I bankrupted myself, and almost my business - I need some advice

[Verty]

Hi,

This is a difficult post to write so I will try to make it short.
I am a gambling addict, and I played at a top rated and accredited casino 1 year ago.
When I lost all my personal money and could'nt get any more loan etc, I started using the credit card to my company. Big mistake, I know - but the addiction was bad. Very bad.
I lost around £250k of my companies money and I filed for personal bankruptcy a little while ago. I luckily escaped any criminal charges (for now), and my company barely survived.

I read so much about Responsible Gambling and SOW's and how it shall be close to impossible to lose more money than you can afford, but this accredited casino never did any SOW etc on me the 1,5 years this was going on. I even never had to send in a copy of my ID or Credit Card (I used around 5-10 cards in total). They let me play and gamble for 1,5 years losing a total of €350k - €500k. They finally asked for documents after I started sending emails to my VIP manager asking for money, but at that point the damage was already done and I was totally broke.

The accredited casino has one major brand and 3-4 small brands controlled by the big brand. I played on all the casinoes brands and had the same VIP manager on all of them. I allways made small deposits, €50 - €200, and I could easiley make 50-100 transactions in one night and play for 24+ hours.
It got so messy that my bank called me regulary asking about the transactions + my business. I lied.
It was easy to lie to the bank + my accountant because the casino used 3rd part payments processor that used crypto currencies, so my bank statements had no text showing exactly what thet money was used on. Just something about crypto.

This happend back in 2021 and 2022.

I know the money is lost and it is my fault, but don't the casino have some kind of responsibillity as well?

PS! I have been a gambling addict all my life, and I sent an email to this casino back in 2004-2006 asking to permanently close my account due to gambling addiction.
I have no proof of that since it is such a long time ago, but I remember it very well sitting with my family and sending out emails to every single casino I played at.

PS2! am feeling better now and starting to get some control over my life. That is why I am making this post.

 

[Avernite]

That's a horrible amount to lose. You'd think with those sums they'd at least do SOW?

However, if it's a crypto casino instead of a UKGC casino, you might be out of luck. I could be wrong but I don't think they're obligated to do much in regards to affordability checks.

I really hope you get the help you need. A lot of us, myself included, have been in similar situations in the past.

 

[gonzo fonso]

been there myself,these days i have deposit limits and play twice a week

 

[Verty]

That's a horrible amount to lose. You'd think with those sums they'd at least do SOW?

However, if it's a crypto casino instead of a UKGC casino, you might be out of luck. I could be wrong but I don't think they're obligated to do much in regards to affordability checks.

I really hope you get the help you need. A lot of us, myself included, have been in similar situations in the past.

Thank you for your reply.

It is Unibet.

 

[PMKFRUITPRO]

Pity you didn’t make a £50 deposit and hit the £250k. They’d have made you jump through hoops to get it.

Of course they obv don’t give a fuck when it’s the other way round.

They’ll be reps on here tell you different, but it’s the way it is.

A few fines now and again don’t touch the sides off the fortunes they make off people like yourself.

I hope it’s all under control now and wish u luck.

 

[patrina]

That sucks, and it's sad. It's easy to hit that deposit button, and casinos are eager to get you to do so. Yes, there are clicks to check your deposit list, and withdrawal as well, but I remember quite a bit ago when there were both options right at the game being played. Why not have a drop down or similiar to note (right at your betting game(s) to say, " Player, note, you started betting @ ie, 00:00 hrs and have your deposits and times, games listed. Instead of having to go through the rig amore to see where you're standing. Far fetched, ok, but why not,??! This would certainly help, especially when your all bought out and you check and say wt! I deposited THAT much!!?? IMO it would keep us in check and at bay, and well versed then, and, in the future. It would be simply easy to add such an option. Damn, how many times have I said, "no way, I couldn't of deposited that much in such a short amount of time! But, I did.

I don't feel i'm an addict, but do get annoyed when my monies are gone in minutes. And I certainly don't like to be pressured.... to see a pop up telling me I have insufficient funds to bet anymore, when, in fact I usually have enough for a few more bets, grrr. Many times I've hit a big win on my last bet. Damn straight..I believe we have (or should have) t&c's too! Just my humble opinion. Thanks.

 

[deleted20230517]

This is just the problem of general, online gambling. Esp when your alone, inside a closed space, it can be extremely isolating. Compared to a landbased one, they still have the "all-seeing-eye" and are trained to recognize in a certain way, problem gambler. I'm affraid there's not alot you can do. Money spend is money lost. Now after a near bankrupt claiming that they never lived up to the SOW or whatever mechanism should be in check is'nt going to get it back.

The thing is, more then tools you won't have. These tools can be setup to limit the amount of deposits and spending your doing. Thats about it. And if your unable to control yourself, USE these! Thats what they are for. Mind you that a VIP manager is not in your best interest. It's in the casino's interest. Keep you playing!

I have quite a sad story as well, not for me but for someone i know. Long story short; he was about to buy a business. Documents signed, doing construction, i get a call from the owner, the guy is not able to pay. I'm like what? I know he "had" quite some funds in order to seal the deal. It seems that for some time a "hidden" gambling addiction was ruining his life.

Since he's my friend i hammered on the importance, to self exclude and never ever go back again. I hammered on him like count the amount of times you went, count the amount of times you lost, and count the amount of times you've actually walked away with money. Is the last option not on number one? Then there's no need for you to be there anymore!

Thing is alot of people do not talk about it. And cropping it up, as in living that double life, is what kills it. But for OP, i'm glad you see the light, however this is not really the right place to start asking those questions. Your likely to get triggered again, and one thing leads to another. Lets not do that. You nearly escaped being completely f'ed.