Gambling Loss Stories
Although gambling might be a tempting activity that you enjoy, for many people around the world gambling can be a serious problem. From huge financial losses to the losses of loved ones and the breakdown of marriages to murdering one’s own family, gambling addiction can have some truly negative and horrific outcomes. It is best to seek help as soon as you feel that you are losing control of your gaming and are unable to stop. There are plenty of organisations out there which specialise in helping addicts deal with their addiction. In our blog post today, we will share with you some horrific gambling stories with the hope to dissuade you from gambling and losing out on more than you bargained for.
Carolyn Crawford went to prison for stealing from her employer to support her pokies addiction, and now shares her story to encourage others to seek help for gambling harm. Only gambling losses. The IRS does not permit you to simply subtract your losses from your winnings and report your net profit or loss. And if you have a particularly unlucky year, you cannot just deduct your losses without reporting any winnings. If the IRS allowed this, then it's essentially subsidizing taxpayer gambling.
Curt’s Story
Before checking in to the Lutheran Social Services’ Gambler’s Choice programme, Curt’s addiction had driven him to suicidal thoughts. He described his addiction to gambling as a serious ‘hangover’, which prevented him from stopping. Thoughts of suicide are severely serious and require instant attention. The fact that Curt wanted to die because he was losing out on so much money as a result of gambling is an indication that he couldn’t cope with the situation. As soon as you feel that your gambling habit is starting to get out of control, contact an organisation such as GamStop right away. They will help you deal with your impulses to gamble and your gambling addiction. Today, Curt is attending Gamblers Anonymous meetings, working on regaining his family’s trust, and is being much more careful with his money than he would previously.
Jodie Nealley
Jodie Nealley is another individual who truly suffered as a result of her gambling addiction. This time, however, she was forced to pay up for her losses and since she couldn’t do so, she was sent to jail. She lost her husband after a sad divorce as well as a beautiful home and a job. Learning her lesson whilst in jail, Jodie is now an Intervention and Recovery Support Coordinator at the Massachusetts Council on Compulsive Gambling. She has been in recovery from gambling disorder for six years and in recovery from alcohol for 22. The combination of gambling and alcohol addiction is scary and requires a lot of effort to overcome. Jodie Nealley has truly committed herself to a strong recovery and is addressing the symptoms on a day to day basis.
Anonymous 1
According to Financial Spread Betting, Anonymous also has a horror story to share. This time the story is related to credit card debts while at the same time being unemployed. Anonymous started out as a shy gambler who would phone in to bookies and place his bets. However, his interest in placing bets soon turned out into an addiction that he couldn’t control. This led to severe gambling debts being into the thousands of pounds, which he can’t afford to repay as he is currently unemployed and still struggles with the urge to place a bet even though he doesn’t have the cash to do so. Remember to seek help as soon as you notice any of these symptoms cropping up in your experience.
Anonymous 2
Anonymous 2 is another example of a sad situation where gambling has taken over someone’s life and made things exceptionally difficult. In Anonymous 2’s case, the situation led to divorce and having to ask his father for financial support. With four children in the mix, this situation really got out of hand when Anonymous 2 decided to gamble at a casino. With a lucky winning streak, he gambled funds that he thought he could double and even triple. Yet the situation turned out that he lost 15k in the drop of an eye and these were 15k which he didn’t have. A grown adult asking his parents for financial help is an embarrassing situation, but gambling addiction isn’t embarrassing and you need to seek professional help wherever you feel the need as you do not want to end up divorced, where your significant other doesn’t trust you, and where you’re digging into savings that affect your children’s futures.
Tala’s Story
Tala and her husband would go to casinos several times a year just for fun. However, Tala’s love for gambling became a problem that she would hide from her husband and her family as she managed to withdraw all the cash she had available on her and her husband’s credit cards. This led to a situation where her husband was denied credit after applying for it, telling his wife that she had ruined his “good name”. To avoid situations where you’re squeezing out your family’s hard-earned cash, without their knowledge, and to resist the urge to gamble away money that you do not have, seek help as soon as possible.
Murder of a Family
Losing money and your family’s trust aren’t the only terrible things that could happen to you as a result of your gambling addiction. There was a story of a North American man who ran a business whose grave he was slowly digging as a result of his gambling addiction. Things got so bad that one night he strangled his children three, and then shot his wife and then himself. This murder should send horrific tingles down your back as you contemplate this poor man’s situation. Things had gotten so out of hand for him that he simply believed he couldn’t go on with not only his life, but with his family either. There was simply no hope for him; no light at the end of the tunnel. This darkness can be defeated with the right help. If you feel that you’ve reached a point of no return, help is always available. Please seek it out when you feel down! Murders of innocents can be avoided this way as can suicide.
Conclusion
As you can see from these brief examples, gambling addiction can have a range of diversely different consequences and they are all bad. You will be doing yourself a favour if you seek help as soon as possible. Gambling addiction is a very serious mental addiction that makes one think that he or she can make up losses by playing a little bit more or adding a few more dollars or pounds to the game. This assumption is incorrect and there is no evidence that this wrongly-held belief is correct. Better save yourself some trouble, money, and the loss of loved ones and seek professional help. GamStop, Gamble Aware, and Gamblers Anonymous are some important institutions that can help you and support you as you address the void that is created by gambling.
Gambling Horror Stories – What Else You Need to Know?
The horror stories speak for themselves and we sincerely hope you can put them down to experience so that you never have to go through something like this. We give you the crux of the matter with this final section. Quitting gambling takes some doing, but it’s for your own good, so you better start now if you’re having problems controlling the urge to place wagers.
⚽️ Can I get in trouble for betting on sports?
Even shy punters can be in danger of developing a gambling addiction. All sorts of cases are reported daily to Gamblers Anonymous and GamCare. The most important rule if you can't give up on betting, is to do it in moderation. Use the limitation tools available on most licensed sports betting sites.
🔒 Has someone gone to jail due to gambling addiction?
Going to jail isn't out of the question, especially if we are talking about a significant debt. An important lesson can be learned from Jodie Neallyey's case who not only went to jail but also lost her husband, home, and, job while serving time.
🧠 What does gambling do to the brain?
There are a lot of experiments and tests that have been made to identify how the human brain reacts when a person is gambling. There are certain emotions that activate from the back of the brain that are really close to the feeling of happiness, euphoria and satisfaction or anger when the player wins or loses.
🤑 Is gambling addictive?
Gambling is proven to be addictive. People often start playing out of boredom or due to a tragic episode in their lives. Gambling addiction could be also triggered by drugs or strong influence from someone, whether a friend or a relative. Of course, it is not always permanent – there are a lot of ways and a lot of people that have cured themselves and now live a normal life.
💷 Why are casinos so addictive?
There are a lot of myths for casinos, including that there is something in the drinks or in the air in the facility. Both online and land-based casinos are addictive – there are a lot of triggers that get players to dig deeper in then their pockets and play more. This includes bright colours, triggering words and music or ringing when you win and other visual and sound stimuli.
👪 How does gambling affect relationships?
When gambling becomes a routine, it might affect not only your life, but your relationships. There is a high percent of couples that split up because of gambling addiction and all the dept that comes consequently. According to tabloids, this is the main reason celebrities like Ben Affleck got divorced.
👉 Is gambling a mental illness?
Worst Gambling Loss Stories
Gambling could be considered mental illness. There are a lot of people that struggle with gambling addiction. Therefore, there are a lot of organizations that support online casino sites and prevent gamblers from playing too much. Same goes for land-based casinos. It takes a lot of time, but gambling addiction is curable.
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View all postsHorrific gambling stories have been around since the beginning of time. For as long as humanity has had language and access to stores of value such as livestock or currency, gambling has likely been a fixture of daily life. Sometimes these stories involve depths of depravity which reveal the darker side of human nature.
Oftentimes gambling horror stories feature plot elements that are so unbelievable they seem made up. Nonetheless, the most gut-wrenching compulsive gambling loss stories all seem to feature corruption, loss, or lawsuits at some point along their ill-fated trajectories. Remember, whether you are playing at one of the best online slots casinos, or playing a casual game of poker with friends, you need to make sure that you gamble responsibly.
If you are worried about your gambling, or if there is someone in your life whose gambling is damaging their life and relationships, ask for help. You can get some advice on our responsible gambling page. Otherwise, head over to begambleaware.org/.
Gambling Horror Stories: The Worst of the Worst
3. Tommy Four Fingers Goes All in
Tommy Four Fingers dreamed of being a high roller. The only problem: he could barely count, struggled with basic math and didn’t really have the worldly sensibilities necessary to be able to understand the nuances of human emotions.
Nonetheless, he was determined to make it as a champion poker player, even if all the available evidence pointed to the futility of his desires. One day, while scheming and daydreaming, Tommy happened upon an idea which he believed would finally lead to the breakthrough he needed to make his dream of being a professional poker player come true.
To set his plan in motion and finally receive the backing he needed to enter into a high stakes poker tournament which he would surely lose, Tommy decided it was a smart idea to rob the bookmaker down the street from his Grandma’s house.
He had been scouting the bookmakers for some time and knew the perfect chance to strike was when Sergio the Stiff went outside to smoke a cigarette, leaving only Ronaldo the elderly bookmaker in the store.
As Tommy launched into his plan, he was struck with a moment of guilt and remorse, nonetheless, he went forward, bludgeoned Ronaldo and made off with about $20,000. His excitement would ultimately end up being short-lived but Tommy could barely hide his enthusiasm as he ran to the local casino to finally enter into a high stakes poker game
After playing a few hands and immediately going down $10,000, Tommy’s brow began to moisture with the sweat of remorse. Without warning, he decided to immediately go all-in on his next hand.
To his luck, Tommy had planned one thing right and actually won the hand, raising his winnings to a meaty and rather enjoyable $46,000. It was at that moment that the police stormed through the door and arrested Tommy before he could even pull the massive pot towards his side of the table.
As the police brought Tommy out towards the squad car, he could be heard bellowing into the night: “But I finally won. I’m a winner. I went all-in and I won. I’m a winner. I’m a winner guys. You see, I finally won. I did it.”
2. The Baden-Baden Experience
The stately and luxurious Baden-Baden Casino in Germany is the kind of place a James Bond villain would absolutely love. In its storied history, its hosted many horrific gambling stories over the years but nothing can compare to the time Prince Egor of Albania came to take part in what later became known as “The Baden-Baden Experience”.
Gambling Loss Stories Reddit
The year was 1884 and Prince Egor of Albania had a score to settle with his rival, Prince Charles of Bavaria. To settle their score, the princes descended upon Baden-Baden Casino to lock themselves into a private room to play a head to head match of the legendary French game roulette. As both princes were known for outlandish boasting and gambling loss stories, it was not surprising that the game quickly escalated to a serious round of Russian roulette.
On the third round, both princes, full of alcohol, spite and malice, killed each other, leaving their trusted security staff to pick up the pieces. Each of the heads of security agreed to make a deal with each other in return for the other’s silence and loyalty: they decided to take all the prize money in the room, the carriages the princes rode in with and to flee to America to start new lives as wealthy paragons.
In their new lives, the former security guards became famous in their new home city of New York, whenever anyone asked how they had gotten together the funds to start their successful business as restauranteurs, the former guards would reply: “It all started during a high stakes tournament in Baden-Baden, we entered as enemies, but walked out as brothers.”
Worst Gambling Stories
1. The Card Counters of Birmingham
Phillip, Rigby, and Charles were well known as some of the most successful professional gambling crew in all of Birmingham. Not a single unlicensed game, illegal casino, or reputable private gambling arena hadn’t seen their fury since the trio had moved to the city two short years ago.
Growing more and more brazen as time went on, Phillip eventually hatched the plan to bring the group’s proven strategy to a bigger stage, in pursuit of an even bigger prize. All was going to plan until Rigby was up by about $23,000 while the group hustled a high stakes blackjack table at the local casino.
Within no time at all, the trio found themselves on the wrong side of a beating and a warning never to ever return to a casino and attempt to pull another card counting trick again or else. Taking offense to this insult against their gaming integrity, Charles suggested the card counters take the casino to court.
In the end, the jury was split. When the tie-breaking vote came through it was a relief to all parties, except Phillip who somehow knew they would never get away with their brazen crime. He ended up being correct.
Gambling Loss Stories
In the end, the court ruled that due to the brother’s obvious illegal malfeasance, not only did they have to pay the casino more than $100,000 in damages, they were ordered to report to a prison chain gang immediately.
Horrific Gambling Stories: Just Say No to Problem Gambling
Problem gambling is any gambling that causes issues in your daily life and functioning.
Consider the story of Tommy Four Fingers: despite the fact that he rarely had success gambling, he was compelled to go to any lengths to continue to try to support his habit. He ended up breaking the law to try to continue his dream of entering a gambling tournament.
Gambling Addiction Stories Women
Don’t forget the story of Prince Egor: he became so consumed with gambling it led to his untimely death and the loss of a vast amount of his kingdom’s fortunes.