Resources to help professionals identify problem gambling clients and respond to their needs.
Taking Control
Most people gamble at one time or another. It may be at the TAB, on lotto, on the pokies or in a casino. For most people, gambling is fun and entertaining. If gambling has stopped being fun for you and started to feel like a problem, you can take control of your life and change it.
Why do I need to think about gambling?
The majority of people who participate in gambling experience no harm as a result of their involvement. It's tempting to think that gambling problems happen to other people, not to you. You could well be thinking "This stuff is fine for people with no self-control, but why do I need to think about gambling?"
The short answer is that it's not possible to say who will be harmed by gambling and who will not. If you do gamble, it is also possible that at some stage you may experience harm, no matter how smoothly things are going at the moment.
It's far better to acknowledge the potential for problems than to be caught off-guard. Some simple strategies will help you to avoid hassles.
Tips for Staying Safe
- Gamble only for fun, not if you are feeling stressed or unhappy.
- Understand the odds - never rely on winning.
- Set time and money limits and stick to them. Be alert for any feelings of wanting to break your limits.
- When you've spent to your limit, your session is finished. Don't try to win back what you've lost.
- Put any winnings in your pocket; don't re-invest them.
- Don't borrow money for gambling.
- Be open with family and friends about your gambling.
- Be careful about how you mix alcohol and gambling.
- Go with friends who will look out for you. Tell one another your limits and check on them.
- Make gambling just one part of your leisure activities.
You can change these tips to better suit your situation, or create new ones. For example, some people leave their bank cards at home and only take the cash they can afford to spend. Others keep a certain amount of their spending money in a separate "gambling account", or pay winnings into a special fund so that they can treat themselves later on.
You might like to consider:
Rate this page
Comments Disclaimer
You're now in the public comments section of this page. Please do NOT post personal questions for Gambler's Help service professionals as they do not moderate or reply to questions here. This content comes from other people visiting the site and cannot be vouched for. Also please do NOT give feedback on the site here. A reminder: By using this Web site you are accepting the terms of the Department of Justice Privacy statement.
Comments
i am big gambler what can i do
I am a compulsive gambler and I have a serious problem. I cannot understand why I have the urges that I do have. I'm only 25 years old. It all started when I was 22 years old and I decided after building a good credit history, had 3 cars, and a great manager position at Sears that I was going to stop paying my bills so that I could build a massive bankroll to play High Stakes Poker. I hit the casino's pretty much everyday after work for a good 5-6 months and was a successful poker player. I then discovered blackjack. This is where my problem gambling started. I started off at $10/hand and after a few months I was betting $50/hand to start - $500/hand. I had times where I lost 2k in a sitting and times I'd won 10K. Well, for the past 3 years I've been hitting nothing but cold decks when I play and I've lost approx. 100K gambling. I have negative credit, no money, and owe my Grandmother $665.00 from a loan she gave me in September 2011 and another $185 for my new Iphone she bought me and $125 to pay that Iphone bill. Knowing all of this on the way home from work yesterday I stopped at a Casino to play Blackjack and lost my $255 I had on me. At home I had $665 to pay my Grandma back and I took that money and gambled it and lost it. Today I decided that I have a problem and am going to face it once and for all and quit this destructive behavior. I now have to tell my Grandma when she visits on Friday this week I don't have her money and I cannot give her until I get paid on the 16th of the month. I cannot tell you how I have felt today. I had to pawn my two favorite movie art posters I paid $300 bucks for 2 years ago for only $20. I also pawned my 7 blu ray dvd's I owned for another $20 and my umpiring gear I spent $300 bucks on for $20 dollars. So I got $60 to fill my gas to get to work for the next 6 days before I get paid and I lost literally the same amount in what I gave up at the pawn shop as what I gambled last night! What was I thinking???? I'm done with gambling! I hate it! It has destroyed me! I'm 25 and I work a full commission job when I really wanted to be a lawyer. Heck, I'm only 13 credits from an AA degree. Because of my problem gambling I'm so far behind in everything that I don't even know where to start. I'm so lost and frustrated and am so bottled up that I have even considered suicide. I don't know what to do. About 70% of my paycheck next Friday has to go to my grandmother and I'll have nothing left for Xmas gifts. My gambling habit has truly screwed me this time! I posted this so that hopefully anybody that has this problem like me can read it and STOP! I have decided to and hope that you do the same!
Hi, I have been a problem gambler for 13 years now and am desperate to give up. I became hooked on roulette when I had three good wins from only three visits - each time I started with $80 and took home $1,200, then $1,600, and then $3,500. Since then, I have spent an average of 20k a year, pretty much all of my disposable income, so a total of 260k. I currently have 10k in debts and no assets to speak of, and am nearly 40 years old. I have banned myself from the Casino on several occasions, and just end up spending my money elsewhere on the pokies or other forms of gambling. I am at a loss as to what to do as I have tried so many things to help me stop - I even recently gave all my ATM cards and ID (so I couldn't withdraw from bank branch) to a friend and he was giving me a weekly "allowance", but I have even managed to get around this and get my money from my account. I believe that even if they put limits on how much you can spend on the pokies in an hour, a true addicted gambler would get around it somehow. I would dearly like to hear people's success stories about beating this terrible addiction,like the person who posted on this site on January 09 2011. I am not married but have a wonderful boyfriend who I recently told about the gambling (because I had no money to pay our rent) and he was supportive but believes it is not a valid "addiction" and that I should be able to stop any time I want. I wish that were true.
I am a Gambler, I have lost thousands, and now told my husband. I thought admitting my problem was going to make feel better, instead it's made me feel worse.
I nearly at the bankruptcy stage, but I now need to take action and get out of this situation.
My husband will not leave me thanks god, no one else knows, but it is time to stop.
I don't gamble, I am not a gambler. I will keep tellling myself this, until it sinks in.
I first started at 14 years old, it all started at my mates house who organized a home poker game ( $5 buy in ) i then went on to win this game. After about 1 year i become a solid poker player who understood the game so i started to play online poker at the site called [name provided]. I first put in $10 lost, another 10, loss and so on. i eventually cashed out about $500 once after playing sit and and go tournaments. After being so addicted to online poker i wanted more gambling, i then introduced myself to the TAB as i am underage i use to get my friends to bet for me. I would bet on sports mainly soccer ( a league ) after long amounts of betting i started to understand how the odds fluctuated, meaning i had a great understanding on betting. I eventually reached 8k in total winnings at the tab remembering i am only 16 years old at this time.
However one day my luck started to change, i put $200 on Brisbane roar to beat Fury and lost, i then lost my cool and become on tilt. after time i had eventually lost 5k of my original 8k. After losing 5k i realized now is the time to stop, hence the reason why i am posting here.
Hi everyone,
I had a prolem with gambling , i admit it.One day i just said , "hey im not going to let this destroy my life".I made the decision to stop cold turkey.I sought councilling which im still going to but its doing me the world of good.I banned my self from every venue in my town, it was hard i admit the first week, but i am really starting to c the benefits of stopping.I am nearly up to date with my creidt cards again , and even find i have more money to sepnd.Yest thats right spend, not lving for next weeks pay.Speaking of pay , i used to blow mine in aqon hour , yes thats right an hour.The enviroment was addictive it nearly, i mean nearly destroyed me, but i made the decison just in the nic of time.Im proud of what i did , im proud that i beat this addiction.I never thought i could never thought it was possible, but i did it , YOU CAN TO ! Pelase believe in yourself, i was addicted to them for 5 years , and now i WILL NEVER i mean NEVER step foot in one venue again.My mind is more clear and im a much happier perosn.Please don't dispair , thier is help YOU CAN DO IT !!!!
I am a Gambler. And yes I have a problem.
I have been Gambling since I was 18. Was first Introduce by my brother at a local pokie venue and went with friend some time to the Casino.
After a while moving from pokie at the Casino table blackjack and roulette one night I won 63k on roulette one night. over next 12 months this all went back in to the casino plus most of my wages each week, over the last few years.
I was bored I turned to the TAB. Over the next few years I would visit the TAB 5 - 10 times a week. All my wage went to the TAB. Even if I had a dollar in my pocket I would bet it.
For 4 month I went cold turkey no casino, no tab, no pokie. I felt like a king alway had money in my pocket.
Time went on. I had a relaps, back to the TAB I went betting our horse and dogs. most of my wage went to this.
16 month ago I meet this wonderfull girl. I love this girl very much and i dont want this to go on any more or to end us.
I need help, I am going to try some of these tips. Also I am going to go get help.
There more to life than gambling. House, Family, Kids, Marriage. I want this all but cant have it if I keep gambling.
I am moving with here to a new area. Time to go cold turkey again this time I have her by my side.
Cant do this alone like I have been trying. I need friends, family and love of my live to be there for me when I am down
well, where do i begin? to be honest i have been gambling since I was about 11, I would play the money wheel at carnivals and the craines as a kid. sounds like kid games? the feeling was same then as it is now when im playing poker or blackjack, or slots. i began gambling heavy when i was 22, I won 6 grand in AC and that started a chain reaction. I won 6 grand and 3 months later i ended up losing 12000, i have gambled pretty steady since. thousand on scratch off tickets. between internet poker and black jack I won around 13 thousand and lose over 20 thousand. back in march I won 10 000 on a 25 dollars slot machine, with in that time I ended up losing over 25 000. over the past 7 years I have accumulated about 115,000 in gambling debts. i read this back and find my self not breathing correctly. i am so anxious, and i have been trying to stop, i have been to GA and [I still gamble]. i will be 29 on the 17th and i want to begin the journey to put myy life back together. by the age of 30 I want to say i have been clean for a year. when I was 15 I became an actor. going to NY for auditions, i had an agent and I was networking. beginning to live my dream. but i let it go so that i could gamble. I have a decent job thank god so i am able to carry these debts. i pay around 3000 a month in debts between car mortgage and gambling debts. i am in trouble. i believe in the law of attraction, i am very lucky and I do win but im a greedy **** sometimes and thats what hurts me. its not the addiction its the behavior. just make the choice and turn it around. for me its gonna take a good 5 years to fix this, seems like my whole life or something. but its not its just something i gotta do. time to rise up and unleash my inner warrior.
I am loosing my wife (nearly lost) because of this situation.
I am trying to balance both sides. I cant stop it too. But I have to take some more time for her,for the family.
Sure I will have to have a limit of spending per day. That was one of my very bad weak point.
i am loosing my wife (nearly lost )because of this situation.
i am trying to balance both side.cant stop it too.but i have to take some more time for her,for the family.
sure i will have to have a limit of spending per day.that was one of my very bad weak point.
This is a tremendous article, im thankful I came across this. Ill be back again in the future to check out other posts that you have on your blog.It turns out that people who has low income save least of all and the reasons for it are clear. I believe the same situation is here.
iam a gambler at the momment im have trouble in my relationship because of it i love this person very much and i dont want this to go on any more the way we are so. So im going to try these tip and see how i go.
I just want to vouch for the above list of rules. I had a pretty severe gambling problem and it was starting to get in the way of my work, relationships, and my overall self esteem. I took these rules (plus a few of my own) and promised my wife to stick by them. They have worked wonders. Gambling now is a fun outlet, rather than a dark burden I carry with me.
Post new comment
Comment Rules
People who want to post comments on problemgambling.vic.gov.au are going to have to follow certain rules. Not all forums are like that, but this one is.
No swearing at all, no insulting individuals or groups, no libel, slander, no lying, no fabricating, no ethnic slurs, no religious bigotry, no threats of any kind, no vulgar humour and no insulting comparisons. Discourse and debate is encouraged but all comments should be polite and civil. This is a public space so please behave and write accordingly.
The Department of Justice reserves the right to remove posts it deems break any of the rules or the spirit of the rules and reserves the right to block individuals from commenting. Language filtering programs will be used to block certain words as will human moderation of all comments too.
Comments should be limited to the topic of the content above. This is not a place for private conversations, no matter how harmless.
Very important: if you see a comment that you feel is inappropriate, let us know by clicking on the 'comment complaint' or 'report this complaint' button.