Help for you. Please read.

It's clear that younger generation have it harder than people before them.

But perhaps rather than offer help, you need to take responsibility for your actions and stop blaming outside factors: age, government, interest rates, gambling adverts, rigged outcomes.

Quite the victim here.

Bottom line is you chose to gamble. Even if you get dealt c r appy set of cards in life - it's still a matter of personal responsibly how you react.

Louis

Yes I agree totally but i feel as though I had no choice and more and more people are getting sucked in to this trap.

Thanks for your post.

I totally agree with your comments on gambling advertising and the governments attitude to gambling regulation.

Whilst there are a very small number of people who make money from gambling, for every professional, there are 1,000s of mug punters (I've been both). With my professional experience I can tell you 100% that you CANNOT make money (long term) from any random game. Roulette, FOBTs, Blackjack, Dice etc. cannot be beaten, there are strategies to maximise your odds (i.e minimise your long-term losses) but, unless you're counting cards, the house will always retain an edge which is why, if you can't stop gambling, you can NEVER win.

I disagree on the fixing thing. Whilst there have been historic cases of match fixing in many sports, it isn't common place. More importantly, however, the bookies have no need to fix anything as they have their margin. Take a win-lose-draw game (darts, for example) add up the odds for the three possible outcomes and they will total less than one. The bookies can't lose, they may take a big hit if a favourite wins but, with 100,000's markets and events every day they CANNOT lose and, with a few exceptions, gamblers cannot win (long term). I know gamblers who will insist that FOBTs are fixed but the sad truth is...they don't need to be! Roulette has a 98% (ish) payout so they make 2% of all money staked over the long-term (and that's a lot!) so why would they risk being found out by 'rigging' them.

Why am I waffling on? Well, the net result is this, YES, you can play certain random games to your best advantage but you are ONLY minimising your losses, the odds will never tip in your favour and, if you cannot stop when you're ahead and never gamble again (and we can't), then you simply CANNOT win. If you cannot control your gambling then the only way to win is not to do it.

There ARE a tiny percentage of professional gamblers who focus on poker, sports, horses & %-controlled games but, without insider knowledge (which you won't get from Google) then the odds, once again, just don't add up and will lead to an inevitable loss.

We can't win, we can only break even by not gambling in the first place.

I agree, largely, with Cardhue (who replied whilst I was typing my 'war and peace' reply). Gambling advertising is a bit immoral, the legislation leaves it open to abuse BUT, if we are victims, then it is of our own actions. I, for one, don't support a blanket ban on gambling, just because a section of people are incapable of controlling their gambling (myself included), I don't want to live in a nanny state. Imagine going to a pub for a pint and being told that, because 1-in-1000 drinkers are alcoholics, they had reinstated prohibition.

Gambling is a beast of an addiction but being a victim doesn't help, you have to accept what you have done and take action to change it. Yes, the compulsion can be strong, but we still have free will as to whether we act on it, no higher power is taking your wallet out your pocket.

I started gambling as a kid at the seaside...Only been in a bookies once with a friend (perversely I dropped my wallet that day & lost ВЈ120 without gambling!) & gambled about £20 online in my lifetime.

When you're feeding coins into a machine you can't really blaim the government for it.

I do think daytime gambling ads should be banned however...especially bingo.

I listen to the radio a lot while working but I've had to stop listening to one particular sports station because of the relentless gambling ads during ad breaks. Some of the shows are also sponsored by gambling companies too so you get them popping up with odds here there and everywhere for this and that. The ads end with phrases like 'Please gamble responsibly' and 'When the fun stops, stop' which isn't really much use to anybody.

On the plus side I'm learning about things other than sport now.

Canute wrote: yes I completely understand this, thank you. Just so you all know I have never had a problem with FOBT or roulette machines, my problem was live sport events. Well done to you!

I listen to the radio a lot while working but I've had to stop listening to one particular sports station because of the relentless gambling ads during ad breaks. Some of the shows are also sponsored by gambling companies too so you get them popping up with odds here there and everywhere for this and that. The ads end with phrases like 'Please gamble responsibly' and 'When the fun stops, stop' which isn't really much use to anybody.

On the plus side I'm learning about things other than sport now.

Nbunsel - you say you felt you had no choice.

To have a bet or to become an addict?

Personal responsibility is the absolute cornerstone of overcoming addiction. I might sound like a boring school teacher saying it. I know that as addicts (like children) that's an incredibly dull thing to hear.

It's obvious but it's also really hard - learning to take personal responsibility. Really tricky.

Not just accepting the gambling, but how we react to stuff more generally in life, much of it on autopilot.

I've stopped for a while but still fall into the trap of blaming others for my actions.

But I know that if I'm taking personal responsibility I'm being true to myself. It might feel uncomfortable but I get clarity. Once I accept personal responsibly for my behaviour/how I react - I take back control.

Louis

Why does any of this matter if you are an addict? It's all just distraction and white noise.

I think your anger, bitterness and victimization of all the powers that be may make you feel better(for a short while) but as Louis says if there is no personal responsibility you will remain an addict and those nearest and dearest to you could care less about your thoughts on who made you do this.

Cathy

Irrelevant or relevant - But, i'll share anyway.

20 odd years ago in my mid twenties I managed to find myself under a train minus an arm. I was drunk, no one to blame and I managed to take it on the chin. Believe me, if I could of either blamed the train or the drink I would off. By coincidence a chap in my party circle managed to fall a great height during work, through his company's negligence and losing the use of his arm. He ended up getting a half mill payout, I got diddly sqat. I had no choice but to accept and had a determination to always have two arms in my head, my ' pal ' fell into the victim mode and would pour his woes onto to anyone who would listen.... And never really evolved as he fell into the victim trap..

Hence, my stance sticks with Cardhue here. The big bad gambling industry are a very clever money making industry. That's all they are!! Trying to change the way the world revolves and blaming them for our woes or bank balance is futile and keeps us trapped in the S****e.. Corruption makes the world go round, always has and always will...

Had no intention in sharing that, but hai Ho, I have.