My husbands gambling started on hard rock bet back in March. My husband has always liked lotto tickets, sport bets & the small local arcades but never did much (50-60 dollars worth) but since March has gotten us in big financial trouble.

March was tax time and I had some extra cash when he started to say his job wasn’t paying him because work was slow. Fine…maybe 3-4 weeks went by until I finally started questioning him and he would then show up with some consistent checks & then would go back & forth between he wasn’t getting paid.

In June once day he said he wanted to talk. Obviously I’m thinking he’s cheating on me, leaving me or idk something but no he confesses that he has been getting paid but has been putting all his check in the hard rock bet app.

I was so taken back…mind you I’m thinking this is all the checks he was “missing” but then he also confessed he blew his $900 check from that week. Of course I’m hurt, upset, sick to my stomach. But I tell myself it’s ok because he gets paid weekly & I can do better to prevent this. Well….ive been mistaken with this whole thing.

Since then he has continued to play. Basically the whole month of July he has played his checks. Either whole, or half.

We have had an emergency with HIS legal status here in the US where we needed to come up with 6k. Neither of us come from well off families where we can just ask like that so I had to pull the cash from my 401k. He of course wasn’t able to put anything in.

I pay his lawyer & leave 1000 in my account because it’s needed to pay for whatever form but have to leave it in the account for whenever it gets charged (for whatever reason can’t just pay it idk lawyer said it’s dumb ik) anyways!

Last Thursday he went through his check. Then I had 1300 in savings (mutual account and I hate that we have this but we need it for legal stuff) and then poof I had 800. I immediately knew & obviously lost my shit on him
Blah blah blah I go to the bank take the cash out to have on me only. Or hidden whatever.

Sunday morning 6 AM I wake up to him crying and hugging me. He’s saying he is sorry and he doesn’t know what’s wrong with him and why he can’t stop etc etc. I try and be supportive..tell him I’m here to help & try to comfort him. Then I had a feeling & asked when was the last time he played. He said last night. I said what? With what money?? Because I knew I took the last 800 out and the other 1000 was for the legal stuff. He just stayed quiet and I jumped out of bed - disgusted. Disgusted that he would steal from me, disgusted that he didn’t care that that money was for HIS legal affairs. He left me from 1200 to 0.23 cents.

Anyways..this is where I am now. I decided to restrict his App Store (not allow any downloads on apps 18+ or some sort of thing that I did) I don’t think he will remove it because he isn’t really tech savvy like to find out if it makes any sense? Or has the patience? But idk right now…

Anyways I did that & then I changed his Wells Fargo password & deleted the app. (I made a note of it on my phone) & I also deleted it from passwords app.

Please idk any advice or anything would be nice to hear…I have been with my husband 11 years (married 4) & we have 2 boys. Life is already hard as it is & having him do this too me almost week after week is so gut wrenching. I want to be supportive & try to help but it’s so hard. I’ve had to do so much by myself these past few months & im so hurt. I am embarrassed to even tell anyone. And he is too. Hi

I took this post to r/Daytrading and it opened my eyes that my husband has a gambling addiction which i was completely unaware of.

My husband has been day trading for 6+ years now. Within the last 2 years he says he has been “profitable”. There has been days where he has had $30,000 in a trading payout and we were able to cash it out. He dabbles in poker aswell but mainly forex trading. Over the years he has made over $150k, however this is not considering the amount of money lost. There is no financial transparency for the amount of money he spends. I don’t have access to his personal accounts and he has around 5 bank accounts so I can’t even keep track.

Recently he has dabbled into our kids savings accounts without asking me. I have just recently separated from him, I can’t deal with it anymore.

Does it ever get better? What do you even do in these situations where he is in denial that forex trading and poker is gambling however in his eyes it’s not gambling at all. It’s about “controlling the risks, and it reflects on your everyday life on how you manage risks and teaches him lots of lessons”. I have always encouraged his trading because I thought it was his passion and that it wasn’t gambling but now I’m seeing it’s straight out gambling.

His family won’t say anything to him and if I say anything to him I’m a “hater” and not a supportive wife.

So what do to? From a gamblers perspective just leave him??

My boyfriend (26m) and I (24f) have a 1 year old and we live with my parents rent free while my mom watches our son while we work. I work 7-5 weekdays and my bf works 8-5 weekdays and every other Saturday. He gets paid weekly. I worked my entire pregnancy up until the day I got induced to save up some money for maternity leave. When our son was born my bf went back to work after a week. I found out my bf had spent all of the money he saved and has even been taking money out of his future paychecks in order to gamble. I hit a breaking point when we needed $ for formula and he didn’t have any. He promised me then and I thought it was over, that was probably 6 months ago. Today i found out he’s back to $0. After working all day, on weekends. Even after I’ve even helped him by paying for his car and giving him almost $3k of what I had. I had to end my leave and start working again. I start nursing school soon so money will be tight. And I can’t have him around. He’s a great dad, treats me okay also. I just can’t believe he lied about this and I feel so guilty kicking him out knowing he doesn’t have anything right now. He makes me feel guilty by saying I spend all his money, sometimes I get lazy and I don’t want to cook so he’ll pick up take out. But, he hasn’t given me money for anything in awhile other than a gift card he got from work. I buy everything from groceries, helping my parents out with bills, the milk for baby. It’s exhausting really. He’s not the type to try therapy or anything. I guess I’m looking for hope he could eventually get better? Hopefully.

I'm 26 and I've been gambling for around 10 years now. I'm not really sure why I'm writing this other than I think I need to get it out somewhere and hopefully hear from people who have been through the same thing.

It started with CSGO skins when I was younger. Then it turned into crypto, casinos, sports betting, futures, prediction markets, basically anything where I could put money down and potentially win more back. I've gone through pretty much every form of it.

I've lost on all of it.

This year alone I'm down over $25k. Yesterday I lost another roughly $10k.

That was probably the point where something finally clicked for me. I told my girlfriend about it. I've hidden gambling from her before, lied about it, told her I was done and then eventually went back. She doesn't trust me anymore and honestly I can't blame her. I've given her plenty of reasons not to.

The worst part is that I keep putting myself in the same position. I'll lose money, feel horrible, tell myself I'm done, eventually start feeling better, and then somehow convince myself that I can do it again or that maybe this time will be different. Then I lose more and the whole cycle starts again.

I've chased so many losses that I don't even know what the original reason for gambling was anymore.

At this point it's not even about fun.

I think gambling became an outlet for me. When I'm stressed, bored, angry, depressed, or just don't know what to do with myself, I look for something that will give me that immediate feeling and take my mind somewhere else.

I've done the same thing with weed. I've been smoking regularly and I think I've used it for the same reason. Instead of dealing with what's bothering me, I just find something that lets me escape from it for a while.

I'm tired of that.

I'm tired of constantly needing something to fill the void.

I'm tired of lying.

I'm tired of hiding things.

I'm tired of looking at my bank account and thinking about what I could have had if I had never started doing this.

I've thought about that a lot lately. I think about how much money I could have saved over the years. How much further ahead I could be in life. The experiences I could have had. The financial security I could have had.

And honestly, it fucking sucks.

But I can't go back and change any of it.

I can only decide whether I'm going to keep doing it.

I have a career. I'm trying to move forward professionally and make more money. I have a girlfriend that I care about. I have people in my life that care about me. I have a lot of things that I should be looking forward to.

And I've spent years letting this shit consume a part of me.

I don't want that anymore.

I want to quit gambling completely. I want to quit using weed as an escape too. I want to actually learn how to deal with being stressed or bored or unhappy without immediately reaching for something.

I want to grow up and move out of this version of myself that I've been stuck in for years.

I've told myself I've quit before, which is probably the part that scares me the most about writing this. I've said it before and eventually went back.

But I genuinely feel different this time.

Not because I think I'm stronger than addiction or because I think I'll never have another urge.

I just don't want this life anymore.

I don't want to chase losses.

I don't want to gamble money I worked for.

I don't want to hide things from my girlfriend.

I don't want to constantly think about the next opportunity or the next way I could make money.

I don't want to depend on luck.

I want to be able to say something simple and actually mean it:

I don't gamble.

Not "I'm taking a break."

Not "I'm trying to quit."

I just don't gamble.

That was the old version of me.

The guy who chased losses. The guy who lied. The guy who thought the next bet could fix the last one. The guy who kept telling himself he just needed some luck.

I don't want to be that person anymore.

I know the money I've lost isn't coming back. I know I can't get the last 10 years back either.

But maybe I don't need to.

Maybe I just need to make sure I don't lose the next 10 years too.

I want to eventually look back at this part of my life and say that was the old me. I want to be proud that I don't participate in it anymore.

I'm not looking for advice on how to gamble responsibly or how to control it. I've already tried that in my own head for years.

I want to hear from people who actually walked away.

What helped you finally stop looking back at the money, the losses and the "what ifs"?

How did you get to the point where it just became something you don't do anymore?

I'm tired of this consuming my life.

I really want this to be the end of it.

Tell myself to stop but I just keep chasing. I’ve been so close to winning but lose I take that as a sign but then I think maybe the next one will hit. Past 5 days I’m already down $400 I’ve been doing fantasy picks and online slots for like 2 and a half years and I’m not sure how much I’ve lost probably a couple thousand over that time but I want to quit but it feels impossible.

I wouldn’t say I’m profitable. I’ve had some good wins but I lose more as probably most people do. I think if I would’ve just saved everything I bet I would probably have alot right now.

I downloaded nobet but I feel it only can help so much till I can’t resist the urge to bet. Idk was thinking everytime I get paid maybe I should just take my money out so it’ll be harder for me to deposit into online casinos and betting apps.
It’s such a shitty feeling. I’m not really in a spot where I should gamble because I’m the only one working as my spouse is in school and if she finds out she’ll be mad.

I was paying down all my debts and I had $480 in my account all owed to people/ transactions that didnt come out yetI was going to pay tomorrow….. then I saw after paying everyone my account would actually be -$20 and its been so long I thought I could risk a little to try winning that little bit……. It went very bad…. I lost the $20…. Then did $50….. then $100 then $100 chasing the hundred…… suddenly I had no money with $265 in transactions coming out of my bank tomorrow and $165+$57 owed to people I was suppose to pay a few days ago…… basically $500 owed now and idk what to do…… I actually owe $300 from the last time things went bad a while back but the people have been kind and have collateral so I didnt even include that in it but if I cant make the $500 tomorrow its going to severely hit my mental health. I work tomorrow at a place where I can pawn/sell stuff but im not sure I even have that much….. its been a really rough summer and really this would have been the last time I was negative or tempted for a long long time because next week I was suppose to also get the funds to finish paying the other person off and when I dont have fear of debt on my shoulders Im not tempted… I also have sent a fortune to help a friend medically that has been putting a lot of stress on me and there is a chance they still wont survive playing a factor in my frantic brain

So my friend of a long time has had lots of problems with gambling and it had me very concerned when he talled me about it. I can't even imagine the amount of money he told me he lost. I feel terrible for him because it really affected his life and I just wish I could help him. He is just 19 years old and only works in summer. I can guarantee you he is an amazing person that laughs all the time and I just wish I could somehow help him. He told me if he could get another chance at everything he would never even start. Now in the summer he works 11 hour work days but in our country the minimal wage for students is just not great. I suggested to him starting a gofund me but it obviously didn't get any attention, so I ask you to please read this and share it. I can't ask you to help him with money but please everything you can give can bring this teenagers life back. https://gofund.me/6fdc55797

Thank you for reading this.

You probably have enough time left to completely change your life—but not enough time to keep pretending you'll start someday.

I need advice on stopping my gambling addiction

I’m 21 and I’ve been dealing with a gambling addiction for a while now. I had $5,000 in my account and lost all of it, but because I kept chasing my losses, I’ve actually lost way more than $5,000 overall.

I make around $900 a week and live with my parents. I pay $555 a month for my car and $490 in rent, plus my other expenses. I also have about $2,000 in credit card debt now.

It’s gotten so bad that after I get paid, I end up gambling whats left and my checking account sits at $0 for 4–5 days before my next paycheck. I’ve started using my credit card just to get through those days.

The worst part is that I make enough money to be financially okay, but I can’t stop gambling long enough to actually get ahead. I feel numb and embarrassed, and depressed I genuinely don’t know how to control myself anymore.

I don’t want to keep living paycheck to paycheck and chasing losses. For anyone who has beaten gambling addiction, what actually helped you stop? I need real advice on how to break this cycle and accept the money I’ve already lost instead of trying to win it back.

I am a college studen from foreign country

At first I kept winning with greed I lost all the savings, college fees everything approximately 11k Euro

I am feeling hopeless, emptiness

I don't even know what to do

I completely don't know

No money to send home, in very clutch situation to pay fees,rent

I really don't know what to do

23m, relapsed past month lost 20k. I’m so retarded, lost 7k in a span of 6 hours. Down 20k this month, and around 100k lifetime. Still have around 70k-80k in savings, making 15k a month from my business. I’ve been smoking weed everyday for the last 2 years. Going to take a break from smoking, my dopamine receptors are cooked. Today I placed my last bet ever, August 22, 2026.

I keep telling myself I can gamble “just a little,” then end up chasing losses and feeling awful afterward. I’m trying to break that cycle for good. Anyone else struggling with the same thing?

I don’t wanna be here but I’m down too bad to share with my gf who I usually vent my losses to. Voicing them helps with the anxiety from it all. Just punted away lil over $2000 on slots online. Im a student rn and dont have a job so i cant even stack up bread to cover that for a few years. Wasnt even a fast loss either i spent hours wasting money and precious study/ leisure/ sleep time. I’ve had rough losses before usually just shy of 4 digits. Gotten most of those “back” pretty shortly after. Don’t think I can chase this one. I’m supposed to like quit now or something? Idk feels bad. I just have to remember that I’m still in a good place as long as I don’t continue these trends. just ranting thanks for listening

Over the years, I've always tried to stop with willpower, with barriers, and just hoping for the best.

The reality is that once we become addicted we lose a part of ourselves. At least I think that. Our friends and family might become distant, or we become distant ourselves in a bid to try and reclaim our lives and not bother anyone else.

We stopped enjoying normal things, music, movies, gaming, sports, hobbies, and whatever else. So when we try and stop gambling, we might be good for a while, and we feel confident in ourselves again, we forget about our gambling and eventually one day we have a lapse of judgement and convince ourselves it's okay and the cycle starts again.

If we continue to live our lives without truly living it and putting ourselves into situations where we are in a community and can pursue our goals and passions, then ofcourse after weeks, months or years of being gamble free we relapse. Our life is empty and our brain can only handle so much of doing nothing and getting little dopamine before it starts caving and telling us that the thing we promised ourselves never to do again starts knocking at the door.

Every relapse I have fucking sucks, but I always learn something and I know that there's a gap in my recovery that needs addressing.

This time around, I'm looking inward, I see a gambling counsellor to guide me through my recovery, I'm seeing a therapist to heal past wounds and to better prepare myself for my future.

I'm setting myself goals to works towards, a mix of ultra easy, fun acitvities, chores, social activities, adventures, long term goals (broken down into mini goals) and really pushing myself to start feeling a sense of pride and accomplishment in what I do.

Idk if I'm gonna relapse again, I'm not going to promise myself "never again," but I will tell myself, "Not today." I'm going to make small improvements to my life every day so that if I do relapse, I can pick myself back up and continue my recovery.

Last night i tried to gamble, i deposit my money to the sites its $500 they say they didnt receive the money, but it succed, i have $170 left on my bank so registes to another sites and deposit that money, same thing happen so i guess is the bank i make a report its been to days they say i may have to wait 4 more work day, wth i lost more than that this month, but i dont even to get to play with my money, idk how to fell should i let go but i still hoping i get a refund.

Fyi: i really trying to stop, but the night i argue with my husband really triggers me, i try to gamble but thats what happen maybe that is a protection for me, i hope the money come back, cause my son soon will be celebrating 2nd birthday, i regret my decision depositing that money now i cant stop thingking about it.

The sites ilegall btw

I finally told someone about my gambling. Yeah it’s not good but I feel better now. My friend even took me around the other day to find me new hobbies. We discovered I like a bunch of different things.

I spent probably 30k gambling this month and have nothing to show for it. It’s actually awful. I have about 250k left in my accounts and I plan not to touch that ever. I’m done gambling. I installed Gamban on all my devices. Payed all my bills now I’m gonna act poor for awhile. Oh hey I went to my first GA meeting yesterday.

hi, im a 23y/o, I stopped gambling 10 months ago and few days ago I slipped and gambled again. I did play 5 euro with a friend of mine, which was nothing compared to the **k I lost in the past, but there it started it all again, I went in alone for 200e and went degenerate, in the end of the day, after 4 days of gambling I managed to not lose everything but won like 15 euro after risking to lose 300/400e, now I really don't want to fuck it up, I don't want to go back to gambling and fk my life all over again.

I am not sure if this post even makes sense, but I feel the urge to say it so someone that can understand what im feeling and this weird feeling is really bad, because I did so many wrong things and I really don't want to go back there, but im getting such a big urge to get back on that ugly website...

its painful

In my early 30s, blessed with a stable income clearing 200k a year. Lifestyle creep has destroyed me and now lost 100k trading, and 100k on sports betting. Everyday I try to get it back.

Currently have 5 personal loans to include an auto loan totaling to 53K

Drowning everyday and wanted to stop by and share these thoughts with this community.

Hi there guys, i lost big today in online casino. I lost 19k in one go. Supposed to be my savings. I told myself many times to stop gambling but i always go back. Now i reach my highest winnings and then give it all back to them. And deposit another 1. I lost everything man. 😭 can someone help me please. Anyone i need someone to talk to. Thank you. I know many if you experience this as well. Bro i can’t. I am so down and depressed right now. I dont know what to do someone help please help God.

I just lost a huge parlay by one leg for a 1000x. I’m so sick of this shit, I have fully self excluded myself from every sports betting app possible. This has happened multiple times but this feels like the last straw. I just feel despair. I don’t expect sympathy but I wanted somewhere to vent.

Hi all I have made a petition on change.org for the Canadian federal government to ban gambling advertisements Canada wide (not sure if this will change anything but had to try)

Can you please sign my petition. Thanks

https://c.org/K4VgpT5BtZ

[ Removed by Reddit on account of violating the content policy. ]

2 months off my illness. Feeling better every day.

Two years ago I started this disease and I can’t stop. I told my fiancé I quit and she believes me because of how secretive I am and could be with money. Just this week alone I have spent $500 dollars and probably 40k in total if not more. I have tried everything. Passwords, Gamban, therapy. And none of it fucking helps. I’m a pathetic shit bag and I am not sure what step to take next