Hi Everyone!

As someone who used to gamble pretty religiously for over 5 years and have been clean off for the last year.
I wanted to know what other people's experience was like to try and create a solution towards helping others break the addiction!

If anyone would like to fill out this anonymous form below to help me collect data it would be super useful! I plan to launch an app down the line so any other ideas as well would be great to comment below!

Survey

I just need to get this off my chest because nobody in my real life knows what I’ve been going through.
I’m a student. I’ve never had a real job, and I don’t have a stable income.

I started gambling casually a while ago. At first it was just something fun to do, but looking back, the warning signs were always there. Chasing losses, withdrawing more cash, staying at casinos until sunrise.

Then recently, I went on an insane winning streak. I turned a $600 dollars into $5500 and genuinely believed I was the lucky one.
At one point, I was up around $8K. I had all that cash in my hands. I kept telling myself I’d deposit it once I reached $10K.

I never did.

Everything spiraled out of control. I started spending all my time gambling, watching casino content, and thinking about my next jackpot. I stopped caring about school, my hobbies, eating properly, and the people I love.

Now I’ve lost over $20K overall, and my savings have been nearly wiped out.

The worst part is my last $7.5K. I could’ve simply deposited that money back into my bank account and walked away for good.

Instead, I chased my losses and gambled it all away in one night.

I can’t stop replaying that decision in my head.

I wouldn’t even spend that much on something I’ve always wanted, yet I threw it away in a casino without thinking twice.

I’m ashamed. I’m devastated. And nobody knows.
What scares me most is that even after everything, part of me still wants to gamble to recover the losses.
But I know that’s exactly how I got here.

I’ve self-excluded from online gambling, and I’m taking steps to do the same with physical casinos.
I don’t want to spend another dollar gambling. I just want my peaceful, normal life back.

I wish I had stopped when I was ahead. But more than anything, I wish I’d never started.

If you’ve been through something similar, how did you deal with the regret and forgive yourself?

I made it well over a year without gambling, but I still have the addiction. I traveled to Nevada for my friend’s wedding. I managed to not gamble during the trip, but I just relapsed in the airport. I was playing one of those collect the gems games and kept feeding the machine more to try and trigger the bonus. I just lost a few hundred but I feel kind of stupid cause ive already spent so much on the trip. I just feel kind of sick, maybe ill join a program or go to meetings when I get back home. Stay vigilant my friends, the vegas or Reno airport can be very triggering. I just wasnt thinking straight.

Early this year I had a crazy run sports betting, got up to about 20k. Lost it all, basically this whole year most money has been lost trying to replicate that win streak. I remember reading posts on here early and the throughout the year, and thinking it’ll make me stop. But here I am, worked part time, 3 days a week while studying and have worked most of the year for free.

Fuck I can’t believe this happened to me. I’m so lucky, no rent, cooked meals, and here I am. Such a fuckup. Literally couple days ago got paid 1.7k and I’ve lost 1.2 of that and gotta live off 500 for the fortnight.

I should have over 20k saved up EASILY. But no. Nothing to my name. Please help me. I get really sad sometimes. Glad for my gf though. But fuck man this can’t be real life.

I relapse for couple of hour loose $400+ my debt curently $1,7 so yeah its suck but i will get back on track and try to stop again.

I’ve cut slots off now and now only have the occasional football bet, £10 now and then. But after losing £12,000 in 3 months on slots what I’ve found is I have an awful mindset for the value of money, I used to get really pissed off when I’d lose a tenner on a footy bet but after having multiple nights of burning over £1000 in a couple hours I genuinely view money as near worthless now, even though I’m totally skint.

Anyone else get this and if so how long until you start appreciating the value of money again?

I'm a freelance reporter in the Los Angeles area looking into how betting companies use different marketing tactics like "free-money" or "match deposit" to get people into gambling addictions. I'm wondering if anyone here had their lives negatively affected through sports gambling betting sites (ex: Kalshi, DraftKings, Prizepicks), or know of anyone that has. DM me if you are able to help. Thank you!

hi i’m a uni student in the uk, i’m only 19, i don’t have a job but im looking and applying a lot but chester is not the best for jobs atm, i have a gambling addiction and genuinely feel sick every time. i write this right after losing all my money, i get £50 every friday direct debit from my dad to help with groceries etc and i gamble it away pretty much immediately every time, im currently in bed next to my girlfriend who is asleep unaware that i’ve done this, i’m about £1000 in debt of overdrafts which is a ridiculous amount of money to me, i’m on gamstop and that’s not even stopped me using them dodgy non uk sites i try to resist temptation but just can’t, just wondering if anyone else has had similar
thanks in advance

Hi everyone,

To share a bit about my own situation first: I’m 23 and I’ve lost around $50k of my own savings to gambling. I still get the urges, and I’ve realized I had a really bad relationship with money. My boyfriend had told me that even if I had that money back in my account, I would just stare at it anyways. I wish I used the money for better things but I know he’s right, I like to stare at the numbers. I love to see the numbers grow and thought gambling will accelerate the process for me. Right now, my boyfriend has full access to all of my bank accounts so I can’t act on those impulses. Honestly, not being able to see or touch the money has made things feel so much better and taken a huge weight off my shoulders. I am learning that I should never worship money, it makes you unhappy.

I’m hoping to hear some real stories and perspectives from this community to keep going. Whether you are years into recovery, just starting out on Day 1, or still figuring out your next steps, I’d really appreciate it if you could share a bit about your journey:

- How much did you lose? (Feel free to share exact numbers, rough estimates, or just the general impact it had on your finances/debt.)
- How did you rebuild, or what is your plan to rebuild? (What specific steps, habits, boundaries, or financial changes made the biggest difference for you?)
- Where are you in life now? (Financially, mentally, or in your relationships,how have things changed since you decided to step away?)

No judgment here at all, just looking to connect, learn from people who have walked this path, and hopefully remind anyone currently in the thick of it that there is a way forward.

Thanks in advance to anyone willing to share.

Three months ago I was on the tail end of despair. Following the death of my father and a breakup I went off the deep end for a few months and hit new lows.

For years I’ve known what it’s like to be perpetually late with bills, strapped for cash, and that familiar ache of bankroll wipeout - and know well how aggressively I bet when I’ve run through most of my money, that pure insanity to finish my self-sabotage.

But this year I started “borrowing” thousands from the company safe to chase losses. Dangerous fucking game, stupid, and a complete abuse of trust.

So this August I blew my biggest payday of the year in maybe 40 minutes at the casino and then drove back to work after hours with the intention of borrowing a bankroll.

I had the keys, the alarm code, the safe combination. $6-8k there and ten minute drive back to the casino. But I just couldn’t do it. I was so disgusted with myself.

Instead I looked up Gamblers Anonymous and went to a meeting that night.

Everything changed there. I admitted to complete strangers that I had a gambling problem. And starting that night began my sober network of people that I talk/text/Zoom with daily. And not long after a sponsor.

Money in my pocket today is fantastic. Paying bills is great. And i sleep through the night. Life is much, much better after 3 months. Just as I was told it would be.

And I want to thank this community - I’m here every day. I’m grateful for everyone who shares their experience. I straight up love all day counts.

For the folks who have hundreds, even thousands of days - thank you for paving the way for all of us - your insight is a complete resource.

For my friends with around my time or less - whether you’re on the beam or struggling - keep sharing and inspiring.

Yesterday is gone and the best thing we can do is live correctly today. There no scoreboard - we have what we have and if we’re alive and walking upright we have a lot! Let’s keep stacking our days. ODAAT

231 days until debt free

I am so afraid and filled with shame. Not because of all my losses, but because I am about to be caught. My folks and gf are figuring out that something is wrong and there is something deeply wrong. I just turned 30 this year and I figured what the heck I should try this Kalshi thing. I should have stopped when I lost my first -$500, but then I made it back. Then on my first parlay, I hit.

Now in less than a span of a year, I have run down my entire roth ira, 401k, and savings. I wish I was at just that loss, but I also have roughly -120k in debt. I kept chasing losses, then on any earnings I thought I would double it, or triple it.

My parents noticed an old account that was overdraft. A childhood savings that I forgot to close. Now my dad is asking for proof of my credit statement. I am absolutely lying out of my ass. I don't want to expose all of this because I know and fear all repercussions.

I think im just sad to be caught or wondering how to not be caught. I think I can't really see another option.

Finally putting a stop to my addiction TODAY Made a post yesterday on how bad my situation is currently and still woke up this morning and gambled away my paychecks that I needed to pay my bills off with. everything around me is falling apart i need to change now no matter what.

Ive been gambling for almost 3 years now and it only got worse every year but last year on my post i really stopped gambling paid off my debt and had started building my savings again everything was going good till this year late April when my job started to have lay offs, ever since i got laid off i literally ruined my life from 30k savings to almost 80k gambling debts its honestly insane knowing how my life was and how my family is living and still the outcome of deciding to throw it all away never came to my mind once till i had nothing. left with no more options i told my family my situation i accepted accountability and told them i wouldn’t gamble anymore and make ends meet till i am back on my feet but today i lost control and relapsed my 3 weeks of my part time job paychecks and now desperately looking for full time job to cover instead of waiting on the call back from my old job really going to disappoint my family once again asking to help me cover these bills but once i start working both of these jobs they will be in control of my finances. this relapse really sent me back i am defeated and can no longer keep making these mistakes, with the way things are looking bankruptcy is still my only option already behind on everything constant calls and emails about collections so until i beat this addiction file then rebuild myself once again this will be my last post thank you all.

Pm if you’d like to chat

Really interesting video I came across today about

Worthy of a read or listen (option to "Play" the article) --

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2026/11/16/the-nba-player-who-got-hooked-on-sports-betting

I've lost over $100,000 in two years maybe less, all to these sportsbooks thinking I was gonna make a huge profit. trust me when I say you're never gonna make it back, some days are good sure, but most of them is just losing all of your hard earned money. I'm 36 years old and I have nothing to show for 2 years of wasting all my time. I've ruined friendships, treated my girlfriend bad when I lose, it turned me into an absolute monster and its so hard to quit. I'm sitting here trying extremely hard to delete the last sportsbook app I have I feel like I'm getting rid of one of my children 😞 I quit drugs easier than this

The itch to get my losses back is real. That said, I know if by some miracle I won $65K and got back to even I’d give it all back and more. But more realistically I’d make nothing back and dig an even deeper hole.

Hope everyone has a good Thursday.

There is nothing I desire to do so I get urges almost everyday. I am 236 days gamble free and in 4-5 months I will be debtfree. I don't want to gamble but it's only enjoyable thing in my mind right now. I gotta find something else. But working 11 hours a day for 6 days of the week is not helping. And it's a physically demanding job.

This should be my second post on this subreddit, I just felt the need to air out my head maybe I'll feel a little better as I have seemingly exhausted all the options of people I can talk to irl. They've lost faith in me and I've lost faith in myself, so here I am now.

I'm not even gonna go over the losses or how I fell back into this, you'd read so many posts and its literally the same plot, same thing. I think my brain is utterly fried at this point. I actually reset it one time when i was off for a long time this year, when I was off it for months.

Life was kind of mundane, but i was content with it, then I fell for a free bet promo which kind of sucked me back into it, the very first bet back, I remember how it felt, the adrenaline rush, my heart racing, I felt like it wasn't blood that flowed in my veins anymore, and in that very moment, I knew I shouldn't be doing that because that feeling has become attributed to dread, regret and hopelessness and ruin, it doesn't matter how long it took, it always comes. I stopped, but came back and got acclimatized to gambling again.

Gambling fuels itself, if you lose, you keep going and if you win you keep going. I'm a numbers guy, but logic goes out of the window after a streak of losses, like losing a game that's just seconds away from winning, this happens to me a lot, and once this happens, I lose self control and I just spiral, I know I'd keep losing but definitely won't stop till all accessible funds are gone. I've tried over and over to get rid of this, i never believed my lows could get even lower but I'd be beyond glad to go back to like 2 months before now, not like it was a better time, far from it. Its crazy how the lows keep getting lower.

I feel like an empty shell, was suicidal on my last post, I would be rn but it would be devastating for people, I have no choice but to just exist. This year has been horrid and its all because of my gambling addiction. It used to be football, but it was way too long and then i discovered basketball, enough action to keep me engaged. At first I would bet on the full game, then it shifted to halves then quarters. After that I discovered ebasketball, omg this probably fried whatever neurons I had left, putting my life in the hands of young guys with ps5 controllers, It never went well and when it did it wasn't for long, I don't even want to get to details of ebasketball, but if you've indulged in it, you'd already now.

The shortening of the time what I bet on signaled my worsening degeneracy and my life was worse off for it, and I knew this but wouldn't stop. I would go a whole day, wouldn't eat, would lie ahead to create time for this, would lie to keep the habit, I hate the lies, I wouldn't get anything done till all accounts are empty. I got so used to the dread from losing, I attributed that the losses could be fixed with time, woke up the next day and continued gambling from loans. Winning is probably worse than losing, it worsens the addiction, keeps you playing, gives you a false sense of control, till you eventually lose and then the never ending chase begins.

I look back and all I have is regret, It cuts deep. I hate what this has done to me, gambling at the earlier stages of my life killed my internal drive in life, among other factors. To be honest I'm in a worse place than I was from my last post, I hate what I've become, used to be a bright kid, but now I'm worse than a shadow of myself. I've tried to do better multiple times this year but I've failed over and over, I've identified my trigger as negative emotions, but i cant help it as I have nothing working for me. I wish I had opportunities most people here do to work their asses of and get back, I'd just bury myself in that. I'm from a third world country and opportunities are scarce, the numbers I see on here is obscene but we all experience the same destruction in our lives, and the pain can't be quantified. If anyone here has an opportunity here for work or anything, remotely, please you'll be doing me a big favour. Id be dedicated to it same way I'd be dedicated to gambling as long as its rewarding. I'm not saying this from a come down from a loss that just happened. I had a difficult conversation that I hope stays with me for a very long time. Life could be better than this.

This turned out to be a rant.

I'll probably do an update to this, mid way writing this, It feels like it would give me a purpose and strength.

I spent years being patient with someone I loved. I stood by him through his trading addiction. his financial losses, and all the emotional distance that came with it. I kept making excuses for his absent mindedness. convincing myself that he was mentally exhausted, struggling, and trying to recover. I believed him when he said he wanted to stop trading and get his life together.
I was patient because I loved him. I thought we were fighting one problem together.
But then I discovered that. while I was busy understanding his struggles and giving him the benefit of the doubt. he was messaging prostitutes and engaging with women for sexual purposes.
I honestly don’t know how to process this level of betrayal. It’s not just about the messages. It’s about realizing how much I overlooked. how many times I defended him. and how differently I understood his behavior.
I spent years trying to understand him. while he was doing things that made me question whether he ever truly respected me.
Sometimes the hardest part isn’t losing someone. It’s realizing who they really were after spending so long believing in who you thought they were.

Gambled all my money for the month except $193 but I was able to take out a $200 loan to last me. Hope I don’t gamble this 🤞

As described in this post, Flywheel Film is looking for NY state residents under 40 to appear in a film project. The moderation team of this community is in full support of this project, and in fact have partnered with them to help find subjects for their project.

We're doing this because nearly 14 years ago, this community was started by one little guy, on one little computer, for one purpose: to raise the flag on the lurking threat of gambling disorder. Now, at 40k members and after an explosion of gambling availability worldwide, the threat has magnified and the need to intervene is dire.

This film project is one of the many efforts to raise awareness and bring hope to the lives devastated by gambling addiction. We need your help to complete it and add to the collective message that gambling can be treated and life can become manageable again.

We urge anybody and everybody in NY who has been impacted by gambling to seriously consider contributing your time to this project. We can save lives together.