Online
gambling | Compulsive
- gambling can become addictive. PA Images |
Three years ago
30-year-old Paul T from Kettering had a life changing experience.
He received
a DVD in the post from an online bookmakers.
The disc was promoting its
online casino. Paul was intrigued and was soon hooked, spending hours at
his computer every day. One day in particular sticks out in Paul's mind: "I
was playing blackjack and poker. I won a bit and then started losing. In just
an hour I lost nearly 拢20,000. "When I realised I'd lost, I
just sat at the screen. A rushing feeling came to my head. I couldn't believe
I'd just lost that. I didn't know what to do. "The next day I woke
up and thought it was all a dream, but I checked and it wasn't. I felt sick and
I couldn't eat all day聟"
Paul soon found himself
拢100,000 in debt, and he was forced to re-mortgage his house.
But
instead of using the money to pay off his debts, he went back to the computer
and gambled it all away again. Finally Paul faced up to his problem. He
went to the Consumer Credit Counselling Service and they helped him get his finances
back in order. A hard lesson Today Paul T has paid off most of
his debts and says he's learnt his lesson. | Booming
business - gambling is a big money game. Image: PA |
Paul says,
"I'll never gamble again. I've learnt that no matter how stable in life you
are, you can still get drawn into online gambling. "When I finally
pay off my debts, I'm going to have a glass of champagne and look back on the
lowest point of my life and say to myself I got out of there聟" It's
estimated that within the next four years gambling operators in the UK will generate
revenue of more than 拢600 million a year. Industry figures from last
year suggest that around 14 million Europeans visited online gambling sites every
month, a 45 per cent increase on the previous year. Help at hand If
you have a problem with gambling, there are places you can go to for help: Gam
Care - offers a confidential service for anyone who has gambling problems,
and also offers help to relations and friends.
National phone line
0845 6000133. Gamblers Anonymous - a support group for people with
gambling problems. Helpline 0207 3843040. Consumer Credit Counselling
- free confidential advice and support. Links relating
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