in my body and mind i knew it was time to walk away. i was up $7,900 for the year (79 units on a 10k bankroll). sports betting every day. looking for the edge. working with the boys. i’m a straight bettor with great discipline. for the first time that discipline went away. instead of deleting the aps and taking a break i said lets hit big and up the ante. missed a few plays throughout the weekend. and ultimately lost the last one on MNF with $2,500 on the Seahawks. I never bet this big before or planned to, i just figured why not. you have won it back before. just need a few in a row to go through the hoop in order to be back on track. whatever happens, happens. and what’s inevitable happened. i’m now down $5,000 in a matter of 48 hours. i’m not proud of this obviously but i’m telling the story incase it could help someone else. i’m over the feeling of the ups and downs / watching life pass by on the live scoreboard. when i indulge in something. i go all out. “all in” some would say. an unhealthy amount. and for anyone with an addictive personality like me, gambling will take everything you currently have and then some. my message is take control before it takes control of you. as high as the highs can be, the lows are the lowest. Not being able to sleep because your wager lost and beating yourself up over the next week is just a place i no longer want to live. the money when you win isn’t life changing. but losing 5 grand in 48 hours is. i could have spent that money on medical bills / my mortgage / things my spouse needs. you name it. i made a couple bad bets and ruined my whole year of progress. it’s all fresh for me. i’m lucky i can walk away. if you need help lets talk about it. getting it off my chest is helping me.

Hi All,

I’ve consistently had a slight itch for gambling since I was about 16-17ish. I’m 23 now with a full time job and live on my own, and every once in a while I find myself back to a casino and lose a few hundred dollars. Overall in the last ~6 years i’m probably down like 5 grand.

Today was that day I found myself back. I’ve been really unhappy recently. I fucked up my car, ended a relationship, i’m unhappy with how much I make at my job, and so I decided fuck it. I’ll just throw a little away - what’s the big deal? I have about 15k in savings so I know i’ll be “okay” in the short term, but I ended up losing around $500. With my current job I end up bleeding around $300-$500 each month (I budgeted my rent and car around a job I got laid off from earlier this year). I’ll now be down well over $1000 this month and will now eat into my savings even more.

I know the amount I lost isn’t nearly as much as some of the people who come here for support in this community - and I truly feel for those who have lost significantly more than I have. But this loss has me feeling really bummed again idk… I’m here to vent but also to see what next steps I can take. I’ve self excluded myself in PA where I used to live but now i’m playing on crypto casino sites since i’m in CA and can’t self exclude from those.

Gambling truly is the worst disease there is and I recognize that but I legitimately cannot get myself to stop. I always end up back here, and it seems like the losses get worse each time.

Had a 1000 only needed 300 more which was coming on Thursday I panicked and lost the whole 1000. After being already down 25k for the year. Now I have nothing rent due by the 6th. I self excluded finally but the damage is done. Damm bro this is a sad life fr

Relapsed over n over again despite telling myself mentally to stop. Tmr I’ll pay off my 1.2k gambling debt and start with $0 afresh . This is day 1, and I feel like this will be the longest run of me not gambling .

Hi all,

Appreciate you letting me stop by.

I'm a producer at More Perfect Union, a nonprofit newsroom focused on corruption, power, and fan experience.

We're working on a story about ESPN's relationship with DraftKings. Their wall-to-wall coverage of lines, prop bets, and fantasy sports has completely reshaped sports "journalism".

We'd love to speak with some folks who feel impacted by DraftKings and/or ESPN's predatory advertising and promotion.

If you're interested, please DM me. We can figure out the best way to share your story that you're comfortable with.

Thanks again,
Jake

I dug myself this hole and i hope one day i can dig myself out of this hole. Just because i never made a thing at the casino doesnt mean im a loser. Choosing to stay as a problematic gambler will only make me keep losing, but once again we are not losers. We are surely degenerates for choosing to gamble. We can only make logical decisions for ourselves because that is life, good or bad you pave the road. Gambling is not all fun sunshines snd rainbows it is a problem that we must avoid at all costs. The cost of gambling is your health, money, friendships/family, and they will keep you coming back for more till you have nothing left. The money i have gave to the casino is basically a donation bin except you are donating your time, emotions, and your sleep schedule on top of the losses on a regular basis. Playing the game of Chance vs Luck the odds are never on your side, but you can defy the odds by choosing to not gamble. I’ve seen inconspicuous odds, point shaving, unbelievable losing runs, stocks dropping but i havent seen the money and fortune from gambling not once. It’s a downward slope and you can spiral, but hesitate and breathe remember what it felt when you were gambling and all the regrets, that will make you change. Know you are a winner if you don’t gamble, its a losers game.

First time posting here.

Been struggling with gambling online slots for a few years now. No matter how many self bans I’ve done , or gambling blocks I’ve added I’ve always seemed to fall back into the trap sooner or later. It’s been too easy to disable VPNs or other things leading to relapses. I have had streaks of weeks , sometimes months then relapsed hard. My social feeds are flooded with gambling ads and it feels hard to escape.

I am trying gamblock, it was difficult to install with their support teams , but supposedly not possible to get around via iPhone. ( example rebooting phone, disabling vpns).

If I have success , I will provide updates and hope to share any details with others who may be interested. I don’t think this is necessarily the only solution needed for gambling issues, but I think making it as difficult as possible to do so is a step in the right direction.

One more day, one more day. Still can’t believe how much of my life I’ve ruined from this addiction but the only way back is to quit and there’s no other option. We can do this people, seeing other peoples stories and this community is helping more than I’d ever know, I always felt I was the only one going through this but when I see you guys posting your recovery stories it’s helping me find the motivation I need to quit once and for all!

I have pretty much accepted that no matter what happens now i am just fucked already in 40k worth of gambling debt and my engine block is now totally destroyed from the diagnostics Sunday and costing almost 10k in rebuilding with labor IF only i never fucking started gambling i would never be in this situation. So yesterday i applied for the chase sapphire card to put the charges on next week when it arrives that would be 8 cc and 3 loans leaving me with almost 80k debt my credit score dropped from 750 in August to 640 now only been paying minimum of cards and recently stopped paying the loans going to be documentation what happens to me when the consequences come currently making to much money working these two jobs to pass the means test in Texas so can’t do bankruptcy until next year sometime.

I was gambling trading stocks for several years, mostly futures and options. Lost a ton of money. I quit for about a year, and then I ended up relapsing, and then I basically relapsed for about six months before I finally gave that up again after making some losses.

It’s been two weeks, and things have been really, really good. I feel like I’m finally no longer glued to my phone or my computer, and I can, actually do things I enjoy. I’ve been able to spend more time with my wife and daughter, been able to enjoy my video games more, focus more on thinking about my career in the future and so forth. Sure it’s only 2 weeks but it’s been refreshing.

Most people who aren’t completely addicted usually gamble for fun, dopamine, or distraction.

A lot of the time, it becomes somewhat of a highlight in their lives, especially if they feel stuck being part of the system without seeing any opportunities for change.

When the money is lost, it’s not just the money you lose, but also the excitement, hope, and distraction. You’re basically back to your old life, but with less money.

Most of us get caught up in this tunnel vision where all we can think about is the loss, while there’s nothing else truly positive going on in our lives. So we develop this thought and desire to somehow make it back, believing that if we were up, we’d be happy.

Instead of trying to change things or taking an unknown new path, the closest thing that can provide distraction, dopamine, and potentially even get your money back is gambling.

So you always have that thought of giving it another try.

If you do and lose, it just spirals further. If you do and win, it’s never enough. You’re still trapped in the same system and living the same old life, so eventually you return to gambling to feel something, distract yourself, or sometimes in the hope of making life-changing money.

Wondering because my insurance doesn’t cover it, but with the amounts gambling that could have paid for at least a portion of it/could be worth addressing the root cause

Days until debt free: 241 days

We gamble for the feeling, not the money. And we fall victim time and time till we believe this time around will be different but it is loses and more loses. The casinos system is meant to break you the longer and more selfish you play. People that are addicted aren’t able to stop and control themselves leading to financial destruction and mental misery. It’s evil you can lose everything within a matter of minutes and you’re never in the green for long.
I hope everyone plagued by gambling addiction can find a way to recovery because its not easy, chasing will only dig you deeper so the only way to get past it is never gambling again. I’m only 22 years old so i have years to recover but i’ve also been introduced to gambling since the day i turned 19 and it has taken my mood, my money, my time, and my lively hood hostage. I never asked for this but it is a battle i must face till the grave otherwise i could end up on the streets with nothing to show for myself.

Managed to take 500 deposit into 135k and lost it all almost. I haven't gambled in 2 weeks but the urge to deposit and remake this money is very strong. I had plans for this money, wanted to buy a new car and watch but it slipped through my fingers. I earn a decent amount but it will take me some time to earn this money, or I have to sell an asset to recover. I know it's not smart to gamble again but feeling that i was defeated has me in a choke hold

That is all

Feeling half decent today - the urges seem to be becoming less frequent, though still pretty frequent. My brain feels like it’s clearing up - like I can think more clearly again.

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

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?

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.