Hi All,
Have lost thousands of pounds over the last 7 years since I turned 18 and have recently realised I have a problem, i always feel so Ill and distraught now I've had to get help, have been put forward for counselling.
Anyway wanted to share something, in the past I have worked for 2 major bookies and wanted to tell you all the sick and horrible things they do to encourage gambling.
1. As staff you had to put machines in demo mods and show customers how games worked and unsurpriseing it would always give you jackpot in demo mods.
2. When someone wanted to self exclude you were encouraged to try to stop them which at the time didn't flinch at but now i think it's absolutely vile.
3. Always little rewards and bonuses given out to get people on fobts
4. Free drinks and food were given to machine players to keep them at them but other gamblers e.g.. horses were not offered this.
Anyway my point is I know us gamblers are responsible but things should be done about this as the bookmakers are getting away with murder!!!!
This is terrible this is why the way we are
Hi SatNav,
Welcome to the forum, it's a great place to start your recovery.
Firstly, can I suggest you read as much here as you can, advice, recovery diaries etc. Not only will it make you feel less 'alone' during your recovery but it gives lots of practical tips on preventing yourself from gambling during the initial period of urges (oh...and all the time you're on here, you're not gambling...bonus!).
I appreciate you're speaking from experience but may I suggest (nay beg) that you don't get hung-up on bookmaker's 'tricks'. It's entirely irrelevant, no gambling addict has every walked into a bookies to try a new game or get a free cup of tea have they? Bookies aren't trying to 'trick' you into gambling, you're there already playing a FOBT so it's clear you're a gambler. All the little extras are just to get you to lose your money at THEIR bookies rather than the one 10 yards down the road.
Christer1: Sorry but that really isn't helpful, we are NOT addicts because of a free cup of coffee and a couple of sandwiches. We are addicts because we can't control our gambling and blaming the bookies staff is as irrelevant as blaming the fact you're an alcoholic on the basis that your local does particularly nice pork scratchings!
Sorry to come across as abrupt but it's CRITICAL at this stage of recovery that you focus on yourself, apportioning blame to any third party (bookies staff, machines, game designers etc) is avoiding the main focus. This isn't to say that bookies DON'T want to attract/maintain customers, of course they do they're a business, but blaming them is to avoid the real issue (read: "It's not my fault" under the Debates & Discussions category of this forum.
For the record, having excluded from a number of bookies, not one has been anything other than helpful (and most are very positive about it, probably because day-in-day-out they see the damage gambling causes!).
SatNav, I wish you all the best in your recovery mate. Read a lot on here and start a diary, this will help you to focus during the difficult early stages. Get some practical blocks in place (self exclusion, online blocks etc) and limit access to money.
All the best.
Phil
Hi Satnav92
I see nothing wrong with your post and you should not be criticised for it. In the early days of recovery you need to do whatever it takes to get you through each day. If that includes berating bookmakers and their tactics, that is fine.
My attitudes and mindset with regards to many things have changed since the early days when I struggled massively to overcome my addiction. Now nearly 5 years later, my brain works and reacts differently to events and situations.
I regularly go to GA and recently asked each person to find one word that best describes how they feel about not gambling. They are all at various stages in their recovery and I think this is reflected in the words they chose. They were; sane; twitchy; relief; better; anxious; normal; real; honesty; calmer; free; reflective; scared.
I wish you well and although GA might not be for everyone, each group is individual and you might just find a good one.
Take care and stay strong.
Ken
Hi Ken,
Well done on nearly 5 years, awesome achievement and I hope you're enjoying the fruits of your hard work.
Just to clarify, my post wasn't a criticism of SatNav at all but, again, just sharing my experience. I was a bit abrupt about the response that implied that bookmaker's 'sales techniques' were the cause of our addictions because that's clearly nonsense.
Well done again on your great achievement and I hope that one day I (and SatNav and all of us) can come here and post the same (don't know exactly what day I'm on but probably about 140).
All the best.
Phil
Thanks for your clarification Phil and well done on 140 days. I have walked alongside many people striving to overcome gambling addiction and often there is a very fine line between continuing with recovery and relapse. One thing I always stress to new people to our group is to listen to everyone, but decide for yourself which words, strategies and techniques are most relevant to you. A one size fits all solution would be much easier, but sadly I do not believe that one exists.
Warm regards
Ken
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