After a $600k divorce, I’m incredibly debt averse. Our house is nothing to write home about but easily ‘pay offable’ in the next 18mths and we are debt free apart from the small mortgage.
I quite often look at money management sites, mainly to get tips and to talk myself out of getting a shiny car. Anyway. this is how I got led down the rabbit hole of…wait for it…some threads on Mumsnet about gambling.
I was astounding at how many Mums are at home gambling but also, how bloody complicated it sounds. Talk about matched betting 30 x wager and bonus, software refresh times and all sorts or stuff. Some tragic stories but most claim they are ‘up overall’.
I will readily admit to having an addictive personality and after playing in bands, surfing and being into motorbikes, it’s amazing I don’t have a drug habit. I could easily be a drinker or gambler but have settled on endurance as my addiction.
I’m not after anyone sharing anything they don’t want to but does anyone on here have a flutter?
Definitely, all day, every day I’ll monitor what’s going on in many sports. No large bets more playing with numbers than trying to pay off the mortgage.
So far today I’ve gambled on Australian league and cup football, Algerian league and the two live games on at the moment from Coventry and Southampton (could do with a third goal in the latter).
Up in the last 6 years or so when internet gambling became more available with more markets to gamble on and informative in that there were more stats available for each game plus an abundance of reference sites in the case of football. Winnings a few years ago paid for a new oil burner for the heating which was nice.
Had a few trips to the casino where we’ve been lucky a couple of times and cleared over £100 from a starting £20 on roulette but that was pure luck and ‘fun’ gambling. I realise people who had issues would tear me a new one for calling it fun.
Not sure I’d be able to gamble with friends/colleagues, all too personal for me.
I went to school with a lad who’s father owned a chain of betting shops. They were a seriously wealthy family. They literally lived in a manor house and sponsored a snooker tournament that used to attract the biggest names in the sport.
Seeing how rich he got, through what I figured was probably a zero sum game, made me never want to go anywhere near gambling.
Having said that there’s all sorts of other stuff that is fun to do but probably won’t make you rich, triathlon being a case in point I guess.
I’m like @Poet with this. Guys I knew from Uni and work started off on machines then football and the horses and then onto FX and CFDs.
I have no interest and after working in investment management including hedge funds I have seen when punts have gone wrong.
I am now registered with Gamstop after spending too much time (fortunately not too much money) on online slots a few years ago. Not sure why I started, just bored I suppose when work was very, very quiet for a few years. Played about a month and was maybe £200 down before putting in a ‘final’ £50. Was playing at £1.20 a spin with £20 left in the account when I hit a 2500x win and cashed out about £2700 which went towards a new car.
So obviously this was not my final deposit and I continued playing for maybe another 4 years - never quite hitting a win as big again. Didn’t tell anyone but it took up a lot of my working time. Some months I lost a couple hundred quid, other months I was up. But it took hours out of my day every day. And I’d stay gambling instead of training.
I’d close accounts rage quitting a few times if I lost but as there are so many sites I would just open another. Eventually I got fed up and Gamstop came along which lets you register once and then you can’t play on UK gambling sites - I’m registered for 5 years. I’m not interested in sports gambling or physical casinos so this was enough for me.
I do still watch a few people gamble on YouTube which helps curb the desire, but the hardest part was telling my wife after I’d stopped. Very embarrassing stuff. I’ve told quite a few now but there’s still a bit of shame involved.
I think I was fortunate to not lose too much (no real idea how much if at all I was down but maybe £1000?) but without Gamstop I would have found it difficult to stop. The only thing I would like is to be able to play the lottery still. I always had that on direct debit and never thought of it as gambling but clearly can’t do it anymore.
Like you by the sounds of it, I tend to throw myself whole heartedly into anything I take on and immerse myself, and have somehow or other, along the way, managed to keep myself away from gambling… which is almost certainly, a smart move!.. I’ve never been through the door of a bookies.
Used to dabble with online poker about 10 years ago.
Fun games became chasing losses and playing higher stakes tables.
One day got low on funds. Hit a nice win streak. Cashed out, brought myself something nice and never played online again.
Now it’s just a social with mates every few months and don’t care if win/lose (long as I play well lol)
Was definitely addicted and glad I broke the lock before it got real serious.
Funnily enough it was the ‘chasing losses’ thing that made me start the thread. I gambled with my training today, pushed my injury too far trying to chase lost volume.
It made me think of chasing losses and the stuff I’d read about gambling. I could so easily be one of those folks.
Scarily easy from what I’ve seen/heard at work. Whereas I’d be playing for pennies (apart from can’t lose offers where I’d lump on) a couple of others were topping up their accounts on a daily basis at times. One chap had to explain his outgoings to his mortgage broker as the money going to various accounts was very noticeable on his bank statement. Sadly he got round that by adding money on his credit card or PayPal from that day on. Hopefully he fixed things.
Not interested. I’m sure some of you will have seen my disparaging comments about all the gambling site adverts on TV and Online too; especially given the dire situation of many people these days. I suspect the gambling lobby is why a lot of professional sport has been allowed to continue, despite the mixed messaging it sends about us all being in it together.
I also feel celebrities who advertise (glamorise) gambling are somewhat diminished; but that’s a purely personal ‘chip’ on my shoulder.
Never seriously myself only poker nights with mates where it’s a 20 quid buy etc…
I have worked with a few that I’d say had real problems. One guy I particular would get paid at the end of the month. Disappear to play roulette in some grotty bookies and come back an hour later either empty handed having pissed his months salary up the wall. Or pockets lined with 50s
Similar story to my brother. He hit relatively big early on in his gambling carrier, and recons that win cost him 50k in total over the following years. He’d bet on absolutely anything.
Thankful he’s passed it now that’s all over, but it’s a serious addiction.
I’m not a gambler but I often think a lot of your enjoyment from sport comes from your expectation of the outcome and seeing how it plays out. I can see how a little flutter could heighten that.
