Removing FOBT's from betting shops

Another question might be "How do I remove myself from the betting shop"...

If I remember correctly romeo, you started gambling over 8 years ago on the roulette table in casinos. Whether you have concerns about the roulette wheel at the casino or the FOBT in the bookies, surely the most pressing concern is that you should obtain support to help you stop gambling in any form?

I don't remember you ever mentioning what professional treatment you've had to help you to change your behaviour. GamCare provides free counselling appointments, and there are other treatment options too. You deserve the best support, so why not allow yourself the opportunity to benefit from it?

To find out more, call us on the helpline or Netline.

Take care,

Adam.

At night when no-one is about but I don't advise it. On a serious note, self ban yourself - done wonders for me.

My friend Adam, what treatment? There is no cure for this, not from where I look at it.

This is a satanic game, god won't help you give what makes you think you mere humans can help me? I have asked god to help me, I have asked Satan to help me, but they are ignorant.

I brought this on my self, I believe in karma, I believe I am bring punished for my previous sins, I have sinned alot, so punish me you b******s. Take my soul and leave me alone...

Romeo there is treatment available free of charge, and according to research it does help.

Here is a quote from the GamCare Annual Review for 2010:

"In 2009/10 we provided counselling for over 2,000 people (a 34% increase on 2008/9)

and delivered 46% more counselling sessions: over 20,000. At the beginning of counselling 88% of gambling clients were assessed as problem gamblers; at the end of treatment this reduced to 28%".

So as you can see, counselling can make a difference.

In your post you make reference to spiritual concepts, and you seem distressed. I wonder if you are familiar with the practice of meditation? Mindfulness is incorporated into an approach called Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy, or MBCT for short. I include a link here in case you might be interested in a related article:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/…tal_health/article6975797.ece

Romeo you've mentioned before that you are highly educated, and I hope that you will allow yourself to learn more about help that is available for you. When we are very distressed it is more difficult for us to use our intelligence and rationality, but with the right support we can become better in ourselves, and enjoy a more peaceful life.

Take care,

Adam.

SELF EXCLUSION - it works 100% for me.

Shaun

Me too Romeo, self exclusion effectively accomplishes the same goal and puts a hard seal on the problem once and for all.

In my experience life seems to favour people who help themselves.

You wont get the FOBTS removed, we'd all like to see it happen but its delusional thinking and that kind of thinking drives us back to gambling. Removing yourself however, now that makes more sense!

Ask in the bookies about self exclusion. You got nothing to lose by trying.

Hey Romeo,

Adam is totally right, the question is how to remove yourself from the machines and betting shops, not the machines from the shops.

What worries me is your belief that you are being punished in some way; I'm not going to get into a theological debate but apart from being unlikely, the issue is that the belief actually resolves yourself of responsibility. You have to take responsibility for your own actions to beat the disease. Yes, I believe it is a disease and yes it does have incredible power, a vice-like grip over us which seems to make us lose all free will. But we DO have free will and it is only our own choices - and positive steps (like self-exclusion) - that will see us succeed.

Good luck,

Ross

While i agree that responsibility is ultimately down to the individual. I think the question raised is a valid one. There are plenty of vunerable people that do not have the will power or tools to combat this addiction. Does anyone follow the new statesman thread on FOBT? check it out theres some interesting comments.

Ireland won't allow them, its Tessa Jowell who allowed bookies to introduce them, allowing money to flow from the poor & desparate to already-rich corporate fat cats, oh hang on i thought she was a Labour politician ? Of course they should be banned, either that or allow *** C*****e shops to open on every high st, the FOBT's are on the same level.

There's an in depth discussion on them here :

http://www.newstatesman.com/200502210022

edited by GamCare staff

Although some people with problem gambling get into difficulties on the FOBTs, according to the 2010 British Gambling Prevalence Suvey, people with problem gambling more often report other types of gambling activity.

Looking specifically at "The prevalence of problem gambling among those who reported that they took part in each activity on a regular (at least monthly) basis, problem gambling prevalence was highest among those who reported that they regularly played poker in a club/pub (20.3%) and those who regularly bet on dog races (19.2%), followed by 17.0% for those who regularly played online slot machine style games and 13.9% for those who regularly played casino games. This pattern, by which problem gambling prevalence is particularly high among those who bet regularly on dog races, was also observed in 2007

and 1999. Problem gambling prevalence was highest among those who reported that they gambled on nine or more different activities on a regular basis (27.8%)"

If you like you can read more here:

http://www.gamblingcommission…revalence%20Survey%202010.pdf

The percentage of people with problem gambling who gambled on a regular basis (At least monthly) who reported gambling on FOBTs was 13.3%. So thats fewer than people with problem gambling who reported playing poker, fewer than dogs, fewer than online slots, fewer than casino and fewer than betting on non-sporting events.

I thought I'd mention this to help people keep some perspective. An expression that comes to mind is "It's not what you do, it's the way that you do it". If you are having difficulty with the way you are gambling, then the most effective way to improve your situation is to change your behaviour, and GamCare provides therapeutic support to help you succeed with those changes.

If you'd like to book a therapy appointment, feel welcome to talk with an advisor on the helpline or Netline as a first step.

Take care,

Adam.

Adam are you for real? i think you may be in the wrong job.

I dont care were they got their stats from, go into any betting shop and observe what people are compulsively playing on its FOBT. Can you go to a dog track from 9.00 to 22:00 no you cant. Can you play in a poker tornament when nipping out to pick some bread up no you cant. I think the above stats are wrong but even if they are not you will have to come up with a better argument than stats. These machines are designed to attract the weak and the vunerable (im firmly in that camp!!) they are readily avaliable at almost any hour and can eat through your money and self respect at an alarming rate.

Adam take your lunch break now go to a bookies and see for yourself.

That is such a wierd post !!

I agree with 'Defeated'

Where on earth did you get them stats from, please tell me it's not from an Information Analyst who works either directly/indirectly for the bookies.

I have spent many days in the bookies from dawn till dusk... people bet petty money on horses/dogs etc except for a few big timers, but majority of the people go there to play FOBT machines mate. My ex use to work is a bookie, even she told me that they now rely on their FOBT machines to make a quick profit, why do you think they have longer opening hours.

I started my post by asking how to remove FOBT from bookies like 1 decade ago when they didnt have these d**n machine's... so can we stick to this subject please.

Any idea's anyone?

Tom, thanks for the feedback 🙂

Like the other GamCare staff, I'm here because I want to help. I understand that you didn't like reading my last post. I had a good intention though, which is to help people to focus on making the changes that they can make in their own behaviour, to overcome their problem gambling, and to improve their lives.

I do know about the unhappiness caused by problem gambling, I also know problem gambling existed before FOBTs, and many people on our forum don't play FOBTs.

Tom, you have previously said that you had a problem with your gambling before you ever played an FOBT, having started on fruit machines in holiday parks and pubs, and then horses, dogs and football at the bookies. Your gambling difficulties were very serious when you were playing online, and using betting exchanges. I hope you can see that even if all FOBTs were magically disappeared, that would not remove problem gambling from the world.

I'm pleased that you are here to use the peer support on the forum. As you know, we also provide face-to-face treatment and you are welcome to use our counselling support too.

Take care,

Adam.

Adam,

May i start by appologising, i reread my comments and they were harsh. i have no doubt about your intentions.

I just think you are making light of the FOBT problem. The ammount of people that have problems with these machines in the places i gambled was huge. Its also something that i believe is very attractive to young people it offers potential rewards in seconds and is played on a medium that young people are comfrortable with. FOBT are also very heavily marketed.

I realise that there was problem gambling before FOBT but i think FOBT have accelerated and hightened peoples addictions.

Using my personel history to illustrate this i deffinately was a problem gambler before FOBT but i didnt gamble every day before FOBT, i would enter the bookies with less than £200 before FOBT, i had never played roulette before FOBT, i have never been in a casino but have lost 10s of thousands of pounds on roulette. Also after FOBT i became more comfotable with betting large sums of money and the chase mentality then came the exchanges which i actively gambled on because when i gambled on the exchanges it kept me off the FOBT.

In summary i belive that FOBT are creating problem gamblers for the future, the industy are very aware / happy of this.