Hello everyone,
I’ve finally realised I have an addiction.
It all started a year ago when i just turned 18, I would play online slot machines with the money I earnt from a part time job I had during school. It was only £50-£100 a month which doesn’t sound a lot, however I was on £190 a month wages.
Fast forward to when I got a full time job 10 months ago. I thought I was invincible earning £1,000+ a month for it to go on online casinos like sky vegas. I hardly ever broke even but it was more of a thrill chasing the losses than actually winning anything.
Soon my deposits became more like £100, £200, £500 a day because I could never judge when the big win was coming. In total I worked out I lost around £1300. A couple of months ago I did 6 week ‘cooling off’ periods on my favourite sites and it worked a treat. I saved towards my first house and a car. However, this month I thought I would try my luck on a site I hadn’t been on (w*********l) and deposited £100 and won £1,800! I withdrew it straight away and had it in my bank almost immediately. It was an amazing feeling, after being depressed for the best part of a year over losing I had finally gained back everything I lost!
Today I did something really stupid and deposited £20 on that same site. That £20 turned into £100, which turned into £1,000 which turned into £1,500. I had lost all of the winnings I had. I’m so upset with myself and I really need help.
Any advice?
I won £2,000 was sitting to go into my bank and I played it all back, I gamble my wages and I am now not working. I owe about £900 to pay day loan companys and I cant pay it back 🙁
Welcome to the forum Alice,
My advise is really quite simple. Well done on recognising you have a problem so early on. It took me a good few years to recognise the same. I got myself in to considerable debt through my addiction. So the advise I give is stop now. There is only ever one winner and it’s not us.
There is a website called Gamstop. You can register you details and this stops you logging on to any uk governed gambling site. If I were you I would sign up for the maximum 5 year term. This will stop you being able play at all online.
If you feel able to I would confide in someone. Just so you don’t feel alone. Someone who you can share your thoughts with.
Have a read through this forum. It’s full of amazing people and their struggles with this addiction.
If you have a local GA and feel able to attend do so.
Gamcare also offer a free counselling service - just ring up and they can arrange.
Again, well done for coming here. You are so young and have your whole life in front of you. I just wish I had done so at your age.
Take care x
Hi Alice,
The same thing happened to me. I went from depositing £20 here and there to £50, £100 to a £1,000.
I like you had a lovely win around £3,000 to be exact and I like you transferred it straight back into my bank but of course it didn’t stay there long and every penny with around another £10,000 over the coming months went back into the online slots.
Depositing that first £20 was the worst thing I have ever done in my life.
It’s time to nip it in the bud now before it takes over and you end up losing a hell of a lot more then you could ever win.
Join up to Gamstop and it will put a stop to your online gambling in an Instant. Trust me it will be the best thing you ever did.
Good luck
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