Another year and back to the start

Hi there buddy and welcome back , look what's gonna change inyour life so much with £500, £1,000 £2,000? Not that much I'm sure ! What is enough ! Whatever the amount it won't come from a Fobt and I speak from experience ! Whatever you won would just be ammunition to pump back in the machine , it's not about the money for us just the buzz and we can't win because we can't stop . You're blocks should be in place ! You've been here before and all those self exclusions should still be there , I'm not going to preach but nothing changes until it changes , as compulsive gamblers were only ever one bet away from getting back on the cycle and will always need to keep that triangle broken ! I wish you well my friend and welcome back to recovery !

Morning fella.

I have just read and re read your post about a dozen times, why?

Has the maximum jackpot been raised on the fobt?

The fobt,my nemesis, my choosen method of gambling, the machines that I fed an estimated quarter of a million pounds into throughout my own gambling life.

I believe at their inception they paid a maximum £100 jackpot which raised to a final £500 maximum jackpot when I declared that gambling had beaten me up for the last time.

We are all shrude mathematicians and it's easy to work out that for me to break even I would need 500 consecutive jackpot wins.

How many jackpot wins in my 20 year career did I receive?

I believe that the answer is three, I won three jackpots in my fobt gambling life and to boot did I lavish my winnings upon myself and my family?

Did I f**k, I fed it back in, raised the stakes and then repeated the cycle until the walk of shame, the realisation that again I had beaten myself.

So have they raised the jackpot?

It wouldn't matter if they did, the same as it wouldn't matter if they regulated the stakes because I lived by a mantra

I CANNOT WIN BECAUSE I CANNOT STOP

I have two words that will stop your losses

Self exclusion

Take passport photos to every bookies you have featured in and self exclude.

Then enjoy the fact that the losses will cease,the money lost well that's gone fella, put it to bed.

I have the greatest sympathy for anyone who is addicted to the fobt

In my open eyes 'the £500 dream breaker'

Abstain and maintain

Duncs stepping forward never back

Thanks for the comments guys you are both correct. I haven't gambled this week but have been full of flu so just recovering from that.
Dunc self exclusion doesn't work I'm self excluded from everywhere but I can still walk in and gamble in most of them. I think I gamble in the excitement of having free money to squander when really I earn good money and can afford to buy things most months so it's ridiculous. I've had a good look at myself this past week and have decided I'm going to set aside a couple of hundred pounds a month to spend on myself or my wife instead of wasting gambling. I really can't remember the last time I won it's a joke. It can't go on. I am going to log into chat a couple of nights a week as a way of going to GA meetings also. Thanks for your comments

Hello.

You seem quite dismissive regarding self exclusion. I think the point Dunc's is saying that it serves as a good 2 fingered salute to the bookies and gives you a element of pride..

Just a humble thought.

Good on you regarding GA and I wish you well..

Reread your last post. Are you saying that you've tried SE, it doesn't work so the continued gambling's not your fault and there's nothing more to be done? Not so.

If you do want to stop, it takes effort and that effort has to come from you, no one else can "make" you stop. Or "make" you gamble. It's hard but others out there are doing it.

If SE really isn't working, then you could look again at the money side of the triangle. Hand over financial control to your wife? It does break the triangle.

I hope you do make some real progress soon.

CW

What I mean is that self exclusion isn't a fix, I've put in measures to stop me going near the areas where the bookies are situated. I realise it takes effort, I have been struggling recently but am trying my best. No gambling this week so need to push on from here. Going to get back in the gym tomorrow

So tomorrow is almost two weeks gamble free. Today was payday, I've changed up my usual routine, I didn't go near a bank or bookies so have not had any mishaps. I need to concentrate on keeping this up.
I have some extra money coming in over the next couple of months which I am determined not to waste and put to good use, probably going to move it straight to the joint savings account out of the way. Hope everyone has a good weekend

So this week will be one month gamble free, feeling better about it and have made a conscious effort to not even go near a bookies. I'm due some bonuses in work over the next few months which should make things a little more comfortable. This has made me think about why I gamble, as I know I'm going to have money the thought of gambling hasn't crept in, so has the reason I've been gambling because I wanted more money or more stuff to buy from the winnings? Only problem is I never win so it's a catch 22 situation. Also started back in the gym so that's helped me feel a lot better, could do with losing a couple of stone so need to keep it up.