Hi

Hello Jamie-R

Welcome to the Forum,

Thank you for sharing your current thoughts so honestly. It sounds like you are not enjoying gambling any longer and looking to make a change. If you are based in the Great Britain, you could call our Helpline and speak to an Advisor on 0808 8020 133 anytime about your next steps.

If based outside of the UK we have a list of International support contacts International Support Contacts - GamCare

A selection of self-guided free resources on gambling recovery can be found here: Self-Guided Resources - GamCare

Wishing you some supportive peer responses soon,

Louise

Forum Admin

Jamie

Ring GAMSTOP, block all your bank cards from gambling, get on to MOSES and bar yourself from every bookies in a 20 mile radius.   If you go out take just as much money as you need and leave your cards behind, or have a card with a limited cash withdrawal option.

Gambling addiction is recognised in away it never was before the FOBTs and bookies found a way to entwine their tentacles in the communities and push gambling to levels hitherto unheard of.   There is ample support out there.

@mg43i8s0te totally agree 99% seems to be online where u can lose your life savings in a single night without any checks my gambling took place in venues and i remember getting pulled to the side at casino by manger if i could actually afford to lose the amount as i was a student and i did see few others who were stopped from placing bets as they clearly were intoxicated at the time i was too deep into gambling and was actually annoyed at the manager for asking me such question fortunately i never got started online as it would have been much worse

@tazman The government could cut problem gambling significantly with one simple step.  Direct that bookies use membership cards for anyone who wanted to gamble on the FOBTS.    Many already have loyalty cards which I understand you use to collect points (and they use to track you and target you), it is not beyond the realms of possibility to move that to a card which would be required to enable play on the machines.

To get the card you would produce photographic ID, this would provid age checks.   Then if you wanted to ban yourself your card would get blocked and you would not be able to get another.   In that way you would be unable to play FOBTs in that particular bookmaker, across the UK, as opposed to the halfway solution at the moment where you have to block town by town.

Clearly the bookies would fight this, responsible gambling is not in their interests, and the government obviously don't want to kill the Golden Goose that funds the Horse racing all the elite enjoy.