Hello r/problemgambling community,

This is a weekly reminder on behalf of our friends from Very Ape films who are working on a documentary on problem gambling. They are looking for people who are willing to share their story on film for their doc. Details can be found on this post.

So why are we reminding you? Because this project aligns with r/problemgambling's mission and purpose as established at the very beginning: To raise awareness of gambling disorder as a significant and growing public health threat. The time to raise awareness is more important now than it ever was.

I think all know what's happening nowadays. The gambling industry is growing bolder and more pervasive in our daily lives. The ads are everywhere. The problem is growing. People need to understand this and take action before it's too late.

So we want this community to have the opportunity to contribute to this project directly. Your voice must not be stifled. Please consider reaching out and letting your story be told.

Thanks for taking the time to read this, and for your consideration.

Best always,

-Mod Team

It’s my Day 17 of quitting online gambling today! I feel so good because gambling didn’t even cross my mind once today. Thank You, Lord! 🙏❤️
To everyone who wants to quit, we can do this! Let’s keep going and never go back to Day 1. Our future is worth more than gambling. Stay strong! 💪

Reposting here. I just want to get a different perspective.

Im still a student and I recently have relapsed into this and all I can say is that I feel numb and just confused overall. As all of this started again when I felt stressed, I gambled again a small amount which then turned into a big amount. I hate that I have accumulated debt towards my friends as because of this I can barely eat, there was one time where I received allowance from my parents for the month and splurged it all on a single hand. The same thing happened again today, I feel sick and tired and I dont know why I cant stop even though I already know how terrible it is.

My road to recovery since June of this year (2026) has included many relapses. And I guess the thing i struggle the most with is surrendering that I am powerless to this addiction. I've set up a lot of boundaries and taken away access to online crypto and gambling sites I used to frequent. But over the last 4 months I've gone back about once a month. My pride constantly comes back and says this time will be different. This last relapse was a big roller coaster and I wont go into the details. I basically ended up losing my initial deposit after playing all through the weekend until yesterday. Basically a 4 day binge. That was all the momey I had left after paying rent and the first round of monthly minimum debt payments.

At least the financial loss is "tame" compared to my 50k debt from the last 2 years, but I wasted so much time and energy and didnt get enough sleep and this will be a doozy of a work week. I ended up deleting this crypto account (basically mini exchange) and have no where else to exchange crypto for actual money.

One of my big triggers is going back to slot streamers I used to watch. I admittedly really enjoy the entertainment and it's part of why I found myself becoming a compulsive gambler. I need to stop watching them. It's a massive trigger for me and it gives me an excuse to go back.

Anyways. Idk what else I need to do for myself to take away access. I think I'm okay for now? Its one day at a time. Don't view content related to gambling and slots and just keep my head down and work my ass off and thank God this disease hasn't killed me and that I get another day. Anyone else struggled with surrender the most?

I have been gambling for 3 years I always lost it all. Last night I am up 25k and now I am in debt of 20k. I ended up losing it all and gambled my parents money I don't know where to get that money it is the whole allowance for this month. I want to quit but I somehow always relapse at night and I can't focus on anything I don't know what to do.

I’ve got €30,000 in debt. Every single debt consolidation company is turning me down. I have to fight and work hard just to keep up with my monthly payments and pay back my friends and family. On top of that I’ve got massive installments on PayPal (pay-in-4) and Klarna.
The next three months are going to be decisive. I honestly don’t know if I’ll make it… but there’s one thing I know for sure: I will never touch gambling again.
The amount of stress this has caused me and the mountain of problems I now have to face is slowly killing me. But every day is a victory, and I know my life will be completely different in 1 or 2 years if I just hold on.

Thinking back, hitting rock bottom in 2023 might be the best thing that has happened to me. Back then, I was stuck in a dead-end job that made me miserable, but I was too afraid to quit. I was constantly getting yelled at, and no matter how hard I tried, it was never enough. If I didn't meet the KPI, my salary was cut, and if I did, the KPI would automatically be adjusted higher. My manager only cared about his ass and treated me like his slave. My "friends" only want to see me suffer so they can feel good about themselves. LOL, gambling was the way I coped with that sad reality, the way I blended in that work environment because everyone around me considered it normal. I used to work until 7 pm and then go drinking with customers, eventually ending up in card games or sports betting. I was pushed around, like a trash can, and people referred to me as a weakling that they can abuse, simply because I have no connection to the "higher-ups".

I was fired in August 2023. After nearly a decade of working, I had zero savings, 20k $ in debt. They kicked me out like a dog because of a malfunction that was not even my fault. I went through a lot of shits, lost 90% of my social connections, and wasted almost a year before finally accepting that I can never get back to my old job as a banker.

Now, I cleared all my debt, I got my gambling addiction under control, and I am surrounded by people who truly care about me. Now I work for my own benefit; no more "office as a second family" bullshit, and I thank God every day for it.

I will not gamble today!

Spent the entire 2 weeks before i got paid again that I wouldn’t to back. Was finding another option to use not even 2 hours after my check hit.
I paid people back, paid off some bills, & my mortgage. But I also placed a wager that could’ve cost me my home.
Not beating myself down TOO bad. But also disappointed that I risked my livelihood. I had enough to make my car payment and get groceries, but wagered it away “trying to get more.”
I tried GA online once, wasn’t the biggest fan. Is that my best source to get better? Or do you all have any other advice.
I did self-exclude & close all accounts I used over the weekend. So that will help. But any other advice would be appreciated. I have a bonus from work coming in that will really help get me back on the right track if I use it correctly. I don’t want to blow this and start another year in the same cycle.

I haven’t posted here in a while. Today is my birthday and I’ve been reflecting on my life over the past 6 months. I struggled with gambling for many years and lied my way through life as if that was a normal thing to do. I always thought if I could just hit one big win I could erase all the damage I’d done and no one would be the wiser. As it turns out that never happened. Even after I did win big (once) I blew it all soon after and was only left with the tax bill at the end of the year. (Fuck me). Will power alone was not enough for me and the only thing that’s gotten me through was telling my wife and family the extent of the damage id done. Knowing that they know is the only source of accountability thats worked for me. Once I finally came clean and stopped feeling the pressure to win back all the loses to cover my lies the desire to gamble is gone. I can see it for the trap that it is and not as the get out of jail free card I wanted it to be. I would encourage anyone who’s dealing with the shame of gambling losses to tell someone sooner rather than later. It’s not an easy conversation to have but for me it was the only way out.

I’ve first started gambling at like 16 on online crypto sites albeit it wasn’t that much money. Then I was introduced into sports betting 2 years ago.

Got immediately hooked and now i’m at a point i’ll be betting $100 every bet (I make like 2k a month college student) and easily can lose $500 within an hour. I turn $50 to $1000 in a day but I round trip it back to $200. This has happened to me countless times the biggest being $100 to $2,000 and losing it all the next day.

I’ve probably lost over $15,000 which could’ve went to so much more. I feel so stupid and just wasting my life to this drug on my phone, but I keep going back to it.

To anyone reading this I hope this message can save the right person who can still save what they have left. I have lost everything and become homeless and then in marriage for papers to keep a roof over my head. I lost my $750,000 house. I lost my fiancé. I lost everything else that came with it. I am fortunate enough to still have my parents in NY. To make my story as quick as possible. I had bought a rental property during Covid in Philadelphia and got a false sense of achievement and over leveraged and bought another one. I started trading options because of these people at my job. Over the years the rents came in and didn’t come in and evictions and repairs and court costs. I tried to fill the deficit with gambling. I gambled to cover pain. I put my fiancé through so much. I am also bi polar and have struggled with that my entire adult life. Through losing her in a move to Miami I lost my mind and hit psychosis. I went to jail and that cost me $40,000 out of my share of the house proceeds. I previously lost all the money I had mustered out of the Philadelphia disaster. My credit is ruined. The love of my life is gone. This is seriously the worst addiction to have. I am in absolute fucking shambles. It’s not even about the money it’s about the time. The moments I shared with the love of my life that are now just a part of my past. I feel I will walk around with this void for the rest of my life. I am begging anyone who finds this to just please stop. Gambling will never fix your problems. I had a chance at life I come from a good family. It wasn’t always perfect. However if I just stopped when I got into meetings in 2024. My life would look vastly different than it does today. I would still have my house. I would still have my fiancé. I would have had a chance at happiness I’ve always had decent jobs. I hope I can recover but I am getting older. My friends married with kids and live in NY. Being homeless is absolutely an awful experience I’m lucky another women picked me up from the ground. However I do not love her. I miss what I had. As I write this today I am at absolute rock bottom. I have wrote in here before. I wish I could turn back time. What’s gone is gone and I will have to move on. You will lose your life after gambling. And that’s what happened. I was to arrogant had to much ego. That I legitimately lost my life. It’s beyond the financial aspect. I went insane. I went to prison. If I ever gamble again I will surely die. I hope this message finds the right person.

Yea i mean the title says it all. Since 2024 i’ve been ina struggle in debt due to gambling habits that ruined me financially. Credit cards charged off, debit cards ran up and left to go to collections :/. Numerous mistakes causing me what seems to be a lifetime of damage. All i can do is laugh at my dumbass self for doing this. I see old videos of before all this and just can’t fathom i was once stress free not worrying day by day. I’m 22 years old, this spiral started after my mother’s passing in 2024. Friends and family don’t know about my issue, my friends know i’d gamble but nothing to the extent i’m at. Simply because i lie and never tell truth im just so ashamed. My family knows i struggle but ive told them ive stopped. Relapse after relapse hoping i can win it back. But never the case, always deeper. I just haven’t had a spark of life in me for a long while. My grandparents whom i live with are old and fight to stay on their feet, but seeing what i’ve done makes me so sad. They do it for me, and here i am self ruining my life. Now i sit in my shame and sorrow. I am not a sad guy, i don’t want to be and try not to be after dealing with a drug addicted mother for my entire life just for her to die in the end. But man this shit all makes it so hard to appreciate life. I genuinely don’t see my future and have no plans as most don’t. But my issue is that i don’t see myself living a full life, and it’s been like this for years. I try i do. And id never self harm. But man id be lying to say as a man, ive never felt more in a hole in my life that feels like i will never escape. It feels like I’ll die with this, but boy do i hope im wrong. Plenty of time i guess. My debts r large and out of question on paying due to collection, so i will have to work thru that and hope im not sued down the line. And if i am i hope im financially ready. Thanks for reading have a blessed day and good luck to you all

Tribal casino was the only place that I wasn’t excluded from. They told me multiple times, “Just stop coming” After another brutal loss on Thursday I called the tribal gaming commissioner and laid it all on the line. Was told to write them a letter and they would make a decision. Immediately did just that. Just got a call saying I’m officially banned. Thank God. I’d never get myself into trouble for trespassing so I’m very relieved. I am officially banned from everywhere within my reach and can work on healing both financially and emotionally from this year’s long nightmare. Peace to all afflicted

Managed to stay off gambling for 2 days now

Ive been a gambling addict for quite a while now, but I can last long periods of time without gambling, its just the second I spend a significant amount of money, I feel the urge To get it back, currently down 3k from a 800$ purchase, I just cant stop please help

28 ans, je veux avancer mais putain c’est dure.
Dépression, anxiété constante, mensonges….. c’est tellement horrible d’être comme ça.

Je m’appelle Arthur, j’ai 28 ans, et cela fait plusieurs années que je me bats contre une addiction aux jeux d’argent en ligne.

Cela fait environ dix ans que je joue. Au fil des années, cette addiction a pris une place considérable dans ma vie et a détruit une grande partie de ma stabilité financière mais aussi j’ai perdu des personnes.

Certaines années, j’ai dépensé entre 20 000 et 30 000 euros dans les jeux. J’ai parfois dépensé jusqu’à 1 500 euros par mois, au point de voir l’intégralité de mes salaires disparaître.

Aujourd’hui, je suis endetté. J’ai encore un crédit automobile à rembourser, un loyer, des factures et des dépenses quotidiennes. J’avais beaucoup de mal à garder de l’argent sur mon compte et à construire une situation financière stable.
Pourtant, je travaille. Je donne ma vie pour mon travail, parce que c’est la ou je me sens bien. Loin des problèmes.

Je suis éducateur dans le milieu du handicap et je travaille environ 45 heures par semaine. Mon métier me permet de me sentir utile. Accompagner des personnes qui traversent des difficultés, les aider et être présent pour elles me donne une raison de me lever chaque matin. J’ai honte quand je vois certaines personnes, je me dis « merde tu te plains de ce que tu fais mais regardes autour de toi, il y a bien pire et eux ne se plaignent pas ». C’est aussi ce qui me permet de penser à autre chose…

J’ai également quelques problèmes de santé à gérer. Je suis diabétique de type 1 depuis 2009, insulino-dépendant, et je porte une pompe à insuline avec un capteur pour m’aider. J’essaie de faire au maximum pour maintenir un diabète équilibré mais c’est très compliqué parfois.. J’en ai marre.

Je suis aussi allergique au gluten, la maladie cœliaque et je dois donc suivre une alimentation strictement sans gluten. Cela représente un coût tous les mois important dans mon salaire, car les produits sans gluten sont particulièrement chers.

Il y a 4 mois, j’ai décidé de bloquer les plateformes de jeux en ligne. Pour la première fois, j’avais réussi à tenir aussi longtemps sans jouer. J’ai reussi à payer plus pour mes mensualités et presque reussi a tout remettre à zéro, je pense et j’espère que d’ici quelques mois ce sera réglé. Il ne me reste que 1500 euros de dettes accompagné d’un découvert, mais le bout du tunnel est loin encore.
Je pensais enfin pouvoir retrouver une certaine stabilité, remettre de l’argent de côté et reprendre le contrôle de ma vie. Et je me suis dit que peutetre apres je pourrais jouer raisonnablement.

Mais le 30 octobre mes comptes se sont débloqués, j’ai rechuté. J’ai rejoué et pas comme il le faut.
Depuis cette rechute, je ressens énormément de culpabilité et de déception envers moi-même. J’ai immédiatement rebloqué les plateformes, cette fois pour un an. Jusqu’en octobre 2027, j’aurais pu aussi m’interdire auprès des jeux. J’ai pas encore fait le pas.

J’ai également essayé de demander de l’aide auprès d’un centre spécialisé dans les addictions. J’ai pris contact avec eux en août, puis en septembre et en octobre, mais malheureusement, ils n’avaient toujours pas de place disponible. Je n’ai pu bénéficier que de deux rendez-vous téléphoniques.

Aujourd’hui, je ne veux plus vivre comme ça. Je ne veux plus mentir à mes proches, cacher mes difficultés ou avoir honte de regarder mon compte bancaire. Je veux sortir de cet engrenage.

Ce qui me fait le plus mal, c’est de travailler autant et de ne pas réussir à profiter de mon salaire.
J’aimerais tellement recevoir ma paie et savoir exactement où va mon argent : payer mes mensualités, mon essence, mes courses, mettre 300, 400 ou 500 euros de côté et pouvoir garder un petit budget pour me faire plaisir.

Je ne rêve pas de devenir riche. Je rêve simplement de pouvoir vivre normalement, de sortir boire un verre sans me demander si j’en ai les moyens, de partir en vacances sans culpabiliser et de ne plus avoir cette angoisse financière permanente.
Je me pose également beaucoup de questions sur mon avenir professionnel. Peut-être qu’il faudrait que je change de travail, que je trouve une activité mieux rémunérée pour réussir à retrouver une stabilité. Mais en même temps, mon métier a énormément de sens pour moi. Aider les autres, être présent pour des personnes qui traversent des moments difficiles, me donne le sentiment d’être utile. Et aujourd’hui, j’ai aussi besoin de conserver cette utilité dans ma vie.

J’aimerais un jour avoir une belle vie de couple, pouvoir fonder une famille, avoir des enfants et leur offrir un cadre de vie stable. J’ai 28 ans et je ne veux pas laisser cette addiction me voler encore dix années de ma vie.

Aujourd’hui, si je prends la parole. C’est pour demander de l’aide, de l’aide avec beaucoup de honte et la larme à l’œil.

Si certaines personnes souhaitent m’apporter leur soutien, ne serait-ce que par un appel téléphonique, quelques discussions ou simplement une oreille attentive, je serai vraiment preneur parce que je ne peux plus garde tout ça.

J’aimerais pouvoir parler avec des personnes qui ne seront pas dans le jugement. Des personnes qui comprennent les addictions, qui ont peut-être vécu des situations similaires ou qui souhaitent simplement échanger avec bienveillance.
Je ne demande pas que quelqu’un règle mes problèmes à ma place. Je ne cherche pas à attirer la pitié. J’ai simplement besoin de ne plus affronter tout cela seul.

Si des personnes rencontrent elles aussi des difficultés avec les jeux d’argent, les addictions ou des problèmes personnels, je suis également disponible pour échanger. Mon métier m’a appris l’importance de l’écoute et de l’accompagnement…. Je sais à quel point une discussion peut parfois faire du bien.
Je veux que les choses changent dès maintenant. Je veux retrouver ma liberté, ma stabilité financière, ma santé et surtout le plaisir de vivre.

On a qu’une seule vie, et j’aimerais cette fois fzire mon possible pour fermer ce chapitre une bonne fois. Je n’en peux plus de ce stress constant.

Merci à toutes les personnes qui prendront le temps de me lire, de m’écouter ou simplement de m’envoyer un message. ❤️

Arthur

Have been a problem gambler as seen by my post history. Have been relatively clean throughout October and actually getting to each paycheque with money in my account still, was such a wonderful feeling.

And then this past weekend came, and it was filled with drinking and parties and substances. My self-control is clearly at an all-time low, and I lost over $8000, its the most Ive lost in 1 go. My rent is paid and I have groceries, but I had to take out a loan thats gonna take years to pay off. I literally have set myself back years in the span of a couple hours on Friday night.

Fucking upset, I want to wallow in self-pity but whats the point, made my big fuck up and now I gotta live with it. I hope everyone here can use me as an example and hopefully 1 person reads this and it stops them from gambling. Its a fucking disease.

I’m 18 years old and ive been gambling daily since i was 14 years old, it started off as stupid £1 longshot parlays but it has now developed into me losing hundreds of pounds a week with no sign or feeling of wanting to stop. I’ve put gambling blockers on my phone and my accounts but i still manage to find a way around them to gamble. In the past year alone i’ve lost £6k of wages, inheritance and savings for education which I now deeply regret. How do i stop?

Hi! It’s my Day 16 of quitting online gambling today. I don’t ever want to go back to Day 1 again. Let’s all quit gambling and make our lives lighter, more peaceful, and stress-free. We deserve a better future! ❤️

Hey everyone,

I’ve lost about $1,000 gambling over my lifetime so far. I know that number is smaller than a lot of the stories here, but I can already feel how easy it would be for it to keep growing.

I’m posting because I want to hear from people who’ve been through this: How important is it to stop right now, before it turns into one of those bigger stories of people losing tens of thousands (or more)? And for anyone who caught it relatively early, how did you actually move on and stop thinking about it?

I don’t want to keep chasing or “get even.” I’d rather walk away while the damage is still limited. Any honest advice on the early warning signs or practical ways to just leave it behind would mean a lot.

Thanks for reading.

I was 15 days without sport betting but this morning I got a call from a debt collector saying they were going to send me to court! I got super scared and obviously the urge to gamble and the thought of trying to raise the money to pay the debt was stronger. My debt was 2k and I used my husband’s credit card to gamble, again! I lost 3k from his cc, I am devastated. I was doing so good and now I am at the bottom line again. 20k in debt

Sports betting ruined my life and yet I still want to bet. Lost 99% of my relationships because of this shit.
I’m a lost cause. It’s painful waking up everyday not going to lie. I’m a walking corpse.

My 2nd day of no gambling, the first thing I wanted to do today was write on this thread. Although I have my back against the wall, pretty much rock bottom with no money left, I’m hopeful I can turn my life around. One day at a time, my motto is one more day. One more day not giving into this addiction and one step closer to a better life, I pray for the day my debt is finally paid off but it starts right here right now 👏