I have gambled for about 3 years now on and off. I used to do it online but self excluded myself and continued to do it in bingo clubs on slot machines.
Since the lockdown for the coronavirus it has been good saving my money and not playing anything, however, yesterday I used a different email address to gamble online resulting in me spending £2500 in about 2 hours.
It makes me feel sick to know that I've spent this much and all I want is that money back. I've excluded myself again now by using every email address I have for 5 years to prevent me from doing this again.
I hope I can stick to it this time. I don't have a completely stable job and in a few months I won't have one. I'm 23 and just got a mortgage for a flat and have just blown some of my savings for decorating this on a 2 hour fix which wasn't even fun at the time and is definitely not fun to think about now.
Hi cmcc1234,
We are glad that you are using the forum for support. You might want to consider having a one to one chat with an adviser too, via our helpline or netline. We can talk through the practical help e.g. blocking software and multiple online self exclusion. There are also many banks that can block gambling transactions e.g. Monzo and Starling and some high street banks. All this information is on our website. Lock down brings challenges. Try to have a plan for each day, so you have a distraction. Explore how you can fill your time. Reflect on what triggered you gambling, you can learn from this.
Best Wishes
Forum Admin
Hello cmcc - Please consider the comment above. Change starts with you. If you don't change, neither will your situation. What will you do to change? I personally think the best thing to do would be to sign up to gamstop, that way you cannot create any new online accounts. It's a start. The more barriers, the better! Good luck!
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