Hi,
Apologies for grammar n spelling!
I am 50 year old gambler. My dad a gambler and so is my son . I suppose it’s dna . All my life I was around betting ( my dad use to write notes for the milkman on George Atkins betting slips ) I was allowed to bet from around 14 with my favourite bet was a 5p flag !. I would go to the betting shop to put my dad bets on for him and sit amongst the smoke filled crowd listening to the horses ( lose).
Then I started with the fruit machines 10p a spin £2 max payout ( by this time I was a knocker and use to earn £30 -50 a day) all went on fruit machines . Weird that I’ve not put any money in a machine since !
I meet my wife 28 years ago and had two amazing kids and found a job / career that become my addiction. My son played football at a decent level so all my time was spent at work then on the touch line .
At 16 my son decided he only need dad as a taxi or ATM ! So I became bored n time rich . Work was good but I was in my comfy zone . Mobile betting was here and I joined b****5 and the rest looking for the offers.
Friday night bet was a start just £10 to win £30 to give me Saturday stake . 3 £5 doubles 1 £5 treble on footy . However this was just a start .
over the last ten years I would bet on any sports ( only horses at Cheltenham) my bets become bigger and more frequent . My wages were good and I would get paid monthly and pay my bills and lose the rest in days . I would moan at my wife for wasting £20 on some house stuff yet I just placed a £30 double on seria c teams !!! And I'd gambled through thousands over the course of the year.
I gambled because I could I gambled as I was time rich and no one challenged me. I gambled because I felt “ I had worked hard and deserved too”
I gambled not to win but to gamble again . I would bet and spend hours days weeks staring at my phone watching the screen hoping it went blank ready for the goal to appear.
There was no logic to my betting. I worked long hours and bet my money ( never went into debt) just skint with a week before pay month . In the end I felt sick every time I deposited money , I wanted to lose every bet .
My son would ask me for advice and I would explain about life n how short it is and making the most yet I was thinking about the bet I had in play.
51 days ago I placed my last bet..
Hello Teaguestar,
Thank you for sharing your story and well done on your first 51 days gamble free.
From the way you tell your story, it sounds as though you feel that with your family background it was inevitable that you would gamble. Almost like you didn't have a choice? You can't change the past but as you've discovered you can change the present, and the future, so keep going.
What changes are you making to keep you gamble free for day 52, day 53, and beyond?
Keep posting, sharing and interacting with the support on this Forum.
All the best,
Forum Admin
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