My 21 year old son has had gambling issues since he turned 16 and could buy scratch cards, it then turned to online betting sites, he was spending almost all of his wages gambling.
At first football, lately it was anything, horse racing, boxing, football not even in this country, how many minutes it would be until a corner or how many red cards etc it became so extreme.
Recently he admitted he has a problem and told us he signed up to gamstop, and has blocked all gambling sites for 6months, however he's now been seen coming out of betting shops, so it has only forced his addiction to physical shops. I haven't spoken to him about this as don't even know how to start, he has taken on a second job now, whether this is to fund gambling I have no idea, but he is spending about £30 daily if not more on various bets from what evidence I've seen.
I know its not easy with an addiction, I was so proud he finally admitted he had a problem and told him, but seems the temptation is just too much he can't stay away from it even blocking the sites, it has just sent the problem elsewhere, but if he's going to betting shops now instead of working (he works from home) he could easily lose his job
Hi
As a gambler , i would say the 2nd job is to fund gambling for sure in a certain way but also probably to pay debt off , which if he is still gambling will just be getting bigger. I would say confront him , i wish i had been caught early on when i started gambling, depending on your sons personality. I would also ask if having money issues to try and avoid it getting worst.
So sorry to read what you are going through. It must be a real worry for you.
It's good that be realises he has a problem and has taken measures to install Gamstop but it sounds like he is still really struggling to stop. He can exclude himself from local betting shops. The difficulty is that he has to really want to stop. You can't do it for him.
You could try to sit him down and talk to him. Say that you have noticed he is still struggling. Say that you are there to support him. If he is willing, you could take control of his finances, just giving him a basic allowance for essentials, but he has to be ready to agree to that.
I wish you the very best. A gambling addiction has a huge impact on loved ones.
Keep posting. You will get lots of advice and support here.
J
Addiction is like building a brick wall. The longer you work on it the higher it becomes and the more solid it becomes. We have all been there at a young age playing away talking about the fast wins and what we would do with the money we made etc. That is exactly what the industry wants you to dream about.
What he could do is to sit down and learn everything he can about this addiction. Because the more he knows about it the more he will realise that it is not living he doing but quite the opposite. Dopamine starts like a trickle then it becomes a small stream then it becomes a flood until it fills the entire valley of the mind. That is why he needs to turn the corner now and not in five years time. It is so important that he knows that get rich or die trying is simply fake news. I wish you well!
Best
C
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