With a £500 credit card bill that he knew he couldn’t pay hanging over him, Jonathan* decided to place a few bets in a bid to win some money and clear what he owed.
But soon, his debts escalated into a gambling addiction and £30,000 that he worries he will never pay off.
The 37-year-old tells Metro.co.uk: ‘I’d not done much betting before so I read up a little bit about how to do it.
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‘I thought it was worth a go because I was struggling for money. I placed a bet for £10 but through luck, I won over £400. I couldn’t believe it.
‘I think I thought that maybe I was good at it, so I just kept going, hoping I would win more, working through the £400 I’d won and then dipping into my own money.
‘I was winning some of it back but I was spending far more than I was ever winning.
‘When I didn’t win, I would go back, thinking I could win it back.’
Within a few weeks, Jonathan was gambling nearly every day and he was struggling for money more than ever.
He adds: ‘Every time I won something, I would gamble it away, thinking that I always needed to have more. I spiralled fast.’
Jonathan was signing up to site after site, as well as using high-street bookies.
No one around him had any idea about his spiralling addiction.
As he was single and living alone at the time, he says it was easy to keep it from his family.
Soon, he had run through his savings and maxed out his credit card, so he just kept borrowing money.
He adds: ‘I took out more credit cards and payday loans – whatever credit would be given to me.
‘I was in a job where I had a salary of £40,000 so I was fairly comfortable but I started just gambling away my whole salary and my bills weren’t being paid.
‘I always thought that at some point, I would win big and it would all go away. I told myself I would be able to clear it all, but it was just getting worse.’
A few years after his gambling started, Jonathan met his partner and he admits that he initially kept his problem from her, instead telling her he was being thrifty because he wanted to buy a house one day.
He says: ‘She eventually found out and agreed to stand by me but I was never honest with her about how much I owed exactly. I told her I would stop gambling and I did manage to cut down on it for a while, but never really stopped completely.
‘The more demands I got for payments, the more I felt I needed to gamble because I just didn’t know what else to do.’
Eventually, after seven years of gambling and three years with his girlfriend, she found out the true extent of his problem.
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He explains: ‘She found a bill one day and it all unravelled from there. She confronted me about it and she was devasted. She discovered I was lying about the house deposit and I owed thousands.
‘She told me I had to get help or she would leave me. She helped me get counselling and tackle my problem. It made me realise that I was just always chasing a solution but more gambling was never going to get me there.
‘I have now stopped gambling but my finances are a huge problem for us.’
Jonathan entered into an IVA to help pay off his debt. This is a legal agreement that means he agrees to pay a set amount for a set amount of time. The amount and time is agreed with his creditors.
‘It’s been tough,’ he adds. ‘I just hope that at some point I can pay this off and move on with my life. Gambling has taken so much from me and I can’t believe I let it get so out of control.’
How can you get help with gambling debt
Gambling addictions and the resulting debt can both cause a huge amount of stress both to the person in trouble and those around them.
It is important to get help for your gambling first to ensure you don’t build up any more debt.
There are dedicated gambling charities who can help, as well as debt support who can offer some help.
You can contact GamCare and speak to an advisor by calling 08088020133. You can also speak to them by web chat.
Gamblers Anonymous also offers support group meetings. You can find one near you through their website.
There is also advice for controlling the time and money you spend on gambling on the Gambling Commission website.
You can also self-exclude yourself from venues or websites where you might be tempted to gamble.
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For advice on how to start paying back your debt, speak to debt charity StepChange, the Money Advice Service or Citizens Advice.
*Jonathan’s name has been changed.
Debt Month
This article is part of a month-long focus in November all about debt.
Scary word, we know, but we're hoping if we tackle this head on we'll be able to reduce the shame around money struggles and help everyone improve their understanding of their finances.
Throughout November we'll be publishing first-person accounts of debt, features, advice, and explainers. You can read everything from the month on the Debt Month tag.
If you have a story to share, a topic you want us to cover, or a question that needs answering, get in touch at MetroLifestyleTeam@Metro.co.uk.
MORE: Should you let your partner pay off your debt?
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source https://metro.co.uk/2019/11/27/man-reveals-10-bet-led-gambling-addiction-30000-debt-11223562/
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