29 replies to this topic

[lita3]

Just a previous thread and the fact iv read some posts that seem like some people like gambling really, that made me think of above question

Just seems such a big spectrum of gambling for fun and being a real addict, even having a 'small problem' or i can stop for weeks if i want' seems to still be a problem

Anyway... Are you a happy Gambler!?

[CrAzYbAr]

No I am not...Well I was not, that's why I've quit:)

Have to say, before I was out of control, where I COULD walk with a tenner profit....albeit last summer as a metter of fact! I was a happy gambler...I would play whatever machines I might have liked to, then when I had got a board or so off them, then if I was in profit I would round the cash up/down, say I had £12 I would round down to 10 or up to 15 then walk with my winnings. This was a nice strategy I had and made me some money sometimes as well as being a good days entertainment

Ahh how times and my mind have changed that...

[dazzalatic]

Its so hard being a happy gambler these days, all the decent profit machines are usually taken up by one or 2 people and when they are not on they leave cards on to stop people going on them, so you're left with the biggies £25 and £35 bar x and the like which suck and suck money like there no tomorrow, and you know when the good machines are not in use they're usually empty so you can't win.

Gambling is crap! but being addicted i still do it like a fool!

[silkyuk9]

The happy gambler bit worries me. Let me tell you..........

I grew up in a household that was bascially working class, my dad was a gambler and it reflected in our clothes and the food stuff we ate. It reflected in school trips and in pocket money. It also reflected in the house, and personalities of family members, but i guess my dad was a 'happy gambler'.

But, being a happy gambler reflected on other people, growing up I was in 'happy gambler' mode because i was taught how to back the horses and how to play fruit machines. This did not however have a big impact on me because I was wise, i saw how much was lost to how much was won.

I did lose a few quid as a teenager and soon realised that the winners were not me, by meaning winning a few quid. My dad in his 60th year still bets the horses, and wins and loses, he tells me when he wins, which is about once a week, but the other 6 days there are no mention of it.

my dad has lost a lot, sold things to bet and ultimatly we paid the price, as ive said. But he still is a 'happy gambler' even though others have, and indeed still are suffering (not me though).

Im not sure there is such a thing actually as a 'happy gambler' gamblers are only happy when they win, when they lose you have to keep your distance or stay away.

even though you may gamble the effects do not only stay with you, yes when you win a few quid you can be a good mate, but on the other hand when you lose you aint worth shit becasue you are scrounging for drinks and a 'borrow'

[exibizarep]

Brilliant post above, and one which alot of people should take note of.

I bet once a year on the grand national, £2 a week on my football accumulator, and if im bored of the chat in the pub will chuck a couple of quid in the fruity to see if i can get on the board.

Win or lose I can leave.

Its a shame these days I see the same people day in day out down the boozer ploughing in note after note on some of these machines.

It does make you wonder where they get there money from, but more importantly how much better off they would be if they reverted from gambling.

All in all if you have earnt the money then you have the full right to spend it as you wish. After all you cant take it with you.

[Deano]

The happy gambler bit worries me. Let me tell you..........

I grew up in a household that was bascially working class, my dad was a gambler and it reflected in our clothes and the food stuff we ate. It reflected in school trips and in pocket money. It also reflected in the house, and personalities of family members, but i guess my dad was a 'happy gambler'.

But, being a happy gambler reflected on other people, growing up I was in 'happy gambler' mode because i was taught how to back the horses and how to play fruit machines. This did not however have a big impact on me because I was wise, i saw how much was lost to how much was won.

I did lose a few quid as a teenager and soon realised that the winners were not me, by meaning winning a few quid. My dad in his 60th year still bets the horses, and wins and loses, he tells me when he wins, which is about once a week, but the other 6 days there are no mention of it.

my dad has lost a lot, sold things to bet and ultimatly we paid the price, as ive said. But he still is a 'happy gambler' even though others have, and indeed still are suffering (not me though).

Im not sure there is such a thing actually as a 'happy gambler' gamblers are only happy when they win, when they lose you have to keep your distance or stay away.

even though you may gamble the effects do not only stay with you, yes when you win a few quid you can be a good mate, but on the other hand when you lose you aint worth shit becasue you are scrounging for drinks and a 'borrow'

Many of the comments above are true to my life,dad is 70 now and cant remember a day that he has never missed going into the bookies for a flutter.This is where my gambling came from.Used to get butterflies in my stomach before going into arcades and that huge gutted feeling like someone has died,when I came out.Been known to put my bus fare through a machine and having to walk 5 miles home in my early gambling years before I became more disciplined.Not had a gamble for a week now but can honestly say that I have never been a happy gambler

[edwardb]

I played fruit machines from age 13, at chip shops in my school lunch break.

I soon realised I was losing all my money (or getting loads of tokens, which I exchanged for pizzas and chips..) but loved playing, so I thought well there must be a better way of making money from these things.

I wrote to Maygay and Barcrest (bear in mind I was about 14) with some ideas, and only Maygay replied, saying thanks for the ideas, but we can't use them due to copyright etc, but why not come up to the factory for a tour and "chat about your future career intentions".

So I did just that, and what an experience. Walking into the factory and development office, full of guys being paid to code and test machines, was amazing. I knew right then that this is what I want to do for my career!

I kept in touch with a guy from Maygay (the then Technical Director) and he left, and joined Mazooma. When I was 16, I saw him at ATEI and said something like, gizza job mate. He did, and I moved to Newark to work at Mazooma! Learned how to program and did some successful machines, but left there after 4 years, joined Global (now Games Media), left there after 5 years and started my own AWP development company, aged 26, which is what I'm upto now.

A lot of the old boys may remember me from the "good old days" of the fruit machine mailing list. They truly were the halcyon days of AWP playing!

So I am a happy gambler. I hardly play UK machines these days, but I have made a lot of money from gambling, just on the other side of the fence.

I still have the letter Maygay wrote to me!

Ed

[ForYouToEnvy]

Hmmmm i'd say i was a happy player, get a two hour lunch break so pop into arcade on way home, win or lose i leave after half an hour:)

[silkyuk9]

Many of the comments above are true to my life,dad is 70 now and cant remember a day that he has never missed going into the bookies for a flutter.This is where my gambling came from.Used to get butterflies in my stomach before going into arcades and that huge gutted feeling like someone has died,when I came out.Been known to put my bus fare through a machine and having to walk 5 miles home in my early gambling years before I became more disciplined.Not had a gamble for a week now but can honestly say that I have never been a happy gambler

ill tell you what, my dad does not have sky tv, but ceefax is on all day long with prices and betting etc. is your dad like that too?

[CrAzYbAr]

I played fruit machines from age 13, at chip shops in my school lunch break.

I soon realised I was losing all my money (or getting loads of tokens, which I exchanged for pizzas and chips..) but loved playing, so I thought well there must be a better way of making money from these things.

I wrote to Maygay and Barcrest (bear in mind I was about 14) with some ideas, and only Maygay replied, saying thanks for the ideas, but we can't use them due to copyright etc, but why not come up to the factory for a tour and "chat about your future career intentions".

So I did just that, and what an experience. Walking into the factory and development office, full of guys being paid to code and test machines, was amazing. I knew right then that this is what I want to do for my career!

I kept in touch with a guy from Maygay (the then Technical Director) and he left, and joined Mazooma. When I was 16, I saw him at ATEI and said something like, gizza job mate. He did, and I moved to Newark to work at Mazooma! Learned how to program and did some successful machines, but left there after 4 years, joined Global (now Games Media), left there after 5 years and started my own AWP development company, aged 26, which is what I'm upto now.

A lot of the old boys may remember me from the "good old days" of the fruit machine mailing list. They truly were the halcyon days of AWP playing!

So I am a happy gambler. I hardly play UK machines these days, but I have made a lot of money from gambling, just on the other side of the fence.

I still have the letter Maygay wrote to me!

Ed

That is a VERY interesting read mate...I myself have always wanted to go into the gambling industry, specifically designing machines...I have plenty of ideas that I can put forward...But it might be some work, so say I have a design who should I send it to when it comes to manufacturers?
Seeing as you have your own business, would it be poss to send some ideas to you sometime?

[Deano]

ill tell you what, my dad does not have sky tv, but ceefax is on all day long with prices and betting etc. is your dad like that too?

Too right,a bit old fashioned.Never had a video or dvd player.Technology has never moved forward in my parents house.They still even got their Amstrad midi hi fi lol about 20 yrs old.We were brought up with horse racing.my dad would sit at the table with The Sun,studying his form and circling his selection for the day.then he would go to the bookies with us having to wait outside,whatever the weather.Then back home to either watch the channel 4 racing,or checking other meetings by teletext.
He still does the same today lol and would say that he IS a happy gambler.

Glad I never got into it tho.

[silkyuk9]

Too right,a bit old fashioned.Never had a video or dvd player.Technology has never moved forward in my parents house.They still even got their Amstrad midi hi fi lol about 20 yrs old.We were brought up with horse racing.my dad would sit at the table with The Sun,studying his form and circling his selection for the day.then he would go to the bookies with us having to wait outside,whatever the weather.Then back home to either watch the channel 4 racing,or checking other meetings by teletext.
He still does the same today lol and would say that he IS a happy gambler.

Glad I never got into it tho.

its like a mirror i age of us too, i remember when i was about 8 or 9 i had to go down to the bookies and wait outside for a 'nice' looking old man going in, i would then have to say, 'mister can you put this bet on for my dad' he would go in and come out with the betting slip, usually a 5p round robin or something like that. i would never be sent down for large bet though just incase i got kicked in!

Our saturday consisted of watching the wrestling then the horse racing. we never had a video player and always had a black and white television, never had a colour tv until i was in my teens.

I aways had to wear these trainers and we called em 'sneaker pumps' they were black and white with a little round rubber ankle protector, i think they cost a quid and lasted about 3 weeks. we always stunk of fags and no one ever wanted to come to our house.

i suppose my dad grew up like that too cause his dad was a gambler too. What a waste of young lives because your parents waste the money.

[JACCIBOB]

Yea me a happy gambler cos i won the 500quid on reel king off night only cost 20quid

lol

[silkyuk9]

Yea me a happy gambler cos i won the 500quid on reel king off night only cost 20quid

lol

Gamblers only tell you when they win!!

[Deano]

Yea me a happy gambler cos i won the 500quid on reel king off night only cost 20quid

lol

If I earned a pound for every time I won but lost a penny for every time I have lost I would be skint,get the picture?

[silkyuk9]

If I earned a pound for every time I won but lost a penny for every time I have lost I would be skint,get the picture?

Deano we could be brothers!!

[Deano]

Think the only time I have been a happy gambler is when I had a few tricks up my sleeve,the likes of which you dont see much of today.Played certain machines that often that I knew them inside out but were barred from lots of places for being a manipulator.Never payed for info and never performed any illegal activities but arcades dont like the customers having the upper hand.

[lita3]

I played fruit machines from age 13, at chip shops in my school lunch break.

I soon realised I was losing all my money (or getting loads of tokens, which I exchanged for pizzas and chips..) but loved playing, so I thought well there must be a better way of making money from these things.

I wrote to Maygay and Barcrest (bear in mind I was about 14) with some ideas, and only Maygay replied, saying thanks for the ideas, but we can't use them due to copyright etc, but why not come up to the factory for a tour and "chat about your future career intentions".

So I did just that, and what an experience. Walking into the factory and development office, full of guys being paid to code and test machines, was amazing. I knew right then that this is what I want to do for my career!

I kept in touch with a guy from Maygay (the then Technical Director) and he left, and joined Mazooma. When I was 16, I saw him at ATEI and said something like, gizza job mate. He did, and I moved to Newark to work at Mazooma! Learned how to program and did some successful machines, but left there after 4 years, joined Global (now Games Media), left there after 5 years and started my own AWP development company, aged 26, which is what I'm upto now.

A lot of the old boys may remember me from the "good old days" of the fruit machine mailing list. They truly were the halcyon days of AWP playing!

So I am a happy gambler. I hardly play UK machines these days, but I have made a lot of money from gambling, just on the other side of the fence.

I still have the letter Maygay wrote to me!

Ed

very excellent and proper cool! well done x

[lita3]

thefamily side of gambling is very commen, my grandad was a tw8t for the horses, my mum had 4 siblings and they suffered terribly with it, apart from the bills/rent/food the rest of his wages went on the gee-gees, the stories my mum have told me are heartbreaking, my mum did have a problem with gambling, it wasnt huge problem but when she went in she could spend alot on the fruities, i remember watching her, i cant ever remember her being a happy gambler either. Tho i never went without food etc because my dad is totally opposite gambling, he hates the arcades etc(hes sooooooooooo tight!) if he found out my mum spent he'd have left im sure.

one day(about 3/4 yr ago my mum must've spent alot (i wasnt there) but she vowed never to go in again , and she hasnt i proper admire her for that



****anyway, theres 3 part series starring steve coogan starting next tuesday 7th oct? itscalled SUNSHINE and shows a gambler and its affect on his friends and family, supposed to be quite good and pretty real ****