Society & Culture Problem gamblers

[Hoffy95]

It comes down to how it mentally affects you too. Do you feel angry/down/sad when you lose? Do you think about it too much to the expense/detriment of others?

Its more then just financial gain/loss

Yeh good point.

There would be a strong correlation however between the financial investment/loss and increased mental issues/problems (I would think anyway).

 

[Coledinho]

Yeh good point.

There would be a strong correlation however between the financial investment/loss and increased mental issues/problems (I would think anyway).

Increased stress, yes. Mental problem/issues in the mould of depression would be pretty similar IMO

 

[eddiesmith]

Its interesting that whenever problem gambling gets mentioned its always about how evil pokies are, but its the betting side of gambling that loses people alot more money and causes alot more problems.

You cant walk into a pokies joint, punt 10k on a spin, lose it then back up and put another 10k on the next one etc like people do on horses. You also can only bet the money you have, looking at some of the losses and debts people get into betting on the horses or sports, surely its alot worse going into debt on betting than just losing what you have?

I've got little issue with gambling, I just don't see why 1 form of gambling is so evil and 95% of people condemn it, but another one is widely celebrated, promoted and yet it sees people lose even more?

 

[Hoffy95]

Quite simply because Pokies are programed to lose AND people sit there all day on them in some cases and neglect family as a result.

Horse & sports betting involve an informed/calculated decision as well as a degree of luck. Pokies require luck only.

 

[JuddsABlue]

Ive had a gambling problem before. Lost about 200k+. Sounds like alot but to me it actually wasnt that much. My missus kind of said I think you should stop this, do this etc so I did. I still bet a few hundred here or there but not as much as I did. It was during a time when I was feeling pretty low, was very ill/lonely and had nothing to occupy my time. Lost a few 10k bets that werent too pleasant but I got over it.

Personally I didnt care as it took me a day and I got over it. It took my missus longer then a day to get over the fact I was in a shithouse mood. Thats when I knew it was time to stop

Fortunately I dont look back with too many regrets but I know people who do/have. Lost 200k to a business partner when he bailed and gambled a deposit I made to him. Had NO IDEA he gambled at the casino at all but apparantly he did. His extremely wealthy father refuses to pay me back too. Took him to court as he was part of the business plan/key backer but didnt win. That pissed me off majorly/effected me more then anything I did. It was alot harder seeing someone else fall then it was seeing myself fall and that is the problem with problem gambling. I dont know what I would do if I saw that bloke again. He was one of my best friends. At first I would of punched him in the face but I kind of forgive him/feel bad for him now. Think he is living in Singapore now and starting over again

The person themself dont care as much about the problem as others will. It is a problem which really breeds of loneliness. Its a thing that attracts those of a certain nature then attacks what attracted them. I find it disgraceful the way most gambling organisations handle it. CROWN is the worst by a mile. They will invite problem gamblers/those on the banned list at Burswood to Crown Casino Melbourne on casino junkets. Tom Waterhouse and co regularly encourage and demand impulse betting from people they know are compulsive gamblers. I wonder how my friend can rock up with 500k to the casino without Burswood asking any questions about it. Fact is these companies love problem gamblers hence why its such a big issue

As much as these companies speak responsibility they dont care or give a crap about it. Only company I have heard of ever doing proper gambling responsnbility management is PokerStars who will call people they believe have spiked there gambling and ask why/offer counselling out of the blue. The Australian companies are terrible at it and I really respect any politician that demands changes in the area. It needs changing

Did you lose 200k on the punt, and then lose another 200k to your business partner? I wouldnt consider the 200k to your business partner gambling losses. Thats a fml loss

Either way its good to hear somebody from the trenches in this thread. You spoke of the few core aspects of problem gambling. The problem gambler will never care about the money like other people do.

I spent a short period earlier in the year losing 1k a night on various table games. It really didnt bother me at all, but I knew telling my mother/partner or someone else they'd completely flip. But it didnt bother me and I didnt want to be bothered by them which is the reason I never told anybody about it. I enjoyed it and wanted it to remain enjoyable rather than having people attempt to stop me.

I eventually grew out of it, got tired of those specific games and moved on. I was at the casino the other night with about 2k in my pocket that I felt like losing and started to walk to my favourite game but turned around. I didnt have the bug then but I knew if I played for an hour, I'd probably be playing all week, so decided to not start it all over again. I dont feel good about not doing it, like I would expect someone feeling good after not making an impulse purchase and saving money. I feel neutral about it.

 

[Coledinho]

200k myself, then 200k on my friend

Problem isnt regulating etc. Problems will be solved by stopping the untouchable aura the government currently gives them. How Burswood is allowed to send banned gamblers from Burswood to Crown Melbourne is beyond me. Its legal to do but how and why that is is beyond me.

Another example. A bookie in WA has a few clients who cant pay off there debts. He tells them to go to this person/work for them and he will pay off your debts for you. That person was a drug dealer. The 3 guys get caught. They tell there story to the police. We were told to work for this guy by our bookie. Bookie says he has no idea what he was sending them to work for/do, he thought it was just doing odd jobs for the guy and somehow gets off. How the police bought that is beyond me but the reality is they wanted him to stay on in the job so he can keep showing them the trail of dirty money that is gambled through him. Seems a backwards philosophy really

 

[Childish Gambino]

My friends a problem gambler and has had some pretty big ups and downs.

At one stage he owed me well over $5000 but I trusted him. I eventually got it back but it tests your patience.

Currently he is working for one of the corporates as a trader, I think this is one of his worst career moves. Good money but now his life is revolved around gambling. Apparently everyone there gambles throughout the working day.

The other week he won $10,000 but by the time he paid back everything he owed to friends and family he was left with nothing and still owes people at least another $10,000.

I have access to his accounts so when times get really bad I can change the passwords and things, I just checked his Betfair turnover it was $165,486.80 for the last 30 days. Pretty staggering figures.

 

[Stratton_Gun]

I go pretty well on the punt. Miles in front this year, but at the same time I have my moments where I will go to the pub with the boys and plan to bet a little on just about every race, because I thoroughly enjoy the experience, even if I don't win. In fact when betting like that you are almost allowing for a loss.

That's the thing for me, I just enjoy betting. Never bet more then $5 on anything as I don't have a job (not a dolebludger but am at Uni and doing volounteer work lol) but I just enjoy the experience as you said.

 

[fairdinkum]

Ive had a gambling problem before. Lost about 200k+. Sounds like alot but to me it actually wasnt that much. My missus kind of said I think you should stop this, do this etc so I did. I still bet a few hundred here or there but not as much as I did. It was during a time when I was feeling pretty low, was very ill/lonely and had nothing to occupy my time.
The person themself dont care as much about the problem as others will. It is a problem which really breeds of loneliness. Its a thing that attracts those of a certain nature then attacks what attracted them.

Excellent post Coledinho. The parts above in particular I found insightful.

The guy I spoke about in the OP seems to me to lead a pretty lonely existence.

 

[InspectorRex]

You've given us all the info we need to understand his gambling

We know his income, what he spends and how he acts about the punt

None of those factors point towards a problem gambler

I've been gambling for 6 years and for 5 and a half of those I've been gambling bigger than you're mate. I have mates who gamble bigger than you're mate who aren't problem gamblers

I've seen every type of gambler. The ones who bet their last $20 instead of buying food and the ones that drop 10k without making a sweat. I've seen countless mug Punters who lose $100 a week because it's a nice round figure and they enjoy the punt

You're getting more obnoxious the more experienced gamblers tell you you're friend is ok. I know you're type, you want to be upset at your for gambling for no reason, you just don't do it so you don't understand it so you don't like it

oh for the love of god... http://www.youryoure.com/

 

[JuddsABlue]

I'm usually spot on with those but yeah guess I had a brain fade

 

[CLUBMEDhurst]

maybe you would like to share a few?

Unfortunately the best anecdotes are so idiosyncratic in nature that confidentiality would be compromised (some of my ex-clients are prob BFers, as part of treatment I've sent some here - but that's another story all together). I was interviewing a chap a coupla years ago; middle-aged, pleasant, respectful bloke, who without batterin' an eyelid, stated, "so then I held up a bank". Seemed totally incongruous that the geeky lookin' fella across the table was a bank robber. Was a TAB gambler and he also told me that he was a good punter, if he stuck to his system (which he invariably never did).

An interesting fact I've learned is the prevalence of Asian crime gangs in Crown Casino. Assessed a vietnamese woman, who owed $30,000 to these loan sharks. Apparently they prey on vulnerable asian women, loaning them money to gamble, with extortionate interest. They then offer them alternate means of paying off the debt (i.e. prostitution or drug mule). The Age did an expose on this a few years ago, and I know of several women incarcerated for drug trafficking that this has occurred to

 

[eastcoastcrow]

I have found this an interesting and fascinating thread about the perils of gambling and appreciated the comments in here.

Are you a problem gambler if you win?

Let's just say for arguments sake you win $100 a week, but it consumes your life but it is something you enjoy and get pleasure off!

 

[CLUBMEDhurst]

I have found this an interesting and fascinating thread about the perils of gambling and appreciated the comments in here.

Are you a problem gambler if you win?

Let's just say for arguments sake you win $100 a week, but it consumes your life but it is something you enjoy and get pleasure off!

If it's having negative cconsequences then yes ($100 a week extra to play with sounds ****in' good to me though)

 

[Stratton_Gun]

I have found this an interesting and fascinating thread about the perils of gambling and appreciated the comments in here.

Are you a problem gambler if you win?

Let's just say for arguments sake you win $100 a week, but it consumes your life but it is something you enjoy and get pleasure off!

I don't think it can be considered a problem until you start losing

 

[PP34]

A family friend used to wag school and head to the races with his other wealthy mate (his family is well off). Became a real problem for him but he sorted it out due to a traumatic event.

 

[aNty]

My uncle is. He has probably gambled away hundreds of thousands of dollars. He has gambled away his houses, my grandparents jewellery, borrowed money and my grandparents house (meaning my parents had to buy it when the bank put it up for sale). The problem is my uncle is an only male child in a family where he was spoiled his whole life so whenever he gambled a lot of it away my grandparents or parents would have to back him up.

All of his children hate him. My grandparents still unconditionally love him which is the only thing which stops us from cutting him off. But this whole thing has put me off gambling forever. My girlfriend calls me "boring" but she doesn't understand. There's a lot of tension in our family (even though its really small) because of this.

The saddest thing was when my grandma passed away last year we couldn't afford a proper funeral for her (since he borrowed all my grandparents money) until my mum took another mortgage on the house he initially gambled away 20 years ago to for pay it.

There's alot more to the story and but yes gambling not only ruins lives but it ruins those around you too.

 

[Partridge]

So glad the extent of my betting is in the Hawthorn thread's punting thread.

I cannot bet with my money. If im out at dinner at the pub with the family...i might take the missus in and we will put $5 on the pokies.

I've done that about 3 times in the past 10 years.

I have friends who are massive punters...lose heaps...such a shame

Same here. Used to work in the TAB, saw some astonishing sums of money getting thrown away like it was nothing. It definitely had an effect on me. I used to like the Spring Carnival (only time I really punted), and on Derby Day 1998 myself and 3 mates won 10K on the quadrella. It was an awesome feeling. In all seriousness I have hardly had a bet since; I'm well ahead and intend to keep it that way.

Now, I could name a thousand things I'd rather do with $50 than invest in something where it is almost certain that you will lose. Just ludicrous when you think about it.

 

[JuddsABlue]

My uncle is. He has probably gambled away hundreds of thousands of dollars. He has gambled away his houses, my grandparents jewellery, borrowed money and my grandparents house (meaning my parents had to buy it when the bank put it up for sale). The problem is my uncle is an only male child in a family where he was spoiled his whole life so whenever he gambled a lot of it away my grandparents or parents would have to back him up.

All of his children hate him. My grandparents still unconditionally love him which is the only thing which stops us from cutting him off. But this whole thing has put me off gambling forever. My girlfriend calls me "boring" but she doesn't understand. There's a lot of tension in our family (even though its really small) because of this.

The saddest thing was when my grandma passed away last year we couldn't afford a proper funeral for her (since he borrowed all my grandparents money) until my mum took another mortgage on the house he initially gambled away 20 years ago to for pay it.

There's alot more to the story and but yes gambling not only ruins lives but it ruins those around you too.

your uncle ruined the lives of the people around you, and he was enabled by the people around him

gambling was the tool he used to do it

If someone is murdered by a gun, you dont put the gun on trial, you put the person who shot the gun on trial. There arent any greiving families saying a gun took my loved one away

 

[Tiff]

Worked with a guy who was completely cooked from gambling.

Was obsessed with horses. Was the closest thing to an addict of something other than a drug I've ever seen. We got paid weekly at the time, on Thursday, and without fail every Friday he'd chuck a sickie (was also an alco) and if he was there, you could guarantee at some point during the day he'd be doing the rounds asking everyone if he could borrow 50 bucks.

He earnt pretty good money (don't know for sure but I'd be assuming was making close to 2k a week) and every cent went to piss and horses.

I went to the local tradesman pub near work with him once for a cheeky beer and the guy was in a frenzy, waving little bits of paper around, making bets, yelling and screaming, laughing, swearing. Up and down up and down.

It was mind blowing. I've met drug addicts, plenty of them, but never have a I seen anything quite like what I saw destroy this man.

He helped set the company up that we worked in so was fairly well looked after by the directors. It all came to a head when we caught him drinking the beers from the fridge in our crib room. The owners always made sure we had beers in the fridge for after work (common in my industry for a small private company, back then anyway) and we started to otice that they were dwindling away even when no one was indulging.

He was nipping behind some welding curtains he'd set up in the back corner. We struggled to catch him red handed for a while but one day he went through 6 before 8 am. We were finding them freshly drunk and still cold in bins, just couldnt quite catch him. Guy was trolleyed.

Gambling was the thing that ruined his life though, the man lost everything.

 

[Norwegian Blue]

My friends a problem gambler and has had some pretty big ups and downs.

At one stage he owed me well over $5000 but I trusted him. I eventually got it back but it tests your patience.

Currently he is working for one of the corporates as a trader, I think this is one of his worst career moves. Good money but now his life is revolved around gambling. Apparently everyone there gambles throughout the working day.

The other week he won $10,000 but by the time he paid back everything he owed to friends and family he was left with nothing and still owes people at least another $10,000.

I have access to his accounts so when times get really bad I can change the passwords and things, I just checked his Betfair turnover it was $165,486.80 for the last 30 days. Pretty staggering figures.

Working as a trader? Jeebus! I used to work for a bank as a trader on a whole floor of traders. I was one of the odd ones out in that I didn't gamble with my own money. Every other guy (yes, mostly guys) would bet on absolutely anything and everything. The walls and whiteboards were decorated with spread betting odds on sporting events. You'd constantly hear stuff like "I'll buy Collingwood at $15 and sell Hawthorn at $20". That's a totally shit environment for your mate to work in.

It won't do much for his liver either, just quietly.

 

[Quokka]

your uncle ruined the lives of the people around you, and he was enabled by the people around him

gambling was the tool he used to do it

If someone is murdered by a gun, you dont put the gun on trial, you put the person who shot the gun on trial. There arent any greiving families saying a gun took my loved one away

I dont think aNty was trying to say all gamblers (or gambling) is evil he was just adding his own experience to the conversation. Plenty of people have a bet for whatever reason and it's not and issue some do it the other way and sure you don't put the gun on trial but if you flood the environment with guns and then advertise/glamorise the hell out of them you still end up with more dead people.

 

[JuddsABlue]

I dont think aNty was trying to say all gamblers (or gambling) is evil he was just adding his own experience to the conversation. Plenty of people have a bet for whatever reason and it's not and issue some do it the other way and sure you don't put the gun on trial but if you flood the environment with guns and then advertise/glamorise the hell out of them you still end up with more dead people.

it was the finishing line of "gambling not only ruins lives etc...."

its just the never ending "be responsible for your own actions argument"

I agree as a whole we need to be protected, but I dont buy into the idea that an object can be the reasoning behind the downfall of someone. Its the person either using drugs, gambling too much, shooting people. Its the person, not the drugs gambling or guns.

 

[100action]

Not sure how people can bet on things tuned for you to lose (pokies, tatts, horse racing), once you get your head around this relatively easy concept surely even "feels" like adrenaline and thrill are significantly cheapened to the point they are not worth pursuing.

I left my computer on for 1 day on this site at the fastest setting (power play and max setting) for a division 2 win, that is roughly 3 million years of buying 2 power play tickets per week. http://justwebware.com/powerball/powerball.html

If you have skill and you are playing a game that requires skill (ie Mahjong, certain card games etc) or you have insider knowledge (pulling an Arnold Rothstein), gambling would be understandable.

 

[Coledinho]

it was the finishing line of "gambling not only ruins lives etc...."

its just the never ending "be responsible for your own actions argument"

I agree as a whole we need to be protected, but I dont buy into the idea that an object can be the reasoning behind the downfall of someone. Its the person either using drugs, gambling too much, shooting people. Its the person, not the drugs gambling or guns.

I used to see this point of view till I saw the extents the companies go to grab the addicts market. If you take your own actions to stop gambling at Burswood Casino in Perth they invite you on casino junkets at Crown Melbourne with the promise of free hotel rooms/food/entertainment while you stay.

My mate works as a govt watchdog on this type of thing. They banned 100 people from the TAB and each went 10 times after this ban took place over a 1 year period. Out of 1000 times they were stopped from gambling 48 times and most of those 48 times was down at the race track as opposed to the local TAB

I guess the ultimate problem is the industry prevents people from creating there own actions to ensure responsibility alot of the time