Half-Life wrote:
Agree, Change.
The way they are promoting and normalising gambling to the next generation is scandalous.
Kellogg's Choco Roulette, anybody?
I agree, I worry slightly for my kids that it's being shown as such a 'normal' thing to do...in the same way that smoking cigarettes was when I was young.
Dear all,
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The gambling industry's a thriving business....they offer all of us choices....for all of us on here it became a problem....our problem....not theres...because we didn't...or couldn't make the choice to stop....they never once made us gamble.....we chose to....ok...so some tactics to encourage play may seem a bit underhand....and advertising has
defo gone ott....but at the end of the day players choose to play
Life for us gamblers....at what ever stage we are at in our journey for recovery is about accepting we have a problem...dealing with the problem....and moving on from
the problem....for me...online slots was the problem....and whilst the adverts have no effect on me now....they do make me ask...Ooh...how many more people will be drawn into the cycle....but I can't change all that....so it's another thing I have to draw a line under and say....not for me anymore thanks.....it is what it is...we can only blame our on chosses for our mistakes
Dear forum admin. I wish you to take this whole thread down please.
Secondly Forum admin. How do i remove myself from the whole forum and delete my account. If you could let me know please.
Hi No problem , just wondering why you feel the need to leave the forum ?, we all have our own idea of what is and isn't acceptable regarding gambling and recovery for that matter , I't's just about different views on subjects which this forum gives us a great platform to question , its a divided place sometimes over certain subjects but a united one for support we all give each other when it comes to giving up for good .
This will blow over and next week a new subject will be raised and again people will be for or against , it's not personal just the way it works ..
Sleep on your decision as your recovery comes first my friend .
Best wishes ...........Alan
It's us that choose to lose our money, or families money. The betting industry employs thousands of people who have families to provide for. I envy people who bet for fun. Stop blaming others and let's take responsibility for our own actions. I for one would be out of a job!
Hello No problem,
Sorry you want to delete the thread and leave the forum. As Alan said, this argument does flare up on the forum from time to time and deleting this thread won't prevent the issue from arising again.
If anyone wishes to edit individual posts they have made they are welcome to, though before doing so we suggest you consider the effect on the continuity and sense of the thread as a whole.
No problem, if you do wish to delete your account, email us at forum.admin@gamcare.org.uk. Though we hope you reconsider as we'd like you to be able to continue to receive support on the forum. Your recovery does come first.
Best wishes
Forum Admin
Can I just say briefly that one of my best friends is a manager at BF and he was pleased as punch when I self-excluded from his shop. He has a conscience and actually hates seeing people losing. I often ask him why he doesn't get another job in a different industry but that's his business. He has to deal with people screaming at the machines, hitting them, swearing at him, threatening him etc. He is a lovely fella and has been extremely supportive as I have embarked on my journey.
its an interesting debate and with the greatest of respect I do disagree with some of the posts.
Its about the source of the problem which creates the temptation. When they sell a dream at odds heavily in their favour, they know what they are doing. We are not talking the flip of a coin here in a controlled environment. People have a strange sense of whats good for them and boy do the gambling industry know it
They dont offer choices in the healthy sense of buying a product...they offer tempatation to make a profit. One example is that the machines are designed with the help of psychologists and professionals on the gambling industry side. They are primarily designed to hook people.
Its all linked with the never win the big cuddly toy stall. If enough people could win the big cuddly toy those stalls would be closed within a day or so. People keep trying. That in essence is how gambling operates. Look at the odds set by teams of people. There are no 1000/1 chances on the only four legged horse. To hear addicts speak you would think that those odds were on offer every minute
We are talking about TV advertising that is allowed to state the winning feeling with no mention of the odds of doing so. Theres too much to go into here but the staff in the betting shops know what its all about. I dont like what they do for a living and wonder if they do have a conscience.
I found the false banter between staff other gamblers cringeworthy....been on holiday(name)....no Ive lost loads so been skint....oh never mind keep smiling...youve got to laugh havent you...lady luck..... blah blah......have a coffee (and keep giving us your money) They are not your mates...you are paying their wages
This is about deregalation and a service that should not be offered on the high street...certainly the FOBTS should be removed to somewhere much more controlled if not banned altogether.
Anyway thats just my take on it. To err is human and many people are suffering from a mental illness like depression before they ever walk in. We have become a nation where gambling is promoted on cereal packets.
The religions consider gambling as immoral behaviour. Im not religious but I do agree . I dont think gambling helps a healthy community and living environment. There are questions to be asked about why it is so deregulated and prevalent in society
Joy divider you are wrong I am a manager of a bookmakers and can assure you I treat my customers with utmost respect just like any other retail industry. I do not want my profits to come from problem gamblers! Obviously if you read my diary I am a problem gambler so I know how it feels! Believe it or not, some customers actually do use the betting shops for a leisurely activity and boy... Do I envy them. Please do not tar all members of staff who work in bookies with the same brush. As Alan said.. Do people blame McDonald's etc for making them fat?? People need to stop blaming others and take responsibility for their own actions!
That was the last post I will make on the subject as it does get me slightly angry
SwordFish wrote:
Joy divider you are wrong I am a manager of a bookmakers and can assure you I treat my customers with utmost respect just like any other retail industry. I do not want my profits to come from problem gamblers! Obviously if you read my diary I am a problem gambler so I know how it feels! Believe it or not, some customers actually do use the betting shops for a leisurely activity and boy... Do I envy them. Please do not tar all members of staff who work in bookies with the same brush. As Alan said.. Do people blame McDonald's etc for making them fat?? People need to stop blaming others and take responsibility for their own actions!
we are just debating this on here. I do take some of your points. Ive seen people who seem to use the shop as a leisurely activity and obviously I couldnt say they have a problem. They watch the horses, have a brew and place a small bet.
I wonder if they are in the minority. I was in bookies for about six months. In that time I saw people bashing the machines in anger. I had one woman sit beside me who started to tell me that she was now gambling her rent money. I saw one guy waving money above his head and wailing that he was losing it all...then returned to the machines and fed more in. Thats just a few of the things Ive seen
To be fair swordfish, I wouldnt particularly expect the manager of a betting shop to be on this forum and you have even stated that you have a gambling problem. Therefore your response of making people take full responsibility for their actions seems strange to me as if you have an agenda as a manager. Obviously you will defend bookies shops but I wont be going in one again.
Addiction is and illness and confusion of the mind. At that point nobody is acting with responsibility. The argument runs that no gambling act is responsible because the risk is the buzz
Your profits come from people who lose and who likes losing money? I cant disagree that there will be people who have no problem with small amounts of money they can afford. I do however feel that the gambling industry hide behind that as an excuse that everything is ok
Its nothing personal. Im sure you are nice to your customers but you must have seen problem gamblers and I wonder whether you worry about that.
Im clear about the dangers of gambling. I dont think you can just blame the problem gamblers when they have been offered a strong and calculated source of temptation. I do agree there is some level of personal responsibility but its not all on the shoulders of the punters.
Your company offers a "chance" of "easy" money. Punters see the advertising and think they will have a try but the machines are designed to hook them like a fish .Nobody really likes losing so surely you can see how addicts are created every day
The fast food analogy is a poor one. I dont eat there but I dont think you can compare extinction gambling with too many burgers or comfort eating. Well actually maybe you can in the sense that empty souls look for escape and comfort in anything
I do now think gambling is wrong from a moral point of view.
Anyway I cant actually believe it was me who gambled on machines. I can only conclude I was completely out of my mind with illness and addiction.
Joy divider how about alcoholics? Should all the pubs supermarkets and off licenses be closed down for them? People with an addiction blame someone or something else
I won't be debating this anymore stay safe mate
Look Guy's , at the end of the day gambling starts as entertainment and all entertainment cost's you money , if you choose to go to the pictures or bowling or even fine dining 5 times a week it all gets a bit expensive to follow , gambling lures you in with the chance of getting something back ( money ) and we all like a bit of extra money but it is a game of chance and we all know that right ? , nothings a certainty however many guides , systems or form books we follow and the whole gambling industry is built on percentages , it's a very clever industry the way it preys on human greed but at the end of the day were all big boys and girls and we know the risks we take and the fact that the odds are against us .
Nobody has ever frogmarched me against my will to place a bet or stand at a Fob't and throw thousands into it , nor have they dragged me kicking and screaming to a ATM to get more funds once I'd run out .
You would really imrove your chances of staying in recovery and never gambling again if you accept that the responsibility of you gambling is in your hands and your mind .
I really salute Swordfish for coming on this site as a betting shop manager and admitting that he too has an issue with gambling , there not just staff of these betting shops and not any different and can as is proved become just as addicted as someone who has nothing to do with the industry .
I too am not going to comment on this thread anymore as I'm quite happy in th knowledge that I and I alone chose to gamble !
Best wishes
IAlan
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