need to stop all gambling. They are organisations who can help you with this.
If it's not fun or if it's effecting your personal life (as in running up debts and not paying bills) you shouldn't be doing it.

KK

That sounds like a good plan, I'll have a look at a fixed budget for the month, Its not got to the stage where its affecting my ability to pay bills atm, but I think if I don't exert some control now it could get to that stage, I get depressed after losing so much, and then my brain convinces itself to have another go, I've heard a little bit about variance but not really looked into it, is there any way you can get info on which games are good low variance ones to play?
And thanks for the great advice

 

[ergosum]

You sound like someone who really needs to take a break. By continue when you notice already that you sometimes are losing control or get frustrated over not winning, then you have to be able to say stop.

If you didn't tell 32Red that you was self excluding because of gambling problems, then they don't know that. Maybe you said other reasons like just losing.
If you set a time, then don't ask. You will not be allowed to open it before that time has ended.

You have already called yourself a gambling addict so...how bad is it really?
That may sound like an abrupt question but well worth thinking about.

I'm not sure why I told 32red I wanted to self exclude, but I think I set 6 months, so ok won't contact them, I'll just stick to playing on Guts or Vera and John as they seem to be pretty good for most people, I think i'm going to have a try with setting a budget and reign my spending in a bit, but an action plan in place to limit my spending.

How do you say thanks on a post?, and thank you for taking the time to comment on mine, its all good advice and much appreciated

 

[ergosum]

Let me quickly point out time of day has nothing at all to say. Also how much money you put into a slot has nothing to say that it has to payout soon or has to payout a big feature.

It is all very random. So be careful not put yourself into thinking what time of day is best. Or get caught up betting to much at one slot because NOW its ment to pay up.

Ps. Guts is great. If you have a bad run or having dry run you might wanna ship them an email or pm Ben I am sure they will be able to comp you. Ask them to check you RTP and see

Also just to give my own suspicion I tend to find that my luckiest runs are at night time between 1am-5am UK time don't know why. But at these times is where I had big wins at mainly 32Red.
Also had nice big wins at Betsafe, Guts and Vera&John.

That used to be my favourite time for playing, or late evening around 10pm, I just had a look at my deposits for guts, $631 over a 3 day period which converts at just short of £400, which is pretty terrible considering thats not the only casino I was trying out, do you have to request an RTP figure from them or can you find it in your account details?, thanks for the message back

 

[Tirilej]

I'm not sure why I told 32red I wanted to self exclude, but I think I set 6 months, so ok won't contact them, I'll just stick to playing on Guts or Vera and John as they seem to be pretty good for most people, I think i'm going to have a try with setting a budget and reign my spending in a bit, but an action plan in place to limit my spending.

How do you say thanks on a post?, and thank you for taking the time to comment on mine, its all good advice and much appreciated

You need to have made 10 posts before the button shows up

It's good to ask all these questions before it has ruined your life. For some it can go very fast.
Learn to read your own behaviour and since we don't know you we can only go after what you say.

There are a lot of information in this forum. There is also a Quit gambling section. That can be good to know for the future or if you just need more information about how bad it can go.

 

[ergosum]

You need to have made 10 posts before the button shows up

It's good to ask all these questions before it has ruined your life. For some it can go very fast.
Learn to read your own behaviour and since we don't know you we can only go after what you say.

There are a lot of information in this forum. There is also a Quit gambling section. That can be good to know for the future or if you just need more information about how bad it can go.

I'll take a look at that section thanks, I don't really want to quit gambling altogether, I really enjoy playing the slots, I just don't want it to end up getting completely out of control, I'm a rational bloke and normally don't like to waste money too much (I know, your probably laughing at that last comment) I know I used to enjoy it more when I felt in control of it, and betting smaller amounts, I think thats probably another action I need to implement in my weaning plan!

And great, i'll be able to thank you all for your great responses soon then

 

[ergosum]

Let me quickly point out time of day has nothing at all to say. Also how much money you put into a slot has nothing to say that it has to payout soon or has to payout a big feature.

It is all very random. So be careful not put yourself into thinking what time of day is best. Or get caught up betting to much at one slot because NOW its ment to pay up.

Ps. Guts is great. If you have a bad run or having dry run you might wanna ship them an email or pm Ben I am sure they will be able to comp you. Ask them to check you RTP and see

Also just to give my own suspicion I tend to find that my luckiest runs are at night time between 1am-5am UK time don't know why. But at these times is where I had big wins at mainly 32Red.
Also had nice big wins at Betsafe, Guts and Vera&John.

I contacted Guts and enquired about my RTP, they said its 70% over 10 deposits, would that be considered good, bad or average?
Thanks

 

[vinylweatherman]

I'll take a look at that section thanks, I don't really want to quit gambling altogether, I really enjoy playing the slots, I just don't want it to end up getting completely out of control, I'm a rational bloke and normally don't like to waste money too much (I know, your probably laughing at that last comment) I know I used to enjoy it more when I felt in control of it, and betting smaller amounts, I think thats probably another action I need to implement in my weaning plan!

And great, i'll be able to thank you all for your great responses soon then

What seems to have happened here is that big hit on Immortal Romance has gone to your head. You are grossly overestimating how likely such a win is to occur again, and this is bringing on "chasing" behaviour. What SHOULD happen after you lose and get "depressed" is that your brain should say "**** this!" and the desire to play should subside, and the brain should steer you towards a different activity. This then allows you a break in which you can evaluate the past sessions and decide what to do the next time. Chasing behaviour is where the brain does the opposite, the more you lose, the greater the urge to try again, often with steadily raising deposits and stakes. The big danger here is overshooting your budget, often to the point of exhausting all easily accessed assets with no thought to when the next lot of income is due, or what essential bills need also to come out of the current pot.

As the UK scene is undergoing such upheaval now, it's a great opportunity to take a long break, and be able to justify taking said break to yourself without feeling that you have done it because you have lost control. UK players are finding that casinos are leaving it right to the last minute to tell them anything, so it's impossible to be sure where we will be able to play next month.

Extending the break through most of October will let the "dust settle" on the new arrangements, and then we will have an idea where we can play in the future.

If you do decide to start playing again next month, start by paying all the bills in advance so that if you cave in to temptation, the money has already gone on the essentials and you can't divert it to the "chase". At least then if you find you can't control the urge and have to quit completely, you will not face months of financial woe.

The UK rules on responsible gambling are quite strict, and it is highly unlikely that 32Red will reopen your account if you have used the self exclusion for a "gambling problem". They will insist on you taking at least a 6 month break, and it will also mean you can't play at any 32Red product in the mean time, which includes Dash.

 

[paul7388]

As you have admitted you have a gambling problem now is the time to act.

It would be easy for me to tell you to quit before its to late but that is neither easy to do or what you want.

The good thing is you are not in debt and are still paying bills and keeping money to survive on.

As has already been mentioned come October there should be less selection of casinos you can use in UK and anything without a licence theres no point playing anyway as no guarantee of getting paid if you play an untrustworthy casino, so I would stick to accredited casinos here.

I would then find what casinos you like and I would use 32red again when exclusion is over. Then I would work out how much money I can afford to lose a month without putting myself in trouble and set monthly limits at all casinos. If you can only afford say £200 a month without getting in trouble set limits of like £50 a month at 4 casinos and when its done its done.

And if you do set limits and use them then try to change limits or open up more casinos to play at then you know that you are now spending what you cannot afford, That's when you know its time to get serious help before its too late.

Hope it goes well for you and Welcome to the forum. There are always members here that will try to help as much as possible

 

[Matti]

I contacted Guts and enquired about my RTP, they said its 70% over 10 deposits, would that be considered good, bad or average?
Thanks

Average RTP on Netent and MG seems to be around 96%. I think you have a good chance of getting a comp. This is of course always up to the casino.

However take the good advice given and stay away from casinos for a while.

 

[KasinoKing]

I've heard a little bit about variance but not really looked into it, is there any way you can get info on which games are good low variance ones to play?

Unfortunately to a great extent Variance and Good to Play are in the "Eye of the beholder" - there is no mathematical way to calculate this like there is with the RTP (Return to Player).
As far as I know only RTG state the variance (volatility) of their games in the casino's lobby.
When I started SlotBeaters.com I was trying to put variance ratings against all the slots from various softwares, but gave up after a couple of years as it was just too much work. And it was just my opinion - not based on any hard facts.

I contacted Guts and enquired about my RTP, they said its 70% over 10 deposits, would that be considered good, bad or average?
Thanks

Personally I think that's pretty terrible - but given the games you said you were playing - not ridiculously bad.
High variance games have to pay low RTP most of the time so that they can afford to pay the BIG wins. This does not mean they are not random - it's just simple maths. The overall long-term RTP of those games is around 96% - 97%.

KK