138 replies to this topic

[CrAzYbAr]

Heh if I could get to that meet, I'd definitely still go! I just wouldn't take any money for machines. They're there, but a whole lot of the day can be enjoyed without them. Plus Mark & I go for a proper good Chinese the day after as well!

[nails]

well my winning streak finally came to an abrupt end. after spunking £2k down the local casino i decided enough was enough. at a quick glance ive made clear profit of £8k to which ive paid off the holiday and paid off my visa bill (do you know how hard it it to literally let go of the money in your hand and pay off a bill!).

 

not in the total was the new i7 3.6ghz, revodrive3, 8gb ram, motherboard and meals, drinks(plenty) and the odd stripper. i`d hazard a guess that before that faitful casino night i was up from ladbrokes £12,000.

 

i promised myself last week id give up... yesterday i went out, drew the maximum out of the bank (300) and when i left ladbrokes i had £900 refunded to the card.

 

how the hell can i give up when that happens.

Edited by nails, 20 March 2013 - 09:47 AM.

[Magz]

well my winning streak finally came to an abrupt end. after spunking £2k down the local casino i decided enough was enough. at a quick glance ive made clear profit of £8k to which ive paid off the holiday and paid off my visa bill (do you know how hard it it to literally let go of the money in your hand and pay off a bill!).

 

not in the total was the new i7 3.6ghz, revodrive3, 8gb ram, motherboard and meals, drinks(plenty) and the odd stripper. i`d hazard a guess that before that faitful casino night i was up from ladbrokes £12,000.

 

i promised myself last week id give up... yesterday i went out, drew the maximum out of the bank (300) and when i left ladbrokes i had £900 refunded to the card.

 

how the hell can i give up when that happens.

 

By remembering that you can also lose that sort of money in very little time, so it's maybe best to go out on a high?

[Bencrest]

Well, that's the 3rd month of the year out of the way, so I'm 1/4 of the way through this mission. Admittedly I didn't plan on my 1 arcade voyage, but to take a positive from it I'm only £10 down this year, compared to some of the occasions last year when I lost several hundreds (and in some cases £1500+) in one night, it's hard not to feel some form of pride!!

 

It's a transitional period for me now, I started my new job a couple of nights back (*ahem* night shift shelf stacker in a supermarket), and thank god I'll be able to use that to pay off my remaining debts. I managed to sort out my credit file (which had been ruined through fraud), so my £3000 outstanding debt on a 30% APR card has now been shifted onto a 5.9% APR card, and I'll be able to clear that easily before Christmas. I've changed cars (the Smart car was being a bit too problematic, and wasn't keen on 60+mph speeds - so I now have a grandad style Ford Fusion which has been totally reliable to date).

 

Regarding dad and his gambling, he's turned a bit of a corner. From having no luck for about 6 weeks, he's on a great run at the moment. Very happy for him, but I'm more than ever feeling that gambling isn't for me. Have been out tonight and haven't felt the faintest hint of wanting to gamble, so that's a good result for me.

 

I was planning on a much bigger post, but after working night shift the past few days, having eaten bugger all (seriously, I've had ONE chocolate bar the past few nights, otherwise just drinking a ton of fruit juices, Lucozade and squash), and had my first few beers in 4 days, I think it's best I finish this and crack on with some more Borderlands 2. 

 

Best of luck to everyone else who is giving up at the moment, don't forget to let us know how you are getting on, for better or worse!!

[CrAzYbAr]

Really not much to report here...It's been just over 2 weeks since I've stopped all forms of gambling and months since I've played any 70s. It's getting to that stage now where I have all my bigger assignments to hand in at uni in a couple weeks.........Normally around this time I'd have loved an afternoon on the slots just to kick back and relax, but now I've worked out what I actually want to do, there's bigger fish to fry and I haven't had the slightest inclination to play even a quizzer.

I've got a live DJ set on Sunday, my first one as well! So I'm preparing for that, and longer term I plan to go back to London and take a TEFL course, with the endgame being to get to Japan for a year by 2014. Makes the fruities seem that much more insignificant now...!

[yorkstar]

Me exactly the same ben third month out of the way, did have a moment was out on the beer all day Saturday and am not sure if I played 1 im pretty sure it was just a daft dream which envolved playing a fruit but cant be 100 per cent sure that's beer f yer.

[CrAzYbAr]

Well I've made it past the month now without playing any fruit machines or gambling at all :-) Hope everyone else is doing strong!

[yorkstar]

Well the wheels well and truly came of the other weekend was in the casino other weekend, I knew I was going was planned for a friends birthday for a meal free bet free drink kind of thing, anyway had already had spent tenner on grand national earlier and then ended up about 40 down from casino not a bad night though.

 

Next day bug was back, straight down town straight in pub straight on fruit then a few hours in nobles and was up over 100 quid it was later in the night the problem occurred pretty well oiled stumble in house about 3 log on sky vegas deposit 50 then another, then another, hangover was even worse in morning when I realised I done 400 online oops. 

 

So there you go over 3 months not 1 gamble and 2 daft nights back to square 1,  no gambled now for 4 days    the one good thing to say is I feel after 3 month with not 1 gamble is I gained control back and 3 month for me was a hell of a long time so shows I can do it, so will se how  I go now stay strong or to try and get 1 back over on line or back down nobles hopefully not.

[CrAzYbAr]

Ouch, I've heard about the Difficult 3 before, where from I can't remember...Basically the 3rd day, week and month are said to be the hardest times.

You got it up to 3 months, do it again! Just cos wheels have fallen off doesn't mean they can't be put back on :-)

[Bencrest]

Before getting on with the quotes, quick status update from me. Not gambled since my last lapse (see posts above, or my forum sig!). I get paid on Friday, so that'll be the first time in ages I've had some proper money 'burning a hole' in my pocket. Determined not to gamble it though, but fully aware that being back in work and getting paid is going to make this challenge a little more interesting!

 

Well the wheels well and truly came of the other weekend was in the casino other weekend, I knew I was going was planned for a friends birthday for a meal free bet free drink kind of thing, anyway had already had spent tenner on grand national earlier and then ended up about 40 down from casino not a bad night though.

 

Next day bug was back, straight down town straight in pub straight on fruit then a few hours in nobles and was up over 100 quid it was later in the night the problem occurred pretty well oiled stumble in house about 3 log on sky vegas deposit 50 then another, then another, hangover was even worse in morning when I realised I done 400 online oops. 

 

So there you go over 3 months not 1 gamble and 2 daft nights back to square 1,  no gambled now for 4 days    the one good thing to say is I feel after 3 month with not 1 gamble is I gained control back and 3 month for me was a hell of a long time so shows I can do it, so will se how  I go now stay strong or to try and get 1 back over on line or back down nobles hopefully not.

 

Sorry to hear about that. Online casinos did me in last year, several nights when I was particularly 'low', I ended up doing £1500 in single sessions, typically only a couple of hours or so.

 

Problem 1 : Ridiculous stakes. You can easy jump from 20p spins (sensible) to £200 spins (utterly daft).

Problem 2 : Too convenient. Don't have to leave your desk / sofa / bed! Can smoke / drink while playing. 

Problem 3 : RTP% (Return To Player, basically the %age payout) basically means bugger all, compared to a normal compensated slot. 

 

I don't feel you are back to square one. I felt I was when I had my last lapse, but since then I've felt stronger / more determined than ever, although it does take a little while to get over the shame / embarrassment of your 'lapse'.

 

Obviously you lost £400 - couple of things you might want to look at : 

 

1) Making it harder to get hold of that kind of money - transferring spare money into a savings account or similar, and

2) Banning (self-excluding) yourself from the casino involved, and any other ones you might be a member of.

 

uch, I've heard about the Difficult 3 before, where from I can't remember...Basically the 3rd day, week and month are said to be the hardest times.

You got it up to 3 months, do it again! Just cos wheels have fallen off doesn't mean they can't be put back on :-)

 

That's it, once you get over the initial emotions, you need to pick yourself up and get back on with it. If you keep dwelling on it you'll only bring yourself down, and leave yourself more open to do it again.

 

I am so glad that online gambling was not available to me in my playing days; sorry to hear about your relapse, but take heart from what CB says above. It can be done.

I have to say I quite often wonder why I am not into online gambling. I play the emulations most days, but thankfully I haven't made the leap to signing up online. To me they are completely different beasts. I do think these companies should not be allowed to offer sign up bonuses, that must attract a lot of customers and, as we all know, you never win in the long term. That free tenner could be the most expensive cash you ever buy.

This weekend I am actually going to a classic machine meet up and gambling myself, but I will take £20 and that will be it. After I have finished I will walk away and not even think about gambling until the next meet.

Good luck all.

bj

 

They really are completely different beasts, and the fact they tend to limit the best 'features' to people who 'bet max' doesn't help. As said above the unrestricted stakes are frankly disgusting, especially when they take no account of people's incomes e.t.c. 

 

I wouldn't have an issue with actual UK based online casinos, operating to the same standards as UK land based casinos (for example, max £4000 jackpot max £2 stake), but they seem to have their own set of rules and nobody to control them. 

 

I fully agree about the sign-up bonuses, they are downright dishonest. They typically have high wagering requirements (40x>50x is not uncommon - so a free £10 may have to be recycled 50 times before you can make a withdrawal). They shouldn't be allowed to refer to them as 'free money / free cash' or anything similar, because it's not. It's basically Monopoly money, it has no value at all. 

 

Good luck at the meet, I've always wanted to go to one and kinda buggered up by not going to one before I decided to give up!

Edited by Bencrest, 17 April 2013 - 03:19 PM.

[Bencrest]

I may well come to one with a Bar X in bits in the future if I don't get the bloody thing working

[yorkstar]

Totally agree with the online comments guys, how you can go from 20p to 200 a spin is quite ridicilous and suprised it hasn't  been clamped down on,  when i have played its normally between 40 and a pound a spin vary rarely up to 2 pound any more than that and you are quite likely ending up on dodgy ground .

 

Im still seething wasting 400 playing several games on line without a win much over a tenner or many good features , but there you go from over 20 years playing mainly friuties its certanly not the first time.

 

Sky vegas have even had the cheek to phone me direct a few times to let me know of there fantastic free 10 pound offer thats been credited to my account     they aren't  daft.

 

Keep it up those who r trying to stay quit its a treaky buisness.

[Bencrest]

Got paid this morning (woo!). Finished work at 8am, just finishing drying my washing and then I'm back off to bed

 

Can't be arsed gambling wages at the moment. Didn't intend to anyway but certainly no feelings at the moment

[CrAzYbAr]

Ben, I can't make the upcoming meet due to uni priorities but I wouldn't need to think twice about going down even though I do not gamble. It's just a great place to be to meet the members, there's a nice big snooker table as well and I'll save a few coins for that tabletop arcade machine. It has Xevious on it!

[policematrix]

Thanks to this site and the people who make it all work I managed to crush my fruity addiction , i'm also very grateful i never got into online gambling , but anyway was in the pub the other day and it was my friends birthday so we had a couple of quid literally and these £75 fruities are real bad greedy ****ers and still offering silly £1.20 wins but expecting 1£ a go lol , nah i'm quite happy playing on these emulators ok not as much fun when you win but certainly less painful when you lose  , I remember my red face as id walk out of the fruity place searching for the money i had only minutes before , no money , no food etc etc worst feeling in the world fk that **** never again 

and thanks all who continue to make these emulators / roms   

[Bencrest]

Ben, I can't make the upcoming meet due to uni priorities but I wouldn't need to think twice about going down even though I do not gamble. It's just a great place to be to meet the members, there's a nice big snooker table as well and I'll save a few coins for that tabletop arcade machine. It has Xevious on it!

 

OK then, you've convinved me!

 

I'll go to the next one (or one of the next ones!) if I can fit one around work - I currently do 10pm>8am on Thurs, Fri, Sat nights - so I've literally just got in the door now, and am about to go to bed!

 

Could always book a day's holiday for one I suppose, just want to be careful with them as I'm temp at the moment, and if they do chop me at the end of the trial period (not that they would - I'm awesome!) I'd hate to be deducted for going over my holiday entitlement

[vectra666]

if you,ve got an online gambling problem can,t you transfer all monies from a bank to a building society that you can't use online

[gemini17]

if you,ve got an online gambling problem can,t you transfer all monies from a bank to a building society that you can't use online

Most building society accounts come with a debit card Vectra. Best option is not to have a debit card for any account and leave your money with a trusted member of your family.

Had a mate who ran up an online bingo debt of £52,000 in just over 2months!!

Following his addiction he destroyed all cards and now his sister manages his finances and he has a set amount to spend(which he agreed to),each week. V.sad but then his lesson(hard as it was!),is v.much past and not present.

 

Jay

Edited by gemini17, 22 April 2013 - 04:56 PM.