Ian's story

I discovered gambling in 2011 at the age of 19. Me and a buddy went into the casino one summer night when we were finally old enough, just to see what the hype was all about. We dropped $5 on the roulette table because that was the only game that we understood just from watching a few rounds. I remember I put $5 on red, won it, and thought wow! What an easy way to make money. But still, I didn't think much of it at that point, so I felt no drive to return for any reason.

Fast forward to the next year, early 2012. Me and the same buddy were bored one night, hanging out at my dorm room at university. We thought let's go do something! We were both obviously very poor at this point, university students. Innocently I suggested 'Hey we should go try and make some money at the casino! Haha there's one so close to here! Remember roulette?' So with a piece of paper, a pen, and a coin, we tried to calculate how much money we would make if we started off with $5 on red. If we won, great, put another $5 on red. If we lost, put $10. If we lost again, put $20. Then $40 ... and so on. So we went. Sat down at the table. Two young guys so out of place, and began our little scheme. As the gambling gods watched down on us, they granted us (what I would consider) the absolute WORST outcome that could ever happen to a beginner gambler. We won. $50. We were ecstatic! Our little plan worked. It took about an hour and a half, but still. $50 free dollars seemed amazing at the time. And that's how it all began. We got hooked fast. It started to become a weekly outing for us. It got so bad to the point where I would sneak off and go by myself. Poor 20-year-old me. I even had a couple credit cards that were approved for me, but I wouldn't dare dip into those for gambling ... Or would I?

Summer 2012. My gambling frequency was high. But sometimes, as the game goes, it's not impossible to win, so I actually would win sometimes and was able to walk home with a couple hundred. Overall I enjoyed it. I though meh, win some lose some. But of course to my stubborn self, I didn't realise that in fact, overall, I was obviously losing. So one night, alone at the casino, which, like I said, started to become a problem, I was playing electronic screen roulette. It had a real wheel, but it was touch screen gameplay. I went in with $700 (already a ridiculous increase from what I started playing with). I started tapping the screen all over, focusing on my number 12 that I loved playing. I actually finished the night with $2000. I was ecstatic. That's a $1300 win!!! I walked home like I just won the lottery. Biggest smile on my face. This was enough to pay off all my debt from the past year, and even leave me with a head start on my savings! I was beaming. Little did I know, this was actually the most detrimental thing that could ever happen to me in my life. I woke up the next morning, filled with joy of the night before. My girlfriend and her friend come over to my place before I even get out of bed. And boom. I get hit with 'Ian!!! Wake up, let's hit the casino!'

That day, I went back, head held high, so excited on the night before. I started plummeting. Fast. I lost the entire $2000 in my wallet gambling on red while it's been 10+ straight blacks. Ran back to the bank machine shaking like a madman. Cash advanced $400 from my credit card. Confident that it would be red this time, threw down the entire $400. Black. Ran back again. Took out another $400. Black. I was spinning into an absolute nightmare. My card declined. I sat in the parking lot rethinking everything I have just done.

Fast forward to now. 2015. Roulette has really been my only game. I don't do craps, or blackjack, or poker, or slots. Four years later, and easily $35,00040,000 or more overall I've blown.

I'm on the road to recovery now. I'm in my last year of university. It hurts so much. And I've stopped going completely. This has been a pure nightmare. Please, don't let it happen to you. Stop while you can.