In this section, people talk about their first experiences with another’s gambling.
Children, parents and partners describe how they first found out that someone close to them experienced gambling difficulties.
They talk about how they tried to make sense of why the person behaved as they had.
Many describe feeling responsible for the other person. Many talk about how gambling damaged and distorted their relationship with the other person.
Some discuss the hard decision to stay or leave the relationship or to separate themselves from the other person for their own wellbeing.
Affected others also describe their experiences with their own gambling.
You can navigate through peoples’ experiences by using the toolbar or by clicking on the links above.
When I was about eight years old, I would be starting to help my dad to access gambling through the laptop or through the computer. I remember even setting up an online casino account and being there to help him deposit and withdraw money as a kid.
He’s never been well off. He’s always wanted to make his life better, and he always thought that money was the answer to that. And then gambling then became the answer to getting more money.
In the end, the children had to know. They had to be in charge of making sure he didn’t touch the laptop and making sure he didn’t have a phone. That’s a big thing to have to be responsible for.
When he is not gambling, he’s a good guy. I’m not saying he’s a bad guy when he is gambling, but he’s very selfish when he is gambling. It’s about his needs, what he wants if he’s struggling.