u/Fantastic_Setting_25

Last month I thought I was done. I did not have nothing left to my name.
Down 27k all time and was ready to start over. I self excluded from all DFS a few months ago, been trying to self exclude from sweepstake casinos but there’s too many.

Two weeks go by and I’m doing better. Finally working out and taking work serious.
I then thought, well I need 50 dollars for gas let me find some promos to capitalize on. Found some random SC casino and I won, redeemed and went on.
I started doing this for all my purchases and I started winning more and more. I’ll go all in on a session, win and-self exclude for 24 hours. Repeat for two weeks.

2 weeks later, I’ve managed to have 22k in my accounts, I was able to withdraw 11k of that and needed to withdraw 11k in increments.

I was doing this for a week but then I decided to play a 150 wager and proceeded to lose 5/6 hands in a row. Chased it to 3.5K loss. Live Dealer blackjack only.

I was so hyper focused on getting that 27k back, chased it, and I lost it all.

I’m 30k down all time. Back to square one.

It hurts thinking about it, but I deserve it.

Quit playing that crap.

I'll be moderate and run 25 a hand and I would be okay. Of course you can lose 8 hands in a row and only maybe win 3 hands in a row. I ran a agressive run and ran 400 to 1,300 just for shit and giggles. I was fighting demons, and a 10 minute play ran my shit down. Yes I lose those 400 bucks.

I then got a 85 dollar promo.

All a scam, ran a lil experiment and ran 85 to 800 playing 2.50 to 5 dollar hands, I would split and double when I could and when I'll lose 5 or 6 times in a row, I'll max a bet and I'll stick around. I ran it up and cashed out.

Stake, Reboot, Rebet, DFS Social Casinos, all that crap. Play those "live casinos" and waste your time, they're probably as scammy.

I know most of y'all know but this crap is ridiculous. I've been up and down on blackjack all year but I'm done.

Joined this sub last month after losing all my savings.
It helped and I was focused and back on track.
There was a win I deposited but my bank shut down my account because I was taking out thousands at a time.
Didn’t know, so went about a week and a half without gambling.
A good deposit cleared, ran it back up to my losses in a week, just to lose it all again.
I was bummed. It sucked.

I was okay, it is what it is.
A weekend later, I downloaded Stake for a few dollars, I would try to win 50 profit for gas and food. Then continued to do so daily, and eventually made a run back to profit. Finally, broke even and some after 5 years of up and down.

Slept great and couldn’t believe it… only to lose all of it the next morning.

It’s a viscous cycle. It’s hard to see in hindsight but it is what it is.

-Lost 15k, won 15k, lost 15k, won 16k and then lost 15k. All in 30 days.

I gambled because I have the financial pressure of taking care of 3 adults and a kid. I thought I needed more money, but even when I was up, I still felt the same.

Finally! Self excluded. My GF helped me self exclude from everything.
I have a plan for the next few years, maybe sell my house and buy my dream home. A purpose I suppose, can’t get there if I lose all my shit gambling.

The house will always win.

(29M) I lost my last dollar around this time last week. No one was home; I tried chasing sports betting losses. I turned 10 dollars into 1,500 on a social casino and was at an all-time high. I had just been playing for 3 days prior. I rage-bet, lost everything, and I cried hysterically.

Everything was looking up; I thought I could break even FINALLY. Next thing you know, I lost 4k in 3 minutes trying to chase those winnings back. I tried hooking up all my credit cards and couldn't.

I've been sports betting for 5 years and never hit this low. I played blackjack on an airline going to Japan and won with fake money. I thought I could do something with blackjack but lost all my savings.

Luckily, I paid my mortgage and my car until November.

Benefits since quitting:

• I feel more present. I pay attention to my niece and nephew, my partner, and my dog. I would gamble while working too, but I am now productive.
• I am actually budgeting now; I looked at every dollar like Monopoly money before.
• I gained 45 pounds since gambling; physical activity was limited. I didn't take care of myself for so long, and now I am. I've been running and meal prepping all week. I'm onto week two.
• I finally told my partner, a weight off my shoulders. She only knew about my winnings and not my losses.

Negatives:

• I miss the rush of losing and winning a bet. It was a different type of feeling.
• Money will come and go into my account, so I was never looking at my expenses. I am very anal about every dollar spent now.
• All my free time revolved around sports betting, my FYP pages, and my buddies. I am struggling trying to find a hobby on my own.

Nonetheless, I haven't been this much at peace in 5 years. It's been a process of breaking a 5-year habit. Something that I will spend 3-5 hours of screen time a day on, to nothing that fast.

I take care of my parents and my special needs brother. Mortgage, a vehicle, I helped my brothers get back onto their feet, and I don't ask my partner for any help on bills.

I thought making this money aside would help me, but losing 10k in a month helped me take a step back and reevaluate myself.

Just a question for those..

Those who have been gambling free for over a period of time and then relapsed, what happened?
Were you able to recover from the relapse?

Was the relapse as bad as when you first quit? Or did you just stop again cold turkey? Just curious.

I want to be gambling free but I am afraid to relapse and “occasionally” bet.. I don’t want to start off square one again. Just need advice for those who pushed through multiple times…