"Match Betting it's a win win" thoughts please

Thank you, klamm, for your plain speaking. It's what I thought but it helps to hear from someone who knows. Your description of 'how it consumes your mind' is  powerful. And I guess this addiction is powerful too. I truly hope you find a way to conquer it. If you can express yourself in such a 'real' way - your talk of 'Anger, termoil. Seeking craving...' maybe continuing to write is something you can put your focus on to begin to build a wedge between you and the craving.

Thanks again for the insight and good luck.

Matched betting won't work long term. The offers will dry up, the bookies will realise what's going on and close accounts. From what I've read it's also a lot of work for any returns. How many hours exposure to gambling did your husband have for that £240?

It's a gateway thing. Once you have an account they can showcase the things that make them money - slots, bingo etc.  Free spins turn into depositing your own cash, chasing losses, the whole spiral. If your husband already has a gambling problem matched betting isn't the solution. 

I know exactly what he’s doing, been there done that.

He May well be winning but by god he’s putting in a lot of hours to for that return, some people make a living out of it, however where it falls down is human greed, he will want more and take a risk somewhere along the way to fuel his habit, he will make mistakes and lose on a bet, I promise, as has been said if it was easy we would all be at it.

it will hurt him sooner or later, it needs to stop.

I totally agree,

For me, the worst thing that can happen is having a big win, in fact any win really. It just fuels your desire to gamble more and your mind becomes obsessed with the next bet. The gambling industry wins because they know the majority of gamblers won't stop. I feel sorry for your husband because his delusion of beating the bookie will end in tears. God how I wish I never took up gambling.

Stuart

I'm a bit torn on this one. Know someone who has been matched betting for years and has made a lot of money out of it. Yes, he's made the odd mistake and lost some money along the way but was able to take a step back, see the bigger picture and not het sucked into the winning it back mentality.

Me on the other hand, different story. O started matched betting after seeing how well he was doing when I had some spare time and money due to a change in circumstances. For about a year and a half all went fine, I made some good money in what I thought was a risk free way. Then I inevitably made a mistake, lost hundreds. And instead of just writing it off, I wanted that money back and started placing more and more 'normal' bets, trying to win the money back. Almost 5 years followed, where I lost an incredible amount of money, lied to everyone about it, took out loans to cover my losses then of course had to bet more to pay for those loans. It was hideous.

And I didn't see it coming, never thought this would happen to me. Even when I was drowning in debt I denied I had a problem. Couldn't even admit it myself. Things might have been different had I not been largely reliant on the money I made through matched betting, not been so isolated, not had a traumatic experience to deal with. Who knows. 

So, not everyone who does matched betting has a problem or will develop one. But you need to be very wary, an eye out for the signs that things are going wrong. Personally, I don't think it's worth the risk, but it's taken me a lot to see that.

Posted by: Anastacia

"it's not gambling, it's betting"

This is one of the many lies I used to tell my other half.

I also used to say that it's just free bonus money.  The odds are stacked in my favour and I've covered all bases meaning that every outcome is a win.

Sometimes these things were true, but the real truth is that behind the scenes I was out of control, increasing stakes, chasing losses and eventually, you're luck runs out and you run out of money.  That then = debt as you won't stop and the process repeats until all lines of credit run out.

There is no win/win.  The odds are stacked in favour of the house in every form of "gambling".  Sometimes we win...but we only win when we stop after a positive outcome.  Do people do that?  Do people have their greatest ever meal and think "that was brilliant, i'll never eat that again".  Do people go on a date and think "she/he is the one.  I am in love.  I won't bother calling them again!"

I hope you have your answer 🙂

Matched betting can work initially but he will succumb to the inevitable chancier bets and ultimately, he WILL lose. He's just trying to justify his habit. It WILL end in disaster. Hate to peddle such gloom but i've been there and i've just joined GamCare today. WE ALL try to put a positive spin on it and use terms like 'matched betting' or 'trading' etc but he's a GAMBLER, pure and simple. Beware!

Matched Betting is a one-way ticket to full-on gambling. Matched Betting purports a risk-free form of income, but nothing could be further from the truth. Initially your husband will make some so-called “risk-free” money, but when the easy money offers dry up as the bookies start to gub him after a few weeks / months then the harder, more risky Casino offers will be left. Games that are designed to draw a punter in, with the increasing temptation to go beyond the wagering requirement, gradually sliding into full-on gambling, which is exactly these “free” offers are there for. I had 18 exhausting months trying to Match Bet whilst keeping away from Gambling, in the end for every pound of “risk-free” income I made, I lost 2 gambling. My advice, keep well away.

Posted by: Anastacia

When I addressed the issue of my husband's gambling he said "it's not gambling, it's betting". He then took a lot of effort to explain to me about 'Match betting' and said it's not the same and you can only win.

He said he only started this a couple of months ago and has already 'won' £240.

I wondered what people thought about this.

I found out about my husbands betting just last week, so I am very new to this.

 

Hi Anastacia,

This is how my ex partner started and ultimately ended up with a huge gambling problem and tens of thousands of pounds in debt.

I wish you all the best but please do not be fooled.

Love x

Thank you all so much for your replies. I am getting more informed every time I'm on here. Knowledge is power so they say. 

Thank goodness there is a place like Gam care, it's a real source of support. All of you that take the courage to post your stories and reply to posts are helping others like me so much. My very grateful thanks.

I've got some slightly different advice for you Anastacia, there is only one thing worse and more misery inducing, and life wrecking than being a compulsive and problem gambler, and that is being the partner of one.

 Anastacia, you only know about what he is telling you, I will bet (sorry) that he has not told you about any big losses, gambling makes a person devious and you will most certainly not be getting the whole truth which is that he has a big problem which is festering and will blow up on you eventually.