Watched thought it was quite good as for why they did not point out supports I don't think this was the aim of the programme. Looked pretty bad for the bookmakers. Just glad I am not gambling as I have been that man shoes enough for one life time.
I can appreciate that Oldham at least with sports betting you can pretend to have some sort of reasoning studying form suspensions injuries condition of the track etc etc but even then it's still a game of chance. Maybe you are wired the same as us fobt players only your "hit" is drawn out a bit longer rather than my instant fix. I did agree to a certain extent that the playing of it was just as big a buzz as winning. I used to watch the clock slowly tick by in work and count the hours until I could get a fix. There were other parts to which I also agreed about feeling like a loser 🙁 I mean what self respecting person would let there life be determined by the landing position of a little ball on a spinning wheel or the spinning of online slots or how many corners there will be in a game of footy. I remember it used to be fun and a little interest but then it changed like it did for all of us but I also know I have changed. I feel like I've finally seen the light. My life is all about my future,sure I've got my pile of debt to remind me but I'm all about what I can achieve and what I believe. Sadly there are no guarantees and for all my positive vibes and go get em mentality I could be scurrying back here in a fortnight with my tail between my legs but I didn't gamble today and I don't plan on doing it tomorrow. As Duncan says,abstain,maintain,move forward 🙂 night people x
Agree it's a game of chance I spent as much time studying trying to justify my losses. I often had issues with the pub fruit machine in pubs. And I could see I would lose more money very quickly on them. Maybe I steered clear as I never actually won on them on few occasions I tried which I know was a blessing.
KTF
I forgot it was on...d**n
Phil, I've just watched it on download. It's on BBC i player
I do have my ups and downs
Like the guy on the programme said you can go x amount of day's and it's that one day that drags you back. Something I'm working on this time round stopping those one day's
This is actually becoming a good share thread
Just watched on I player. .
Poor lady...so sad...
I know we all chose to gamble...and I'm not looking to blame the bookies or any online sites for our addictions but surely the government have to realise what a huge problem it is....and will continue to be .....the opening of more shops just so they can have more fobts. ...how many incidents of damage was it ? 5000 on camera for just one brand of bookies.....jeez...and they say there's no problem with them....not surprised they didn't want to take part in programme...
When the fun stops. ..stop
Should be replaced with at least
Warning...highly addictive
Anyway....let's hope it sent out some warnings to all the youngsters out there attracted to them...
government
Deano we all have our ups and downs and struggle at times but the main thing is we're still here and we're still fighting! After my last relapse I was angry and just felt so low. I felt like a loser and overall just had a feeling of self loathing but I picked myself up dusted myself off and identified why I relapsed and also closed any gambling doors I left open. After watching that programme last night I felt for once they were showing the bookies in a truer light and illustrating that yes we conciously made the decision to play fobts but as an addiction it's almost like we've been brainwashed. Today my anger has calmed down a little and bizzarely I have a bit of an urge to gamble however this will pass as I will not give them my hard earned! Plus the fact I'm still on crutches and my back went last night just to compound matters lol so I couldn't gamble 🙂 take the positives where you can in life because tomorrow isn't guaranteed!
I though it was pretty good.
My hero, Professor David Nutt, was on it (the former government drugs advisor who got fired for telling the truth). It was interesting seeing his work on the effect of gambling on brain activity - with the conclusion that the anticipation gives the same kicks as the act of winning. Highlighting that's its not all about winning. Most scarily, that addiction actually changes our brain. Which is why our remolded brains find it so hard to stop.
This is precisely why we need to embrace therapy or completely new ways of thinking, as our exisitng minds have literally become warped.
But they could've taken it a step further. They didn't really consider why a person gambles.
Also, the programme was specifically targettig FOBTs, whereas the problem is with the whole industry and it's various forms. I don't see slots being that much better than FOBTs - online slots give 24 hour access with total privacy and you bet as much as you want. There will probably now be a major crackdown on FOBTs. Good. But the gambling industry will just turn its focus to other areas.
Good to see someone making the blatant economic argument, albeit rather gingerly. However, it was framed as the 'social cost' of gambling. Yes, the social cost is more important than pure economic (although it's difficult to distinguish the two). But surely there should be a study into the pure economics. 1.2 billion spent on mostly off-shore gambling companies, is 1.2 billion which is not being spent on normal goods and services in the UK.
Still good that this is finally being beamed prime time to the masses. I can imagine my parents would've found it quite eye opening, with me having just told them about my addiction. As someone noted, the same tricks are used by the gambling industry as have been used by tobacco and fossil fuel companies for a long time - deny that there is a health implication, lobby hard, use disraction techniques. You can see that gambling is heading the same way now.
The main woman, whose husband had committed suicide, came across well. Very brave, non-judgemental and inquisitive, and I was moved by her story.
Louis
Great. Thanks LifeBegins.
No surge in Crime when a concentration of bookmakers, I hope they realise alot of time staff in bookmakers are told not to report incidents to police but to head office who will deal with it.
Regarding the no mention of GA on the programme. I've been told at our GA meetings that there is a national GA public relations guy! However his only reply is "No comment". This is due to the "old" and probably dated way GA operates. Members know where to go when they need GA, no need to advertise the fact.
One member onceasked why there are no local GA meeting posters in local bookmakers. Seemed a really good simple idea. But the again not the way GA operates. Personally, even though I love my GA meetings/group I think it needs bringing into the 21st century a little more with certain aspects.
Shep.
******posted on another thread but thought i would add my thoughts********
Anybody else see this??
It was a very interesting and eye opening look into the gambling industry as a whole but especially the FOBT machines, both in the shops and online.
It was hosted by a woman whos husband had commited suicide over these machines and apparantly the problem is growing out of control- so much so that one industry expert is 100 percent sure these thingsa are on borrowed time (long overdue in my opinion).
It also took a look into the anti gambling messages that are blatantly useless to a compulsive gambler spouted by the bookies "when the fun stops stop" YEH RIGHT
However the most interesting part to the program was a scan on a compulsive gamblers brain and the chemical reaction that takes place, it soon made me realise that willpower alone isnt enough, we have to change our whole brain process and change oure whole wiring. The best way to do this?? through years of hard work and dare i say it pain. The pain we are all going through every single day eventually can change your brains reaction to gambling.
Could what i am going through now be a blessing??? almost a silver lining?? So i dont go too far and end up like the poor man on the documentary.
Got me thinking!
The main issue with FOBT's in my opinion is that people use them in the same way they would a casino, we know the odds are against us when actually sat at a table. But with these machines the odds against us are so inflated that we never stand a chance. Are we ever told the odds?? you are with every other bet! 7/1 10/1 etc. the odds of wining could be 7/1 but yet if you win you are only doubling your money. Then there are the tactics these machines use to suck a gambler in- the near misses, with blackjack there is always a way i could have won that one- if i had only just done this (stuck and not hit, Insurance and double downs that you were so close to taking etc etc). The biggest one with blackjack for me is when you go all in and time after time the dealer gets an ace and you are asked if you want to take insurance- which means you have to deposit more money.
You are only allowed 4 per shop- so what do the snakes do??? they just put 4 shops on one highstreet- 12 machines- easy if there are loop holes like that.
To me these things should be banned.
Just watched it. Shocking really! Especially how much you can lose when you can bet every 20secs. Wasn't surprised how blind the industry was to it all. Like I've said today in a new thread, GREED!
Found the part by Professor Nutt really interesting when studying the effects on the human brain when gambling on a FOBT.
Let's hope the program had an effect on certain people before things get out of hand.
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