1. Gambling Stories From The Week 2019
2. Gambling Stories From The Weekend
3. Gambling Stories From The Week Old

In order to get beyond the statistics and provide a more personal and individual picture of this issue, we have created this section to feature the stories of individuals who have been affected by problem gambling. People who have sought treatment for gambling addition have countless stories of heartbreak, financial devastation, support, reinvention, and recovery. As you read these stories, you will be reminded that problem gambling affects not only the gambler, but also their family members, friends, colleagues and employers; treatment providers; advocates; and many others.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Gamblers in Tennessee wagered more than $27 million in the first week of the state’s online sports betting program, officials said. 8, the adjusted gross income from gambling was more than $2.5 million, and the amount of tax money generated was $509,000, according to the Tennessee Education. The other Coast casinos reopened last week. All along the Coast, crews removed sand and debris from U.S. 90 and other roads and streets near the casinos.

Gambling Stories From The Week, antiguo casino viejo san juan, m casino map, blackjack cake images. Bonus Spins-€200. Problem Gambling Help. The online gambling industry is in the midst of a huge boom, with an increasing number of operators moving into the sector over the past few years. Experts have predicted that annual revenues are likely to reach $60 billion by the end of 2020 and should continue to rise at a rapid rate over the coming years.

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Treatment Works

The good news about gambling addiction is that treatment is effective, and recovery is real and attainable. Northstar Problem Gambling Alliance has gathered a few accounts. A few of them are listed below.

Voices of Recovery

Jim’s Story

When I was about 10, I remember sensing that something was wrong. I went upstairs and heard my dad screaming and crying into the phone. I heard him saying, “I paid you. I paid you. You’re not getting another penny out of me!” I remember his distress vividly, and it was devastating to me to see my dad in that way. Later, I learned he was talking to a loan shark because of financial problems brought about by gambling. Read more to find out how Jim’s family dealt with this struggle and what he suggests for other people who are experiencing gambling addiction.

Ann’s Story

Once I became hooked, it became my life. Gambling became my main source of entertainment. It was the only thing that I cared about. I’d cheat, steal and otherwise do whatever it took to get money. Read more to see what Ann learned about how to overcome gambling addiction.

Eddie’s Story

It was late in the evening on July 16, 2002, and outside the Mystic Lake Casino Eddie and several friends waited anxiously for the clock to strike midnight. Eddie had already watched many of his friends celebrate their eighteenth birthdays at the casino, and he was excited that his day had finally come. Read more about what happened to Eddie and if he is still gambling today.

Christine’s Story

Within six months after the big win, I realized I bit off more than I could chew. I had given back all the money, and more. I kept chasing that feeling of the huge win. […] In 2004, I started a business that quickly had financial success. I had so much money that I thought I’d never run out. But eventually I couldn’t even come up with postage to ship a package. I started selling stolen goods to cover my losses and eventually ended up in prison on a mail fraud charge. Read more about why Christine is candid about her addiction and how her life is today.

The Meyer Family Shares Their Story to Raise Awareness About Gambling Addiction and its Consequences

Kim Meyer and her five children live in a small Long Island community, in the home where she and her high school sweetheart/husband Scott built a full and happy life together over the last 27 years. They co-funded a business, Scott coached the kids’ sports teams, and both were involved in their community, schools and church. Scott is now serving a 4½ – 13-year prison sentence for grand larceny and forgery, for using clients’ funds to chase more than $500,000 in gambling losses.

With New York state recently legalizing online gambling and preparing to build several new casinos in 2017, Kim has decided to go public with their private nightmare, to help raise awareness about gambling addiction and reduce the stigma that persists – lessons she and her family learned through painful personal experience.

Kim’s daughters created this video to raise awareness and let their dad know how much they love and support him.

Read more about the Meyer family’s story here.

More Voices of Problem Gambling

• After 2 semesters in college, I am wondering where all my money has gone. I would tell myself time and time again to stop betting, whether it be online poker, blackjack, or sports bets. A few days later I would always be back placing more bets and telling myself that if I lose this time I would be done forever. I’d win big a couple times, but only to increase my betting size and lose it all days later, and still bet more money. The highs were nice, but the lows were horrible. After losing everything in my checking account I began taking money out of my savings account thinking that I was one big win away from winning it all back. I knew I had a gambling problem, but as long as I wasn’t going into debt I tricked myself into thinking that it was okay. I ran myself into a 721 dollar debt on my credit card. There really was no further in debt I could go because the card had a limit of 1000. After being off great financially 9 months ago, I am now completely broke. It really is shameful to think that after I calculated it all up, I had lost about 7000 dollars in savings due to gambling. It still makes me sick just thinking about it. I finally told my parents that I had been losing a moderate amount of money in gambling, even though I could never tell them how much I actually lost. I told them I had lost 3000,and that even shocked them a lot. I haven’t gambled for a month, even though I have been tempted to do so many times with money from my job. I let my gambling go from betting around 50 dollars weekly on online-poker to betting 300 dollars 2-3 times a week on any sports game I could find. I hope I never gamble again.

• Hi I’m 12 years old and have three sisters. And well my dad is addicted to gambling. My mom and dad have been fighting ever since he started his problem which is about three years ago and now it scares me to think that they might get a divorce. Well finally after talking everything out my dad has agreed to find some help so I decided to help them find some help.
• Imagine that your own 11 year old daughter approaches you and says “Dad, I want to talk to you please”. You say, “Sure honey, what is it?” She then asks your other 8 year old daughter and your 4 year old son to leave her room so she can plead with you to stop gambling. Imagine that you see her tears and then you tell her that nothing causing her to cry would be worth doing again; yet you go and do it over and over again. Have you not, at that stage, lost your human side out to a formidable foe?!
• After three years of my gambling addiction, I lost the family that I was blessed to have. My beautiful wife and children have left me and I have not seen them in over two years. I now live in despair. The high education, good status and jobs that I once had seem to have vanished.
• For two years I lived in different shelters, sought food and clothing from hand-me-down sources, yet I continued to gamble every chance I had money, no matter how little it was!
• As a full-blown gambler, I resorted to extensive research on the subject of addiction and was able to tie my own addiction to troubled childhood. I found out that my behavior was consistent with my subconscious desire to punish myself and my loved ones. I have not been loving myself and sought to humiliate myself and bring harm to those who loved me, because I thought that I was never worthy of being loved.
• This was a first small step in the right direction. It is known as the cognitive approach, and means that I, as a gambler, must have it engraved in my brain, that gambling will never get me even or regain my losses to the casinos. It would only bring me more punishment and it would be sick for me to continue to punish myself and my loved ones. I don’t want to be sick and I am determined to overcome my sickness.
• As a gambler, I initially experienced a win and this became a favorable event that stuck in my mind and I didn’t remember the overwhelming majority of unfavorable events of losses. I tended to chase my losses, and promised myself that once I “get even”, or at least regain some of my losses back, I would forever stop gambling. I rationalized my gambling due to the pressure that I received from my creditors wanting to be paid back, but gambling always got me deeper and deeper into more dept. Sometimes I become suicidal and other times I ended up committing fraud and consistently lied to my family, friends and associates. Is gambling worth these kinds of outcomes?!
• There is no strategy, there is no scheme that can take any one of us to a point where we can say we can now stop gambling. The only time you win is the time you stay away from further gambling. Conversely, if you submit to your “bad self” or irrational impulses, you give your own stubbornness control over your life and seize to live the life you deserve. Please don’t condemn yourself to a life of despair and worthlessness. Find your “good self” and overcome your troubles by loving yourself and finding strength and honor from your patience and inner spirituality!
• I’m sitting here trying to figure out how to tell my husband that once again we have a major credit card bill on the way. I swore to him that it would never happen again. I believed my vow, especially when I saw how hard he had to work to pay off the last debt I ran up. How can I tell him I’ve done it again? I lied about where I was and would rather die than tell him the truth again. I won’t blame him if he leaves me. Losing money is one thing, losing my husband, well I can’t believe I took that chance. I hope this helps someone like me out there. Now I have to make that phone call to the help line. I can’t say good luck, but I can wish you well.

• Greetings, I’m a compulsive gambler. I’ve been in the Las Vegas Gambler’s Anonymous program since 1992. I’ve gone out there countless times to try to prove I can gamble like others. I am currently living my program, and am very happy.

• Good Morning. Here’s something for your real voices section. When I travel I make the mistake of thinking I can casually gamble in Indian casinos playing the slots. On occasion I’ve won really big, but the net is not very good. It’s pretty clear to me from your self test that I have a gambling problem. Thank you for your web site and for the information you have. I’m going to get help now.
  

Updated September 04, 2017 16:45:46

I'm a gambling addict. Three years ago, I was convicted of white collar fraud, after I stole over $130,000 from my employer to fuel an insatiable addiction.

My poison of choice was not poker machines, but online gambling.

Racing, the thoroughbreds, the trots, the dogs — I wasn't fussy, so long as I could get a bet on and fuel that addiction.

The bets would range anywhere between $5,000 and $20,000 a day. I would bet until 3:00am, try to sleep for three hours and bet again for another three hours on online racing in the United States.

I always thought the stereotypical gambling addict was a working-class middle-aged man or woman, sitting at their local club, feeding their favourite pokies machine four or five nights a week.

But I rarely ventured into the local TAB.

Betting while the kids were in the bath

At the zenith of my addiction, I was married with two beautiful young children and working as a finance manager at a local council.

When I was with my family, I was physically there — but mentally, I was miles away, thinking about gambling: when I could next bet, where would the money come from, whether I could back a winner.

I thought about gambling 24/7. I placed bets at home, at work, the shops — basically everywhere and anywhere I could get reception on my phone.

I would be walking with the kids and our dog, yet I'd still be trying to place bets. I would even bet and watch the races on the phone while the kids were in the bath.

A knock at the door

I had been thinking about stealing to solve some of my debt problems for months, but I couldn't do it because I knew the consequences would be dire.

Then one evening, I had a visit from two large men with a baseball bat, strongly suggesting it would be in my best interests to repay a sizable debt that was due that week.

They punched me and threatened to use the baseball bat 'next time'.

I was left bruised and battered from their warning. It was a seriously scary moment; I still occasionally have flashbacks and it sends chills through my body.

That night, I made the decision to steal from work. I felt physically sick and fidgety; my mind wouldn't stop racing. I knew it was wrong, but I did it — knowing I could one day get caught.

The first time is without a doubt the hardest — but once you've done it, stealing becomes easier.

Listen to the program

Earshot meets Leigh, an online gambling addict.

I had nothing to lose. That's how I 'reasoned' it.

However, stealing became another problem to add to my list.

I was constantly worried about being caught. When someone knocked on my office door, when I got a phone call, when my boss called me to a meeting, I was never quite sure.

The fear was slowly killing me, but I couldn't confess, couldn't turn back. I was on a knife-edge with no solution, no way out.

It was a Monday morning when I was finally caught. I was called into the CEO's office and they presented me with the overwhelming evidence.

I was caught red-handed, but I still denied it. I knew my career was over and that jail was not far away.

But at that stage, I had a small sense of relief. No more looking over my back. The lying and deceitfulness could stop.

On the inside

When I was caught and sentenced to jail, the gambling addicts I met in the prison system had similar stories to mine. They were middle-aged, smart, well-educated men from good upbringings, all addicts to racing and not the pokies — certainly not the stereotypical gambling addicts I had imagined.

My addiction cost me everything. I lost my job, all my material possessions including house, car, everything I owned.

But that pales into insignificance to the lost relationships.

Need help or support?

If gambling is affecting your health and you are feeling anxious or depressed, or if gambling is negatively impacting on your relationships, help and support are available.

Gambling Stories From The Week 2019

• Call Lifeline on 13 11 14

Gambling Stories From The Weekend

My marriage disintegrated, I lost access to my children, I don't talk to my family and I'm no longer on speaking terms with most of my friends. I don't blame them.

During my year in jail, I had enough time to reflect on all the damage it had caused and when I was to be released I knew I couldn't go back to that lifestyle.

Gambling Stories From The Week Old

You get far too much time to reflect in jail. I was constantly thinking about the kids, but I didn't decide to quit gambling because of them. The constant stress and 24/7 of thinking about gambling had destroyed me: physically, emotionally, and financially.

I knew if I didn't stop gambling it would kill me.

Get help before it's too late

I write this not because I find it a cathartic experience, but because I hope that it helps others to seek help before it's too late. Or for family and friends of addicts to intervene and offer support.

For people 'on the edge' or thinking about committing fraud, the solution is simple: get help.

Seek support before you hit rock bottom. The help that suited me the most was from my psychologist, one-on-one extended chats — but for others it may be Gamblers Anonymous.

For the family and friends of addicts: please don't give up on them, it's a horrendous disease and they need all the support you can give.

Life in 2017 is certainly not perfect, but it's a damn sight better than it has been.

I've got regular access to my children, I'm rebuilding lost relationships, I've found some temporary work — and I haven't had a bet since 2014.

Topics:gambling, internet-culture, family-and-children, fraud-and-corporate-crime, law-crime-and-justice, australia

First posted September 04, 2017 12:14:41