Thankfully, I wasn’t successful and when I woke up in my flat a few hours later I instantly thought about my kids and knew I had to get help. I really felt that everyone would be better off without me, so I tried to take my own life. I felt like I’d reached a point of no return and simply couldn’t cope anymore. I was heartbroken, but I couldn’t blame her.īy 2018 things had got so bad I couldn’t see any way out. In the end, in 2016 and after countless broken promises, she left. The truth was it was just lip service, I didn’t want to stop. I promised my partner I would get help for my gambling but I didn’t. I’d even look at the customers where I worked and think they had a problem, when in reality I was much worse. In some ways, I was still in total denial. I knew I should have been at my happiest – I had two children and a loving family unit, but gambling had left me feeling isolated and lonely. When she confronted me, I felt totally lost. I assured him that a good opportunity was on its way for a quick win so Dad released even more funds.Įventually, she discovered the truth when she managed to see my phone and found a pile of bank statements I had been unable to hide. I lost every penny, but was always too ashamed to come clean to my dad and instead convinced him that his money was tied up in future bets. Somehow, I persuaded my dad that I had a system to guarantee a win and within two months he’d parted with over £150,000. When my wages ran out I’d find different ways to fund my habit and would often ask my family for cash. I’d put on so many bets, easily blowing my entire pay packet in one day. Within a year, I was actually working in the bookies and it felt like I’d landed my dream job. In hindsight, that was probably a huge turning point for me. When it happened it was the first time I thought I had to make my money back and win back my losses.

Two years later, I blew £1,000 of inheritance I’d got after my grandmother died, on a horse. When I was 15, I started going to the betting shop independently. My parents were splitting up at the time, so these little trips out offered me some sort of comfort. Even his friends would sometimes give me money to bet with. I won my first bet at 33 to one and was hooked from that moment. Grandad also used to show me the horse racing and he’d take me to the bookies where we’d put bets on the races together.

Lost 40k gambling