Hello,
I started gambling back in 2009. Last four years I've probably lost £30000 to roulette. I didn't have that money, but merely calculating how much I could have saved. It is disappointing and soul destroying to an extent. I'm nearly 35 and feel lost. I didn't think I had much of a gambling problem up until recently when I realised all the money I'm putting in the machine is money which I could have saved to buy a house and build a future with my gf. I feel time is running out for that stuff, but still better late than never to identify a problem and tackle it head on. However I am not quite ready to self exclude. Discipline is key to this game yet so hard to master. I'm sure just like in all games there are winners and there are losers. Winners lose little money, and know how to put themselves in a position to be able to risk and win big in result. When we go to the betting shop and put in a lot of money, the next visit tends to lead the same.
I've won money and put it back in to my disgust, but for some reason this is happening a lot. If I could just poses that disipline I am confident I can be a winner more than a loser. When I bet, I bet £10, lose that and put in maybe a £20 etc.....
I never go over £20 on spins, but one note after another and it builds up.
In terms of bills, I pay these off.
However I've had occasions where some bills were left unpaid and I owe friends money to the amount of £250
I have £2000 maxed out credit card, but not due to gambling, I'd say £400 is due to gambling, but paying it off is difficult in result of gambling and I sometimes need to take money out iof it again, if I run out of my earned cash. Especially this month due to the Christmas period.
I have found the longer time spent in the betting shop the more I'll lose. A lot of times hit three numbers and won £100 with £15, but would then continue to try win more, once the £100 goes I'd withdraw more and end up losing that and sometimes more depending the cycle on the day.
Less time spent in the betting shop the better. I am good at choosing the numbers (ok a lot of times lucky), but sometimes I do I identify a pattern. Sometimes on these FOBT I do feel the bookies are somewhat secretly controlling the outcomes and this is not known by the FOBT regulators. I guess all us gambling losers would like to sometimes tell ourselves so we can stay clear, but soon enough fail.
Anyway just want to know if anyone has found a method that works for them where in the past they found themselves losing money, but are now quite successful and losing minimal amounts, but as well finding they are also winning more to hide return their minimal loses?
Apologies if I sound unclear. Very tired. going to bed. zzzzz
I think if you asking for a method to win you are a gambler with a huge problem.
However you are unwilling or unable to accept this fact because you think you can win your way out of this.
Especially as you specifically refuse to self exclude.
The circle of gambling will eventually catch up with you and you will fall through the trap door and end up with nothing.
Self exclude, tell your gf of your problem and hand over finances, seek out GA or counselling. Do something to accept your addiction before it is too late.
Best wishes
I can only echo the sentiments above.
It sounds to me like you want to stop losing rather than stop gambling and, if that's the case, then I'm sorry to say you won't achieve either. You can't win, there are NO long-term winning strategies on roulette and, if you can't stop yourself from playing (as us CG's can't) then you will ALWAYS lose in the end.
If you want to stop losing money then you have no choice but to stop altogether which starts with acceptance. Until you are ready to self-exclude then you are keeping a door open to allow the destructive behaviour to continue.
I'm not meaning to sound preachy but am speaking from personal experience. I used to play online and didn't want to self-exclude but thought I'd just 'take a break' and 'use willpower'. The jury is out on whether you can quit using willpower alone but I would ask 'why bother' when there are tools out there (including self exclusion) which help and put barriers in place.
Good luck in whatever you choose to do.
Phil
Greatly appreciate both your responses! Thank you!
I've potentially lost a lot of money I would had potentially saved had I not gambled these last four years in particular, and have to try find ways to be patient to slowly, slowly claw it back! I have to train my mind. I will try at least before quitting. I've tried before but failed, but I am hoping by reminding myself of how much I've lost over the years I can be disciplined to walk out with winnings. Problem is the buzz of winning more is always there and I end up playing more trying to increase winnings, but then I end up losing what I won and then going to a cash machine to draw more money out and losing that also. Sometimes I go in the bookies for a quick flutter with ВЈ5 or £10 and if I win I'll use my winnings to play more, but then losing those I get annoyed and end up playing more than I originally planned.
I'm not looking for a system to win at roulette. The ones I've found take very long to make anything decent out of, also what works for one will not work for another. Just curious to see if anyone uses a strategy in terms of walking out the door with decent winnings and minimal losses. In terms of being disciplined.
This forum is for people with/friends and family of compulsive gambling. There is no level of control when compulsive gamblers gamble. We can't stop. If we all won and walked away none of us would be here. Whether or not gambling is a problem to you personally is a question only you can answer. If gambling is or does become a problem its about stopping gambling from that point on.
We have all tried to find a way to be ‘disciplined’ and we all have found the same thing - we cannot!
Our compulsions and our failings are why we are here in the first place.
You talk of winners and losers. All the time we are gambling we are losers in every since of the word.
From here you have two options:
1) get over the fact you’ve lost money. It has gone and you will not get it back
2) try and be disciplined, lose more money, make your problems worse and continue to be a loser.
time for a reality check I’m afraid....you are betting against a computer....they will ALWAYS win.
To echo Fighter_1's words. The sooner you accept the fact that the money you have lost is gone and the sooner you accept the fact that gambling is a hobby in which you'll eventually lose money, the sooner you can dust all this under the carpet and move on with your life. Gambling should be called Losing.
I've only been a member here for a week so I hope don't come over as a 'know it all'. However you do sound as if you are looking for a system to win or reduce your losses on roulette machines. I joined gamcare for a reason, those roulette machines took all my money, dignity and self respect. They turned me into a deceitful, sly, secretive liar who almost destroyed their marriage. You talk of systems and strategies, they do not exist, you will lose. Believe me I have tried them all, 37 numbers on a roulette wheel, but it pays 35-1. Forget the money, its gone, but try and put blocks in place so you do not lose any more. The advice is here on the site. I have finally admiited my problem in my late 40's. You are 35 so don't leave it as long as I did, and take action immediately.
Thanks
Well said greenflash.
There are NO winning systems on Roulette. The game has existed in its current form since the 19th century, do you think it would still be around today if it could be beaten?
Discipline is important in gambling but only to prevent losses, if you can't control your gambling then it is irrelevant. The very fact you have landed on the Gamcare forum implies that you realise you have a problem, in which case discipline is irrelevant as, even if you walk away 'up', you will go back so there can be no 'winning'.
I will put a caveat on this and say that there are a small number (and a tiny proportion) of professional gamblers who use discipline to earn a living BUT I can promise you that none of them play Roulette, FOBTs or Slots.
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