Youtube channels of gamblers

i'm aware of them, but i stay away from them like the plague. Win or lose they help me keep my illness close and that's not something that is good for me. Glad they help you though just a very very bad idea for me.

As mentioned keep away from them. The videos are mostly cash with bonus requirements. While the requirements are required the games pay better till the bonus is done. The streamers make money from joiners losing their money as they get a cut from their losses. Watching YT videos will fuel urges I have been there.

Yes keep away and the main thing I hate is the Im a cool person for posting them vibe. Some of them are clearly addicts as I can spot all the signs. The most harmful thing is the way they downplay that by adopting a casual attitude like its nothing and they can take it.

They adopt a laissez faire attitude as if its easy come and easy go. Its is NOT easy come and it is NOT easy go where money is concerned. They adopt a persona or use their persona to pander to the fanboys and fangirls. Any negative comments get a panning...its almost like a cult activity...it is really a cult of delusional addicts in my opinion

I would like to see the accounts and backgrounds because one guy clearly seems to have access to money and seems fairly comfortable. I dont know if he is borrowing or working his way through an inheritance. I just know its highly irresponsible to be promoting gambling in this way

You know ..nothing to get worked up about but the truth is that losing lots of money is something that is extremely harmful and dangerous. You wont replicate what you see in the video at any given moment. Those videos feed addicts and they feed urges. I can only see that people will be tempted to try it for themselves. That is irresponsible promotion of gambling

Some post a loss making video and I wonder if they are made of money. Im not and I know how hard it is to earn the stuff with a boss breathing down your neck

You have to read between the lines that they are turning it into a promotional pay per views and sponsorship by casino sites.

I couldnt stop and gambling cost me thousands of pounds my pride and my mental health. Thats the reality of one armed bandits

Best wishes to everyone on the forum

I have been watching these videos also recenlty. I only discovered them in the depths of my gambling addiction. I actually went on you tube escpcially to see whether people actually win money when I seemed to be losing all mine! I used to watch them regularly...and still do a bit. But I relaise that most people watching are addicts...living their addiction through watching as they cant afford to play...just like myself. It is definately dangerous viewing as some people will definately be sucked in with the I'll give it a go' attitude. There is one guy I particularly like watching...hes handsome and I love his accent! But I reckon he must be a complete addict...I wonder where he gets the money from as he does huge bets sometimes. I have a feeling that very soon he will be gone from the site and entered into rehab himself...its where it all ends. The carefree attitude is a worry and often when I was watching...I would get the urge and feeling that..hey this guy is cool...I can be like that. It definately encouraged me to increase my stakes as at the time I was doing £1 spins...and after watching the videos I would risk £20 spins as I saw this guy betting big and winning big. I can honeslty say if I had not watched those videos...not in a million years would I have considered doing £20 spins.But monkey see, monkey do! Now I cant even be bothered with the slots as a £1 spin is paltry...I need to do £10 or more so I can WIN big!!!! Stay away from them...and anything related I think is the best advice.

This is an interesting thread and I have an answer to the question - are the online gambling sequences real; after all, the Youtube players always seem to win!

I have some insider knowledge here, knowing a trusted ‘friend of a friend’ of a gambling affiliate and genuine insider.

The people hosting these channels make money as gambling affiliates making an average commission 25/40% of all losses made by players at the end of the given month. This can easily amount to several thousand pounds a month. Youtube advertising income is peanuts; affiliation income is where the money’s at.

Online slot games have two settings - standard (up to 96%) and high (101%+).

When you join an online casino, you’ll usually take a bonus (say, 100% free). But you can’t cash this money until you’ve played the games through, say, 40 times. Of course, the chance of an average player cashing out is very rare, so to give the perception you can, the payout is set to 101% until the pay through is approaching 40 times or whatever. Then it is switched (after, in this example, when the player reaches 20 times play through) to the lower setting and you invariably lose, and quite quickly... just before you can cash out. Strange, that .....

You therefore have a ‘good’ game but heartbreakingly short of cashing out a profit, which encourages you to try again. Sounds familiar...?

The classic ‘near miss’ that fatally seduces all gamblers.

The online players are playing slot sessions set at the high level - 101% - and not real money, despite the real money mode you see. There’s a deal between them and the casino to give the player the perception the given casino keeps making losses, to help hook in mug punters.

So ... yes, it is all a fraud, things are not what they seem and the ‘friendly’ Youtube hosts are anything but - they are cynical moneymakers trying to get you to join a casino that will grab all of your money.

My advice - stay clear of online gambling. And stay clear from ALL gambling, full stop!

I know a lot, lot more than this and have deliberately slightly changed some of the detail above (don’t want to get my insider into trouble) but the principles are bang on. I am aware of some of the algorithms, 😉

These videos are not what they seem! As has been widely advised, keep away from them.

My twopenneth, for what it's worth.

I cant een believe this thread is allowed to be honest. (Some one might just go and have a look out of curiosity).

Firstly if people are viewing these sorts of video's are they really taking their own recovery seriousley?

Personally I've never heard of these vids in all honesty. I know I wont be going to have a look either. But once upon a time, when I wasn't so strong in my recovery I might have done. With all good intentions how would I know that I just wouldn't be tempted.

Sounds a dangerous thing to even contemplate watching.

Just saying..

Ineffable wrote:

It’s like a s*x video - some will watch them and believe they can have it all - some will do it for relief, knowing it is a fiction - and some won’t know what people are talking about. I watch these as they are a release from gambling for me - I see someone losing and winning and it eases the urge for me to do it in real life. I know it is dangerous but as I am in the early stages of recovery it helps ; but I don’t expect to watch these after a year of being GF.

With respect Ineffable, I would suggest if you're watching any sort of gambling activity, for what ever reason, you are not really in recovery.

I say that not to be flippant, but rather to point out gambling, even just watching it, still holds some attraction for you.

We are all different of course. To me I know I do not need, and do not want gambling back in my life in any way, shape, or form. I have let it ruin my life that many times I will not give it the opportunity to get back in. Not today.

I know where Geordie is coming from but in the debates section we do tackle anything and it is something that needs to be talked about.

When I was relapsing regularly I was watching those videos and in the very early stages of recovery I watched them and played the free spins. I realise that they were satisfying a craving for gambling feelings if you can call that urges. I was blocked and for a short while it was an outlet for me to watch others gamble on machines.

A key point is that is was for a relatively short period of time.

The reasons were that it was giving me a reel spinning fix and I also wanted some sort of feeling that somebody was sticking it to the man by winning something worthwhile. I dunno really a mixture of feelings as those machines had been part of my life for so long

It wasnt healthy that I was watching them and a healthy sign is when they become boring and you put them behind you

So yes I do think that they are dangerous viewing for gamblers and recovering gamblers. They should be banned along with all gambling advertising

I dont fight urges now and I am quite calm.

Best wishes to everyone

Wel done on the 111 days, long may it continue.

Yes to me it is something different from just "not gambling". I dont ever want the desire to gamble back in my llife. Personally I wouldn't want to watch the vids incase they re-ignited that desire.

We are all different mate and I wouldn't criticise you or anybody else for watching the vids. It's a big no no for me. To be honest though I think any CG who watches others gambling is treading on thin ice and I cant understand why anybody would want to watch others doing so.

I hope so mate, we all have to find our own way through this. I know a few recovering gamblers who put the lottery on, another group of 3 or 4 from a GA group I used to go to who go to the Derby every year. I personally wouldn't advocate either of those things, (or these vids), but we are all individuals with our own minds. For me I suppose taking back control of my own mind from addiction has been a huge thing, and it had to be. Not everybody went to the lengths I did to get a bet on, not everybody sees recovery the same as me. I respect and understand that.

I will say this though...If you find that you still need a release and you're using these vids as an alternative to gambling is it not time that you started looking for alternative coping methods for the problems or stresses in your life that are giving you the serious wobbles? Counselling or CBT perhaps?

I dont get urges these days but it has been a long journey for me to get to this stage and I do appreciate what a difficult journey it has been so far. (I first went to GA in the early 80's). Prior to these last 15 months or so I'd never managed to get more than a few months of gambling abstainance under my belt.

I hope you do get bored with them sooner rather than later, but however long it takes Ineffable, I wish you all the best with your ongoing journey.

Take Care.

Geordie.;

When people join online casinos through the links they plaster all over their videos, they will receive money for each member who joins, then a percentage of the money this user loses at that site, on a monthly basis. Considering each streamer, or bonus hunter, are prompting anything up to 10+ casinos at a time, you can see how this starts to add up, and how they can afford to lose thousands without batting an eyelid.
They are all addicts, there is no doubt about it, but they're gambling what they can afford to lose. Its highly dangerous for regular addicts like you and I to watch these videos. I've personally thought in the past "well, such and such has just lost 3 grand. Why am I getting worked up over a few hundred." it's not the same. I will not watch them any more.

Yes thats a good post lando92. The promotion of gambling is at the very least a highly irresponsible act. They are addicts funding their own addiction with promotion fees. Ive seen some who are clearly addicts. Some switch the camera on and off to suit and some seem to have thousands to stream it with donations arriving all the time

Its a false situation and promotes something which cant reliably, IF EVER be replicated on a random FTP chance. They are in effect selling a drug which ruins lives

The more I think about my gambling recovery, I begin to see gambling as the most dangerous of addictions. This is because it gets an easy ride from the regulators but It acts in the most devastating way by twisting the brain into addiction

They wouldnt let these people promote Class A drugs on screen but they satisfy gambling urges and tempt people to continue gambling or become hooked. Its just plain wrong and their days making videos should be ended.

Gambling addiction is still not treated with the seriousness it deserves and it just is not understood by most people. I feel the government are being entirely cynical about the whole thing to gain taxes and it just looks malicious to me. A nice little earner off the backs of the misery and desperation it causes

Its shameful and that is a massive understatement

Best wishes to everyone on the forum

Ive seen some of these and there one youtuber in particular who really gets my goat, he goes from bookies to bookies, arcad to bingo hall and amazingly hardly ever seems to lose?????????

Now either he has a ton of cash behind him he can afford to literally throw away ar there's something not quite honest about the gameplay in order to try and lure punters in.... It's a total sham yet he appears to have a total cult following of idiots who want to sit and watch him "play".......

Those of us either still gambling or in recovery know for a FACT that what is being portrayed can not possibly be honest as we all learned the hard way that eventually you will lose everything.

But hey, ho if folk want to watch its a free country I guess..

I agree with an earlier poster that watching these keeps the illness close and thats why I stopped watching them, I would often try the games he tried when in the throes of gambling with the obvious results........

It's a nonsense, besides I always thought the operators wouldnt let you video their machines for fear you were working a scam on them, yet some people appear to be able to do it with impunity..... Strange again that.....