Gambling Addiction

[JQ]

I have a friend who's always had a problem with gambling, which culminated in a relative having to bail him out financially 4 years ago. This seemed to solve the problem as paying the loan back and cutting up all credit cards reduced his ability to spend. However, it would appear he's started again and is desperate to stop.

Obviously I'm aware of Gamblers Anonymous, but I have no idea if this the best course of action. Should he be going to see his GP? The return of the gambling has coincided with the death of his mother which he's not come to terms with, so there are likely to be other big issues to be resolved at the same time.

Any help would be greatly appreciated, as I don't know where to start.

[malks222]

there are a few websites etc.... gamble aware i think is the main one advertised by the gambling companies.

quick question, what do the gamble on, poker, football, dogs, virtual racing, slots, casino, standing in the bookies all day??

first step for me would be getting them excluded from as many sites/ bookies/ casinos as possible. you can do this online and in person in shops/casinos.

i'd get them straight to see their GP with a view to speaking to a specialist, as with gambling its purely mental, the excitement/buzz/ adrenalin in the mind, so counsellors can help.

[JQ]

malks222 said:

there are a few websites etc.... gamble aware i think is the main one advertised by the gambling companies.

quick question, what do the gamble on, poker, football, dogs, virtual racing, slots, casino, standing in the bookies all day??

first step for me would be getting them excluded from as many sites/ bookies/ casinos as possible. you can do this online and in person in shops/casinos.

i'd get them straight to see their GP with a view to speaking to a specialist, as with gambling its purely mental, the excitement/buzz/ adrenalin in the mind, so counsellors can help.

Thanks for the response, he can't access online betting as he banned himself last time, same for most casinos. He is currently playing the slots in bookies.

However, despite a full and frank conversation over several beers at the weekend it would appear today he's no longer got an issue and no longer needs my help, so this thread is pointless. I'll investigate the Gamble Aware site and see if there's anything I can do to help those who don't want. I doubt much.

[paulmakin]

the psychology of addiction is complex and multi-faceted with biological, psychological and environmental factors in play.

i'd suggest seeking out the specialist (gambling) addiction treatment services rather than the GP as, although seemingly "in remission", some work around "relapse prevention" would be prudent.

paul

[HerrSchnell]

The bookies are bound to conditions of their operating licenses which stipulate they should act to identify problem gamblers and to step in to offer them help when they are identified.

However that just doesn't happen in reality and often problem gamblers are targetted by them with additional promotional offers and materials under the excuse that they are simply good customers. The most recent case of this coming to light is linked below but this is far from an isolated incident:

said:

The first case focussed on a man known only as Customer A who was a regular visitor of a Paddy Power branch in England. Customer A regularly used fixed-odds betting machines, i.e. electronic versions of games like Roulette or Blackjack where the odds don’t change from game to game.

In May 2014, staff found out that Customer A was working five jobs to fund his gambling and that he had no money. He said that he was happy with his level of gambling but staff decided to monitor him.

In late-May, the manager of the store told a senior staff member Customer A would be visiting the branch less. As a result of this, the more senior staff member told other staff that efforts should be made to try and increase Customer A’s visit and time spent in the Paddy Power branch.

Customer A was monitored by staff, with the reporting noting that the shop manager “recorded some discomfort about how to reconcile commercial and Social Responsibility (SR) considerations”.

Customer A said he was happy with his spending, but the report notes that the manager noticed that he “was spending heavily and that he looked unwell and as if he had not slept in a while”.

In August 2014, a staff member bumped into the Customer A off-premises and saw that he had lost all of his jobs, was homeless and had lost access to his children.

He was directed towards help and the report notes that he did not visit the shop again after this.

http://www.thejournal.ie/paddy-power-problem-gambler-2634759-Mar2016/

Bled dry under instruction from Paddy Power's senior management and then kicked out when there was literally nothing left.

Gambling addiction is a bleak situation but there is help available for both you and the addict, a good starting point would be Gamcare.

http://www.gamcare.org.uk/get-support/partners-fri...