[Help] Gambling: The Unique Addiction?

[Justice]

Ivan Toney is (was ?) in a big league and doesn’t need the money……

Most of the bets were made when he was in league 1 according to some reports.

 

[Justice]

Ivan Toney could actually come out of this current situation of his with some credit, if he becomes the ‘poster boy’ for the fight against addiction?

I’m not going to look at a poster of Ivan Toney and stop gambling. You would look at the poster and immediately think well he gets another £50k this week what does he have to worry about.

 

[Lenny Rider]

I’m not going to look at a poster of Ivan Toney and stop gambling. You would look at the poster and immediately think well he gets another £50k this week what does he have to worry about.

Not literally a poster, but a structured media campaign, GMB with Susanna Reid, The One Show, Philip and Holly even Piers Morgan, just getting the message out there, clearly the funs not stopping with the current narrative, maybe Toney's plight will stop others?

FWIW I think they are going to throw the book at Toney and he could be looking at a long time on the sidelines.

 

[Justice]

Not literally a poster, but a structured media campaign, GMB with Susanna Reid, The One Show, Philip and Holly even Piers Morgan, just getting the message out there, clearly the funs not stopping with the current narrative, maybe Toney's plight will stop others?

FWIW I think they are going to throw the book at Toney and he could be looking at a long time on the sidelines.

Possibly he will get a long ban, I understand your logic although I think it would be better coming from a well known face who has lost everything through gambling.

Like all addictions you have to want to stop. I thought about stopping after lockdown until my good lady said you had better get your mojo back and win some money

 

[herecomesaregular]

I would argue there is a unique nature to gambling addictions. A drug addict doesn’t think doing more heroin is going to make it easier to stop doing heroin. They might convince themselves that they’ll stop after one more hit but shooting up more isn’t going to reverse the damage.

Gambling addicts believe that they need to gamble more to win back what they’ve lost. It’s not just chasing the high of a win, it can very easily become “obvious” that the best way out of the hole gambling has put you in to is simply to gamble more.

This

 

[albion534]

I’m 4 years sober and counting from gambling. Almost cost me my marriage. I stole from family to find this disease, gambling is a strange 1. You get hardly any sympathy from people when you tell them you are, and people act like it’s not a big deal when you tell them you’re clean from it

 

[Iggle Piggle]

I worked for William Hill for 30 years, the first 15 were fine, saw a few sights but nothing I couldn’t handle. Then came the FOBTs and by then I was sort of trapped as I felt I had no options with regards to a change of employment. The suffering I observed was painful, I hated seeing it but there was little I could do. I did more RGIs (Responsible Gambling Interactions) than a lot of my colleagues however, the punter was usually non responsive, or it simply wasn’t practical as I often worked on my own while someone underage was on one machine, another machine had someone spitting and punching it while I was keeping an eye out for self excluded punters. money launderers or drug addicts locking themselves in the bog. Meanwhile I was expecting to sign people up for a bastard loyalty card. There was a culture of fear amongst the middle management obsessed with targets regardless of the human cost. When I plucked up the courage to leave my mental and physical health improved ten fold.

A depressing and enlightening post

Back when I started gambling, bookies were like a social club. Old Boys doing 10p Yankees, meeting their mates smoking themselves to death and killing time. I spent many an hour in Ladbrokes in Fiveways whilst I was supposed to be revising for my A levels.

The FOBT changed all that. In came the addicts beating the shit out of the machines as they did a weeks wages in 10 minutes, the money laundering and the constant push from staff to bin the football coupon and to play more machines. Each one - 4 max in each shop - made an average of 50k a year. No wonder the atmosphere changed. That's 200k in deprived areas least able to afford it and that's on the assumption there was just one shop.

Things have improved in the shops now the max limit has been downgraded but all its really done is push the addicts online. There is nothing stopping you doing your bollocks in an online casino.

The industry is in a bit of a mess as a result and the greed of the FOBT era is to blame.

 

[Lenny Rider]

I’m 4 years sober and counting from gambling. Almost cost me my marriage. I stole from family to find this disease, gambling is a strange 1. You get hardly any sympathy from people when you tell them you are, and people act like it’s not a big deal when you tell them you’re clean from it

That’s great news mate.

The lack of sympathy you speak about is indicative of society, we’ve become collectively very selfish, don’t let it bother you, just keeping doing what you’re doing old boy

 

[erkan]

I’m 4 years sober and counting from gambling. Almost cost me my marriage. I stole from family to find this disease, gambling is a strange 1. You get hardly any sympathy from people when you tell them you are, and people act like it’s not a big deal when you tell them you’re clean from it

This is a fair point but I'm not sure you should be after much sympathy from people who can never understand. I guess its not much different for people who beat alcohol or other addictions.

Having some contact with people who DO understand is important especially in the early days. The G.A. group in Hove was brilliantly helpful for me. I had my last bet in October 2004 having got to the brink of catastrophe. I still even give my money to someone else to buy raffle tickets when that is required...

Keeping completely off it is the only way if you have been compulsive in the past. Hopefully you (@albion534) are seeing the benefits and freedoms in your gambling-free life and will stay strong.

Anyone else who would like to stop gambling compulsively - hopefully before it has become a massive problem but definitely if it already is - then I'd completely recommend finding your nearest Gamblers Anonymous group. If you give it a chance it will work to help you get stopped gambling and start the way to a new and better life. The meeting is where you will be properly understood and cared about. The collective positivity in the group that knows they are doing so well to stay gambling-free, and how important that is to each other, is very powerful and becomes something you look forward to.

Link: Gamblers Anonymous - Brighton & Hove

G.A. Phone Number: 0330 094 0322

 

[thedonkeycentrehalf]

A depressing and enlightening post

Back when I started gambling, bookies were like a social club. Old Boys doing 10p Yankees, meeting their mates smoking themselves to death and killing time. I spent many an hour in Ladbrokes in Fiveways whilst I was supposed to be revising for my A levels.

The FOBT changed all that. In came the addicts beating the shit out of the machines as they did a weeks wages in 10 minutes, the money laundering and the constant push from staff to bin the football coupon and to play more machines. Each one - 4 max in each shop - made an average of 50k a year. No wonder the atmosphere changed. That's 200k in deprived areas least able to afford it and that's on the assumption there was just one shop.

Things have improved in the shops now the max limit has been downgraded but all its really done is push the addicts online. There is nothing stopping you doing your bollocks in an online casino.

The industry is in a bit of a mess as a result and the greed of the FOBT era is to blame.

This post really resonates with me. My Dad is 80 and always liked a bet on the horses and occasionally the dogs but I reckon £10 is the biggest single bet he has ever had in his life. The bookies was his refuge from work (and us) and he had his own little social circles in the different places he would frequent (one nearer work, one nearer home). Yankees, Lucky 15, a quick 50p double on the two races before he had to get to work or home for his dinner. Most of those in the bookies were the same. Even now, he has moved away from the area but has still found another little group in the bookies in his new location.

Just before he moved away, he was in hospital with a heart concern. I had to drop into two different bookies every couple of days to give them an update as none of them have any contact with each other outside of the bookies but all wanted to know he was okay. The managers all knew their regulars and would pass on update about the regulars.

He has exactly the same view as you - those machines changed the whole atmosphere and clientele of the bookies. Instead of shouting at Lester Piggott for a crap ride that cost them 50p, you had youngsters getting very wound up over a very expensive fruit machine on which they had just lost £50 in ten seconds.

Progress at what cost?

 

[marcos3263]

Almost everyone I know who likes football bets on it - constantly. its all the talk before and during a match. most only bet small but some I can see bet on other leagues/sports which strikes me as a bit of an addiction, its ok to bet on the game you are watching but a chinese league etc?

What upsets me though is when their kids who are as young as 8 ask to put a bet on - this has become part of their football experience. Their dad puts on a couple of quid and if it wins they get the payout. they dont lose the couple of quid so where is the penalty or risk.

I have voiced my concerns but am told its only pennies and a bit of fun. looks like a time bomb to me.

 

[oldboyroy]

I’m 4 years sober and counting from gambling. Almost cost me my marriage. I stole from family to find this disease, gambling is a strange 1. You get hardly any sympathy from people when you tell them you are, and people act like it’s not a big deal when you tell them you’re clean from it

Well done for being 4 years free of it mate, that's a great achievement and long may it continue. For many years of mine I had many family and friends "just" simply not understand it and as my above post it cost me my marriage, home children and some members of family. Fortunately, I have rebuilt my life with new partner, home and financial stability again and 15 years of paying back debt which is as near as dam it cleared. Losing everything and almost taking my life is very much a reminder of how bad it and I was. I now have my children back in my life and now they completely understand how and why I ended up that way and although I don't accept praise that I get from them now for rebuilding my life, they really are proud of me for getting through it. Bearing in mind they(my children) were young at the time and now they are all adults.

 

[oldboyroy]

This is a fair point but I'm not sure you should be after much sympathy from people who can never understand. I guess its not much different for people who beat alcohol or other addictions.

Having some contact with people who DO understand is important especially in the early days. The G.A. group in Hove was brilliantly helpful for me. I had my last bet in October 2004 having got to the brink of catastrophe. I still even give my money to someone else to buy raffle tickets when that is required...

Keeping completely off it is the only way if you have been compulsive in the past. Hopefully you (@albion534) are seeing the benefits and freedoms in your gambling-free life and will stay strong.

Anyone else who would like to stop gambling compulsively - hopefully before it has become a massive problem but definitely if it already is - then I'd completely recommend finding your nearest Gamblers Anonymous group. If you give it a chance it will work to help you get stopped gambling and start the way to a new and better life. The meeting is where you will be properly understood and cared about. The collective positivity in the group that knows they are doing so well to stay gambling-free, and how important that is to each other, is very powerful and becomes something you look forward to.

Link: Gamblers Anonymous - Brighton & Hove

G.A. Phone Number: 0330 094 0322

Ditto the Hove GA group which I attended when living in Sussex.

 

[giveusfalmerplease]

post deleted as a bit too much info. I will just mention that it took me getting made redundant to finally use Gamstop after 30 years spending more than i should

 

[Papak]

Agree on the FOBTs thing. I knew someone a good few years ago who worked in a bookies. Punters would plough money into it and be thrown out of the shop at closing only to be waiting at the door the following morning.

One chap did his lot one day and smashed the front of the machine, rather than banning him the manager of the shop got on the phone to head office to order a replacement asap in case he went anywhere else to play and didn't return!!

 

[FatSuperman]

An amazing thread, thank you.

Ideas for new slogans:

When you’ve lost your wages fifteen minutes into the weekend, stop

When your family have abandoned you, and you’ve started shoplifting to pay for bets, stop

And for alcohol
Puke into a bin at 02:57 responsibly

 

[Peacehaven Wild Kids]

Agree on the FOBTs thing. I knew someone a good few years ago who worked in a bookies. Punters would plough money into it and be thrown out of the shop at closing only to be waiting at the door the following morning.

One chap did his lot one day and smashed the front of the machine, rather than banning him the manager of the shop got on the phone to head office to order a replacement asap in case he went anywhere else to play and didn't return!!

Yeah, I’ll second this. Usually though the smashing up of a machine was a cry for help, it was a desperate throw of the dice (excuse the pun) in order to get banned. The reason I didn’t get too many machines smashed in my shop was because I made all the large staking machine punters aware of the self exclusion feature because, like I said, this was what they were trying to achieve.

 

[BadFish]

Almost everyone I know who likes football bets on it - constantly. its all the talk before and during a match. most only bet small but some I can see bet on other leagues/sports which strikes me as a bit of an addiction, its ok to bet on the game you are watching but a chinese league etc?

What upsets me though is when their kids who are as young as 8 ask to put a bet on - this has become part of their football experience. Their dad puts on a couple of quid and if it wins they get the payout. they dont lose the couple of quid so where is the penalty or risk.

I have voiced my concerns but am told its only pennies and a bit of fun. looks like a time bomb to me.

I noticed a few years ago at work. The conversation about football (AFL) switched with the younger staff from talking about football to talking about betting on football. What's app groups for 'punters clubs' etc etc. It seems to me that the bookies have done a really solid job of infiltrating sport and taking it as their own. All this must spell trouble for those who struggle with gambling.

 

[Swansman]

Banning betting affiliate marketing would go a long way I think. Along with loan affiliate marketing, it is by far the most profitable on the web.

If I run a football site and I have bet365 or some other betting company as affiliates and you click the link and register... I get 10-20% of everything you lose - for life. This is the main reason you'll find betting ads everywhere online.

 

[Justice]

Yeah, I’ll second this. Usually though the smashing up of a machine was a cry for help, it was a desperate throw of the dice (excuse the pun) in order to get banned. The reason I didn’t get too many machines smashed in my shop was because I made all the large staking machine punters aware of the self exclusion feature because, like I said, this was what they were trying to achieve.

I’m not understanding the mentality a punter has lost let’s say £300 in the machine what is registering with the punter it’s suddenly going to pay out with the next £300. You are better off walking into a casino and dropping £300 on black or red at least you have a near 47% chance of winning.