What is gambling?
Gambling is when people risk money or anything of value on the outcome of a game involving chance, such as on scratchcards or fruit machines, or betting with friends. If you predict the outcome correctly, you win money. If you’re wrong, you lose the money you gambled.
In general, the minimum legal age for gambling in the UK is 18 years old. This applies to online gambling, adult gaming centres, betting shops, bingo halls, casinos, and racetracks.
How gambling can affect you
Gambling is a risky activity, especially given that experiencing a big win, makes you gamble more to chase that feeling. It’s possible that it could quickly get out of control, leading to harmful gambling. A few of the things which could make this more likely to happen are:
- Being introduced to gambling at an early age
- Parents and/or family members who gamble
- Pressure from your friends or peers to gamble
- Having a big win
It is important to remember that gambling could affect anybody, at any point in their life.
Signs that someone might be struggling with gambling
Worried that you, or someone you know, may be struggling with or unable to stop gambling? These are some of the common warning signs:
- Changes in behaviour (might be distracted, moody, sad, worried, anxious)
- Becoming secretive or lying
- Missing school, not submitting homework, dropping grades
- Unexplained time away from home, withdrawal from friends and family
- Less involvement with usual activities and hobbies
- Keen interest in gambling conversations
- Playing gambling-type games online
- Asking for/borrowing money from family or friends
- Unexplained debts or extra cash/possessions
- Feeling anxious, depressed, or worried about gambling
My parent/friend is gambling
Parents
Your parents might have a flutter on a horse race or big match or play the lottery each week. If they do things like control the amount they spend and stick to their limits, then it’s unlikely to cause any harm. However, your parents’ attitudes to gambling have a big influence on you. Around four in 10 young people who have gambled in the last week have seen their parents gamble.
Friends
Think one of your friends might be getting into trouble with their gambling or being harmed by their gambling? Don’t be confrontational or critical. They’re more likely to open up if you tell them you’re worried about them in a supportive and concerned way. In fact, your friend might be relieved to talk to you.
But be ready for a negative reaction too. They may feel ashamed of their gambling behaviour and could become defensive or angry, or deny being in trouble. The best thing to do is to let them know about BigDeal and GamCare, so they can get help if they need it.
When Jane* started lying to her husband to hide the thousands of pounds of debt she was in, she knew her new-found gambling addiction was controlling her life. Now 24 and pregnant, she talks about how her addiction is threatening her future.
“The money slips away so easily.”
I started gambling on internet poker three years ago when I moved to London. I was unemployed, trying to find work and feeling very isolated. My friends were gambling online so I thought I’d give it a try, but I quickly realised my gambling habits weren’t normal.
My husband’s a teacher and money was tight. Even though we only had £20 a week for food, I was spending £100 a day gambling on my credit card while he was at work. I knew it was wrong to beg him for money only to blow it all on internet poker, but I just couldn’t stop.
I finally found a job but I still couldn’t kick the habit.I was coming home and playing from 7pm until 2am. My husband would be watching television, while I was sitting next to him gambling. If I’d had a busy or horrible day, gambling seemed like an easy way to switch off, except I’d end up more wired than when I’d started.
Heavy losses
I’ve lost about £8,000 over three years, all on credit cards. I’m three months pregnant and will be on maternity leave soon, but I’m still hoping for that elusive gambling win that will help me buy everything I want. It’s really difficult for me to give up the idea that I’m going to get rich from gambling, rather than saving and clearing my debts. I’m blinded by that golden pot at the end of the rainbow. I wish I could play just three times a week, but I don’t have the control. For now, I’m playing for three hours a night and taking baby steps towards recovery.
Trying to stop betting
Five months ago, I disconnected the internet. It was the only way I could stop gambling and it was blissful. I felt a lot happier without the temptation knocking at my door every two seconds.
I started again a month ago after getting pregnant. The pregnancy forced me to give up cigarettes and alcohol, and since I often played drunk, I thought playing sober would help me control how much I was spending. I’ve tried to regulate the amount, keeping it to £50 a month, but I always find myself putting in another couple of hundred pounds. Unlike my other vices of drinking and smoking, gambling has had a lasting effect: I’m significantly poorer, with a genuine debt problem.
Lying to cover my tracks
My husband knows I’ve lost money, but not the exact amounts of money. In an effort to curb my gambling, he set up my online gambling account so each time I deposit or withdraw money, he’s notified via email. The catch is I know his password and I’ve been deleting his emails. I recently got rid of a series of emails from his inbox in the early hours of the morning, which showed I’d lost £600 in nine hours of solid gambling. He found out when he borrowed my cash cards to get some shopping and discovered there was no money on them, so he ended up confiscating them.
Collateral damage
It’s not just losing money which has had a negative effect on my life. My gambling mood swings are awful. If I’ve just won a big hand, I’m in a good mood and really nice, but if I’ve had a bit of bad luck, I can be a real asshole to my husband. I take it out on him and go from being really happy to being really down, which is very unpleasant for him and puts a strain on our relationship.
My career and friendships have also suffered because of gambling. I’d stay up until three in the morning and then drag myself into work exhausted. For a while I worked from home, but I found myself playing poker instead of working. I was’t concentrating. Even my friends’ company doesn’t feel as good as gambling online. Friends and family just can’t seem to give me the same happiness that endless hours of online poker does.
Dangers of internet gambling
With internet gambling, you can just click a button and money is transferred into your account. But it goes away just as easily. The casinos in Vegas are heavily regulated, but in online casinos anyone can gamble. I’ve heard of 15 year-olds who play on their dads’ accounts. It’s really easy to bet with money you can’t see, and you can lose upwards of £1,000 in a night.
Cutting the cord
I know I have to stop and the only way is by cutting off my internet connection. If someone is playing obsessively and can’t afford to lose the amounts they’re gambling with, something needs to change. They should reach out and get treatment and support through gamblers anonymous or similar groups. My aim is to stop gambling and manage my money so I’m debt free before my baby gets here.
You can access help for gambling here.
*Names have been changed
Support for gambling
If you’re worried about your own or someone else’s gambling or want to stop gambling, the first step is to ask for help. We’re here to support you.
- Helpline: You can speak to an adviser on the National Gambling Helpline (run by GamCare) 24 hours a day for free on 0808 8020 133.
- Young People’s Service: Our Young People’s Service is here to help anyone aged 18 and under from anywhere in the UK. Click here to go to the referral form.
National Gambling Support Network: If you are aged 18-25 years old, there are a variety of different support options. If you would like support in your local area or face-to-face the National Gambling Support Network (NGSN) has a range of providers who can offer you support. Click here to find out more about the NGSN and their providers.
Published
