Why do I gamble?
If gambling has stopped being fun for you and started to feel like a problem, you may have found yourself asking "Why do I gamble?"
Do I need to give up gambling?
Some people who are problem gamblers can return to a controlled level of gambling. However, most people prefer to abstain, or give up gambling for good. There are no rules for determining whether you should reduce or stop your gambling. Generally if you're losing more money than you can afford, accumulating debts, suffering mentally, physically, and/or socially, giving up may be your best option.
People gamble for lots of different reasons and sometimes those reasons change. You might gamble regularly at the TAB ‘to win money' but join the Melbourne Cup sweep in your office ‘to be sociable'. You might usually play the pokies alone but share a machine when you go out with family and friends. Understanding why you gamble can help you change your behaviour.
Why you gamble
Check this list below or write your own list
- To win money
- For entertainment
- To be sociable
- To make a big win
- To forget troubles
- To escape from problems
- For something to do
- For excitement
- To avoid talking to people
As well as all these reasons, people may gamble as a habit. The reasons they started have been forgotten and the habit just goes on. You can take steps to break the habit.
How to cut back
Tell others about your decision
It is easier to stick to decisions if you tell other people about them. Why not start by telling someone important to you that you are going to try to cut back on your gambling? Remember, you need to choose carefully and talk to people you can trust when looking for the support of others.Set limits and stick to a budget
You need to decide how much money you want to spend (that means ‘risk losing') on gambling each week. Think of it as entertainment money, not an investment. If you choose to spend $20 at the TAB or on the poker machines, spend only that amount. If you win, do not add the winnings to your initial stake - spend it another way. If you have debts, then include regular repayments of these as part of your budget. Set repayments as low as you can so you don't end up really short of money - that could just add pressure and make you want to gamble more.
Write your own gambling diary
A gambling diary helps you to be honest with yourself about how often you gamble and how much you lose. Keeping a diary can help you develop self-awareness and change your behaviour. Remember, you do not have to gamble everyday or lose money every session to have an issue with your gambling.
By identifying the thoughts, feelings and situations that occur before and during a gambling session, you can start to understand the causes of gambling. This knowledge is important if you are going to break your gambling habit as it will tell you exactly what triggers each episode.
You can use the information in your diary to weigh up the pros and cons of your gambling.
Get your thinking straight
Problem gamblers often end up with some pretty strange ways of thinking about how much they lose and how skilful they are at gambling. Often gamblers have no idea how much they win or lose in the long term but they believe they are in front.
The only way a gambler can be sure that he or she is thinking straight when they say ‘I'm ahead' is if their diary records actually add up to a profit. Otherwise, you must assume that you are behind and make sure your thinking fits the facts.
When you start to make changes to your gambling habits, say good things to yourself. This may seem silly but what we say to ourselves is really important. It helps you change old habits.
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My husband had a problem gambling. It started off as just putting twenty dollars thru the pokies. After winning about a hundred dollars, he thought that the more you played with the more he would win. It didn't work out that way. Without my knowledge he gambled away our son's education money and all the money we had saved. I was furious. I gave him the option of never gambling again or moving out of the marital home. He hasn't played the pokies for eight months. Gambling is a huge problem for some people and it breaks families apart. I consider myself lucky that we didn't end up in debt that we wouldn't have been able to repay. Some families lose everything.
I worked as a bartender for twenty years. When pokies were introduced at pubs and clubs, it seemed like harmless fun for the patrons.
The longer I worked in the bar the more I witnessed pokie addiction first hand.
Pension day was the worst. I have witnessed single mothers with babies in prams putting all their money thru the machines, leaving no money for nappies or food. Week in and week out, people gambling their wages away in just a few hours. Husbands going home to their families after gambling away their pay for that week.
There were many times that I wanted to say something to these people but it was against the rules. I would've lost my job if I said anything to the problem gamblers.
I believe that pokies should be banned from clubs and pubs and only available at the casino. I know that this would not stop gambling addicts but it makes gambling less accessable
I have been a problem gambler for the last 10 years. It started out as 20 dollars here and there. Over years it has progressed to the point where i loose the $1000 card cash out maximum every visit. Even when i win (wich is rarely) i will feed it back in and leave with nothing, winning now only extends the duration i stay at the venue. If it is a chq payout it only ensures i will be back in 3 days when it clears. I know when i walk in now that i WILL loose $1000 and yet i still slip up now and then. Even when i accepted i have a problem i still gambled. The best advice i can give is make yourself accountable to family/loved ones. Admit your problem, be transparent and take steps to have you money channeled into an account you can not easily draw upon and can be monitored by a trusted partner. (At one point i was even doing internet banking form the laptop in the car so i could get more funds) I have come clean to my partner and had my wages going into a joint acocunt that i only have debit card access to (no pin). I have still slipped up now and then but im gambling much much less. You need to overcome te shame of admitting your problem to others, and your well on the way to recovery.
today i have decided to give up gambling for good. my gambling has not effected anyone yet as i am only young and do it out of boredom as well as a fear of social interaction. it has taken some time to admit i have problem with my addiction but i feel now it is the time to end my problem gambling. i never gambled until i had nothing left but i can only imagine the life i could be leading without losing the amount i have on my addiction. my major problem is letting myself get carried away in my gambling without the fear of the losses. i have never hit rock bottom to make myself aware of my problem but i think i can finally admit to the fact that i have ignored over the years the amount of money i have been wasting. i can only hope that through my decision to give up my gambling that i can help other people that i know to follow my path and regain control of their lives. writing this all down is my first step and i can begin to take back the portion of my life that i have lost to my addiction.
Gambling is a waste of time. Gambling is bad money that nothing good will ever come from it. You win you go back, you loose you go back, so where does it stop....STOP NOW....believe me its not worth the time, frusfration the anxiety suffered from it. There is no point so quit now and have my policy $0 gambling policy they are all evil and its there to introduce misery in your life. Life is hard enough as it is to worry about gambling....whar a waste of valuable time and hard earnt money.
My partner has a gambling problem and he doesn't know that I know. The gambling started out of boredom as he had been injured at work and had nothing to do during his recovery. He bets on the horse race - both the horses and the jockeys. At first he was winning and the winnings soon tallied a couple of thousand dollars which was great, but naturally didn't last. Those initial wins were all he needed to get the taste. He tried to involve me as well. At first it was fun but things soon soured. I found that I was unable to justify betting hundreds of dollars and tried to set low limits for both of us. He went along with this at first but soon started gambling much more than he'd admit too. I have asked him a couple of times about money that's mysteriously gone missing and he becomes very defensive. I'm worried that when I tell him that I know he has a problem he will flip out, but it has to be done. This website has been a great source of information and helpful advice, so now I'm better equipped to deal with this problem. Wish me luck!
i can totally agree with all these people on here, its a disease and the worst thing i can think of is for some social gambler to win on their first time because then you are hooked... i used to see people win here and there and go back to that venue only to see them 100 times worse off then when i had seen them last, and i think to myself gee they have gotten bad... but now i think i wonder what i look like.. the worst thing is when you lie about where the money has gone like oh they stuffed my pay up at work i have to wait till the next pay cycle or that company called me i had to pay that bill immediately... there are only so many excuses you can come up with, i still am gambling but its no where near as it used to be the feeling of walknig out with no money for food or rent makes you feel physically sick and the look of my gf when i feed her another bs story rips my heart out, the people you hurt are the ones that are around you that bail you out over and over again..
I am a father of two and third one coming soon. Well, back in the uni days, i used to play a bit and then after i got married, i stopped. I was a problem for me when i was younger and it was like all the money i have made, straight to casio. i have won large amount of money but i think i have lost much more. My bad habbit is comming back a bit am i am scared that i might loose everything again. when i was single, it was only money. But htis time, it will cost my family and our shelter for the kids as well. I have decided not to gamble again and will only carry enough cash for the day and leav all my key-cards and credit cards at home.
I think it as bad as drugs, perhaps worse since it will destry everything around us.
i have gambled since i was 15 years old. it started when my cousine introduced me to the horses,i stared better $2.00 exactas and now on pay day i lose the whole 600 within 30 minutes. i am so bad that this week my brother gave me 700 to hold and i gambled that to :( i have tried so hard to stop but i always end up back. the worst thing about it is that you are willing to go with any money regardless of who's it is. i now have to explain to my brother where it went. gambling has mace a big impact on my life. i have worked full time for 6 years and i have nothing accept for a crappy car. i i no longer sociolise with mates, all my mates are gamblers and none of them can face the facts. some times i feel that i'm delusional going in there thinking i'm going to win or i'm only going to spend 50. it never works like that for me. i hope after rading facts on this website i can not gamble no longer. good luck people please dont put yourself in my position
I was hooked on the pokies for 3 1/2 years. I was in my 40's when I started playing and had gambled responsibly since I was 18. I never overspent before. I never gambled daily or when money was tight. But within weeks of starting to play the pokies, I was hooked and within 2 months was gambling daily on the pokies. I can't accept that getting hooked on the pokies was related to a failure on my part to control my impulses, because I have an addictive or avoidant personality or even an unconscious desire to destroy myself. If these explainations were valid, then I would have become a problem gambler 22 years before I did. There is something about pokies that is particularly addictive. They aren't safe for up to 10% of people who use them. They should be banned altogether or (at the very least) allowed only in a casino.
I have been a playing pokies for 4 years now, it started with my husband telling me to have a go with 10 dollars and I used to say "what a waste of money, I can buy a drink with that". One night I did sit with him and pressed the button which won 200 dollars. Every time we went out I had to have a go, eventually it was never about the money you win, its about if you can get the symbols to match. He can go and spend 50 bucks on them and I will spend 2 grand easily a night, we have children and never have gotten to the point of having no food in the house or money to spend the next day but we havent been able to get money out because of withdrawl exceed limits. I know gambling is bad but its so hard to stop. Hopefully this website will help me!!!!
Im an international student studyin in Aus, being in a city where casino is easily accessible i became addicted 2 the game blackjck in a local casino. ive only been playin 4 few months yt i certainly am sure im addicted to it as it has cost me one semester course fee, which is alot, n i had to cheat 4 my parents 2 send another large sum of money to cover my living n sch expenses. it was scary lookin at how much i cud bet in one hand. tho i hvent been gng there for a while bt couple of days back i tried my luck again becoz it was mah birthday, i knw it was stupid n again i lost few hundred bucks there. nw im so upset, thinkin of so much thng i can do with d money i lost, bt ive come to realise tat d money has bought me a huge lesson. im so ready to quit n nt being stupid anymore. i presume most ppl gamble or turn into compulsive gambler becoz they think they can make quick n easy money. it really will nvr happen. life's nt that easy. i knw there's alot of oversea students like me get stuck between study n gamble becoz we're newly exposed 2 this entertainmen. today i hope any1 like me who's studyin oversea shud nvr try gamblin, and stop. even if u did n it already has done certain damages to u financially, dnt worry coz money is nt everythin, just b smart from today, study n work hard for future, rmb we're still young. keep safe beings. ur winner when not gamblin.
I am a big pokie addict and its getting to the point where i will have to declare bankrupt soon. I just keep getting myself furthur into dept every week. I have lied to my partner and my family and have come up with every excuse to get hold of money. I gamble easily $1000 everytime I play. I would put in more money if the bank would allow me to draw more. I have capped out credit cards and even over drawn my account by $2500. I win sometimes but always put it back in. Its like I can,t leave the pokies until my wallet is empty. I hate myself for what I am doing and always say I will never play them again but I am weak. I have added up my depts so far and I owe over 30,000 dollars to family, friends, credit cards and overdrafts. I don,t even earn that much money in a year. I am seriosly going to try and stop playing them and my first step is to tell my family of my problem. They know I play the pokies but don,t know how bad. I have recently lost my partner because of my addiction and I don,t blame him for leaving. I would blow all his pay as well when he gave it me to pay bills.
I started gambling with intent at the age of 18. My mate and I would take $20 to the casino and put it on black or red on the roulette wheel. We would leave if we won or lost. That progressed swiftly to the black jack table where i would stake $200. I would leave if i doubled my money but invaribley i would lose. Then came the pokies. They are the mose corruptable, temptabele evil machines that will rip every penny off you. I remember getting the 5 hearts one day and that was it. A $200 winner has turned me inot a $50,000 loser. I've been gambling solidly for the last 15 years and have nothing but debt to show for it. I am delusional and lie to myself and others about gambling and money. I have worked the entire time with nothing to show for it. I will only bet $50 on the way home and that's it. Why I why do I listen to myself. I've progressed to $5 presses whenever because anything less doesn't give me a buzz but boy does the money fly out the door. Credit card transfers and a daily $2000 limit and i can easily lose $1000 $2000 at a sitting. Sometimes it only takes an hour or two to blow that much cash. Most of the time you hate even betting the last $100 or $200. It makes you sick to put anymore money through but your resent everything and wack it in, you're thinking to yourself F everything. I really want to stop but don't know how. I can go through phases where I don't go for a while but I always end up back there.
It starts out with playing pokies because of loneliness issues due to separation then it gets to the point where losses starts happening and despite advertising saying ' Do not chase losses" then it goes to sports betting and the occasional horse betting then more losses -hard to stop because the losses are always in the back of your mind - it is the first thing you think of when you wake up - the final result is more tears
- keep a diary - is good advise - in my case too many small bets to write them down and you lose track of your losses - I know i will stop soon and cut my losses which happen to be in many tens of thousands of dollars- I think of my kids who live with their mother and who work for $15 hour it is really a shakesperian tragedy -
I too am a regular gambler. Like many others it was first the odd $50 but after a while it turned into alot more. I wish I was never introduced to gambling or the casino as I remember the days when I never felt the urge to gamble and how happy I use to be. I know gambling has made me a lonely, greedy and selfish person who is looked down upon by my peers. Its truely a curse and has cost me more than just a lot of money and self respect. I advise anyone that has never gamble to never try or anyone currently gambling to think of the consequences. Like another poster pointed out theres no such thing as easy money.
Well, Ive just blown £1700 knowing full well a. I cant afford it b. I knew I was going to lose before I put it on (as i always lose!)
Ive gambled over 20 years, lost tens of 1000's yet keep going! its madness - Is it really that exciting - no!
Its pure running away - its a drug! when i lose the money, im forced to stop, and guess what, suddenly things start improving!
WE ALL NEED TO WAKE UP - DO EVERYTHING IN OUR POWERS TO PREVENT GETTING MONEY!
OTHERWISE WE'LL BE OLD AND JUST EXAMPLES OF WASTED LIVES!
xxxx
I am in my late 20s and have always had an interest in gambling since I was young. I would always be keen to have a punt at the horses or go down to the casino and play roulette. Recently I moved into an area where there are pokies in nearly ever pub. I have always had an addicitie personality (heavy drinker, former smoker) and so it really is no surpsie I have become addicted to pokies. I had a couple of decent wins early on, but I have had so many more loses that I don't even expect to win anymore. It is just about the thrill of hitting the 3 feature icons to trigger those free games that does it. I have hidden my gambling from my girlfriend, and only recently let her know of a loss. I am now blowing $500+ a week on pokies and, although I am not broke, I feel sick knowing what that money could have been spent on. I have put withdrawal limits on my cards of $200 a day, but I keep finding ways to get more out. I wish I had the strength to be honest with my girlfriend about what is going on, get help and fix myself. But I am too proud and feel I need to fight this battle alone. Anyone out there - don't gamble on pokies unless you do it once in a blue moon for a small amount. They are a sickness that is spreading in society and ruining lives.
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