Support for online casino gambling addiction

It starts off as a small snake. Bit scary, lets try… and you feed it and it grows to be a red dragon with seven heads and ten horns. A new threat has arrived in our modern midsts. Online gambling casinos. These days we don’t have to dress up, empty the cookie jar of coins and head out to the local casino. Its all there on your mobile phone, just a click and a deposit away. It is a new and highly dangerous addiction. More financially devastating than drugs or alcohol. I suffer from Ma Chronic Major Depressive Syndrome. I was diagnosed at the age of 21. I am now 56 years old and with a relatively stress free environment I can cope and live a semi-normal life. Divorced long ago, I managed to obtain a bursary for my highly intelligent son to study Chemical Engineering. He made it though 3 years, then Covid hit and was forced into studying online from home with no lectures or peer support and he failed. He had nowhere else to go but to come and live with me. Stressing about the additional financial burdon I found an online cadino and hoped with luck on my side that I could win some money to assist with living expenses. Initially it did work and my winnings helpef a lot. But then I started losing. Thinking that I could get back to my winning streak, I increased my credit card facility. When that wad done I applied for a personal loan. When that was done I suddenly woke up as if I had been dreaming, to realise what I had dd done. I did whatever I could. Approached the bank, tried to go under debt review, tried to declare myself indolvent. The bank could not help me and with no money, I could not afford to pay the debt review amount or declare myself insolvent. I approached the casino, who, of course, declined to pay me back. I did research on online gambling laws to find out that some countries have laws againt it but it is not monitored or inforced. Most online gambling sites claim that they are registered but are in fact, not. Legally it is a mess and there is no means for anyone to go to for help. I cannot pay rhe debt I racked up. I have informed my bank accordingly and awaut their legal action against me. I realised that what happened to me could have happened to many others. Paying the online slots games for me became a way for me to escape my depression and financial concerns as the games are exciting and highly entertaining and they create flase hope of winning a huge amount that will end all your life's problems. Not so. My dream is of course to collect some money to pay the bank back, but also to create a website or blog where others in the same situation as I am, to have someone to talk to about what they have been through, as you cant discuss this with your spouse, friends or family due to the absolute guilt that you feel and the resulting desperation. There are so many resources for people with drug and alcohol addiction, but not this. People with similar experiences to me have nowhere to turn to. I hope to create a vessel for this. I have even considered committing suicide due to the circumstances that I currently find myself in and hope to help others to not get to that point. Thank you for reading my story and if you would like to help me help others, please do.



It starts off as a small snake. Bit scary, lets try… and you feed it and it grows to be a red dragon with seven heads and ten horns. A new threat has arrived in our modern midsts. Online gambling casinos. These days we don’t have to dress up, empty the cookie jar of coins and head out to the local casino. Its all there on your mobile phone, just a click and a deposit away. It is a new and highly dangerous addiction. More financially devastating than drugs or alcohol. I suffer from Ma Chronic Major Depressive Syndrome. I was diagnosed at the age of 21. I am now 56 years old and with a relatively stress free environment I can cope and live a semi-normal life. Divorced long ago, I managed to obtain a bursary for my highly intelligent son to study Chemical Engineering. He made it though 3 years, then Covid hit and was forced into studying online from home with no lectures or peer support and he failed. He had nowhere else to go but to come and live with me. Stressing about the additional financial burdon I found an online cadino and hoped with luck on my side that I could win some money to assist with living expenses. Initially it did work and my winnings helpef a lot. But then I started losing. Thinking that I could get back to my winning streak, I increased my credit card facility. When that wad done I applied for a personal loan. When that was done I suddenly woke up as if I had been dreaming, to realise what I had dd done. I did whatever I could. Approached the bank, tried to go under debt review, tried to declare myself indolvent. The bank could not help me and with no money, I could not afford to pay the debt review amount or declare myself insolvent. I approached the casino, who, of course, declined to pay me back. I did research on online gambling laws to find out that some countries have laws againt it but it is not monitored or inforced. Most online gambling sites claim that they are registered but are in fact, not. Legally it is a mess and there is no means for anyone to go to for help. I cannot pay rhe debt I racked up. I have informed my bank accordingly and awaut their legal action against me. I realised that what happened to me could have happened to many others. Paying the online slots games for me became a way for me to escape my depression and financial concerns as the games are exciting and highly entertaining and they create flase hope of winning a huge amount that will end all your life's problems. Not so. My dream is of course to collect some money to pay the bank back, but also to create a website or blog where others in the same situation as I am, to have someone to talk to about what they have been through, as you cant discuss this with your spouse, friends or family due to the absolute guilt that you feel and the resulting desperation. There are so many resources for people with drug and alcohol addiction, but not this. People with similar experiences to me have nowhere to turn to. I hope to create a vessel for this. I have even considered committing suicide due to the circumstances that I currently find myself in and hope to help others to not get to that point. Thank you for reading my story and if you would like to help me help others please do.