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Could I Do This Legally? My Gambling Addiction (PLEASE READ)

This is an extremely long thread so I apologise for that. However, please do take your time to read it and aid me in my fight against gambling addictions.

I will start off this thread by telling you that I used to be a compulsive gambler. When I say compulsive, I mean that I would often spend all day in the bookies after withdrawing about £500 from the bank. Most evenings I would leave places like William Hill and Ladbrokes with nothing to show for it except a few copper coins. I can safely say that I have lost thousands in the bookies just to feed by addiction. Whenever I won some money I would use that as an excuse to carry on gambling, when in actual fact that win barely covered a fraction of my total losses. However, I kept on betting everyday without stopping to think about what I was doing. Once my bank account was empty, I simply started betting with my living allowance. When I say living allowance, I mean the money used on food. I remember I spent a weeks wages in the bookies and I would eat once a day from a bin outside a chip shop. People were grossed out by the sight of seeing me licking curry sauce off paper and devouring what was left of a kebab. My addiction was caused by many things, but I will tell you right now that nearly 99% of my losses were because of FOBT (Fixed Odd Betting Terminals). There is a picture below for those who don't know what a FOBT is.

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These machines were the reason why I would step into the bookies the second it opened. These machines were the reason I wanted to make such big bets with money I couldn't afford. The machines were the reason I would eat the leftovers from a bin outside my local chip shop. These machines were the reason I destroyed my soul and self-respect. Roulette was the main culprit. I remember once when I placed £100 on the numbers and 0 and the ball landed on the one number I hadn't covered. I remember when I won £90 from the ball landing on 0, and then lost all of it in a matter of seconds because of repeating the exact same bet. The machines are the Devil, but I kept playing them. I seemed the addiction of nearly hitting my numbers was far greater than actually hitting them. I should have known that the bookies always wins.

I have not been in a bookies for one year exactly and my life has improved greatly. I do not get the urge to step in William Hill, Paddy Power or any of those scheming businesses. I am clean from that awful addiction and I feel frustrated that I didn't realise how bad they were from the very start. Anyway I want to tell my story to the customers in bookies all over my hometown. I have written a mini-book (about 10 pages long) about everything I have described above. I want to print my book and get all those addicted to gambling to realise what they are going through isn't right. As well as this I will write the following link (http://www.channel4.com/programmes/dispatches/articles/britains-high-street-gamble-reporter-feature) at the end of my book so that they can watch an informative investigation Dispatches carried out. Could I legally print these out and ask the bookies to let me leave them near the counter. I understand that they would most definitely refused, but what if I stand outside and hand them to their customers? I wouldn't charge for them and the printing would not cost me anything. What are your opinions about me doing this?

Thank you for reading x

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Reply 1
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Anonymous #1
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Original post by Daviant
Yeah, you could do it legally, but in all honesty you would look like a nut.
Congratulations on breaking your addiction though.

I realise that I would look a little weird however, nowhere near as weird when I would eat out of a bin.

So I do not care if I look like an idiot. So there would be no legal consequences? The bookies couldn't call the police if I was handing it to their customers outside?
Reply 2
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Anonymous #1
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PS- I would also like to add that there are a number of addicted gamblers who have read my book and showed it to other gamblers they know.
Reply 3
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Mankytoes
10
Original post by Anonymous


So I do not care if I look like an idiot.


Yet using the anonymous function...
Reply 4
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Anonymous #1
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Original post by Mankytoes
Yet using the anonymous function...

I do not want people knowing that i used to have a gambling problem. Whereas the people I will be handing the books out will know that I used to gamble quite a lot.
Original post by Anonymous
I realise that I would look a little weird however, nowhere near as weird when I would eat out of a bin.

So I do not care if I look like an idiot. So there would be no legal consequences? The bookies couldn't call the police if I was handing it to their customers outside?


Then yeah, I think you'd be OK. Not a lawyer but I don't see what they could arrest you for, it would be fine.
Reply 6
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Mankytoes
10
You might be suprised, as long as your booklet is anti-gambling addiction, rather than just anti-gambling generally, the bookies might take it, it's important for their image that they're shown to care about gambling addiction.
Reply 7
Avatar for Hopple
Hopple
18
I don't think you can do anything that might harm a business outside their premises if they don't want you there. I remember Stuart Baggs being chased off from advertising his tour outside a tour shop in the Apprentice.

It's a noble cause though, and I wish you luck. Perhaps you could give your book to people you see coming out of bookies, standing a way down the street.
Reply 8
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Anonymous #1
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Original post by Daviant
Then yeah, I think you'd be OK. Not a lawyer but I don't see what they could arrest you for, it would be fine.

Thank you for your reply.


Original post by Mankytoes
You might be suprised, as long as your booklet is anti-gambling addiction, rather than just anti-gambling generally, the bookies might take it, it's important for their image that they're shown to care about gambling addiction.

The book is purely about the lows I had when I was addicted to gambling and how I felt at the time. I have generally kept it anti-addiction however, I do oppose FOBT strongly in the book.
Reply 9
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Original post by Hopple
I don't think you can do anything that might harm a business outside their premises if they don't want you there. I remember Stuart Baggs being chased off from advertising his tour outside a tour shop in the Apprentice.

It's a noble cause though, and I wish you luck. Perhaps you could give your book to people you see coming out of bookies, standing a way down the street.

Thank you, I appreciate you understanding my cause. I will probably give that a try too, I don't want to be seen as forcing my views on them. I already know a lot of the regulars across many bookies in the town, so I will probably hand it to them asap. Do you think I should give the book to customers I see going to the bookies everyday or everyone who goes into the bookies? The latter would be better at trying to educate and prevent gamblers from becoming addicted, whereas the former would help those who are already addicted.
Original post by Anonymous


The book is purely about the lows I had when I was addicted to gambling and how I felt at the time. I have generally kept it anti-addiction however, I do oppose FOBT strongly in the book.


Hmm, I doubt they'd approve of it if it specifically attacks one of their main revenue sources. I'm an occasional small gambler, and I quite like the fixed odds machines you're talking about, if I've got some spare time I put a couple of quid on the roulette, I know you never win long term but it's a bit of fun. I know gambling addiction is a very real and huge problem, but there are also issues of personal responsibility and individual liberty here.
Reply 11
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Hopple
18
Original post by Anonymous
Thank you, I appreciate you understanding my cause. I will probably give that a try too, I don't want to be seen as forcing my views on them. I already know a lot of the regulars across many bookies in the town, so I will probably hand it to them asap. Do you think I should give the book to customers I see going to the bookies everyday or everyone who goes into the bookies? The latter would be better at trying to educate and prevent gamblers from becoming addicted, whereas the former would help those who are already addicted.

At what time in your experience do you think reading your book would have had the biggest impact? Would it have scared you away from gambling in the first place or do you think the reader would have to be already addicted to be able to see that what happened to you might happen to them?
Reply 12
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Anonymous #1
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Original post by Hopple
At what time in your experience do you think reading your book would have had the biggest impact? Would it have scared you away from gambling in the first place or do you think the reader would have to be already addicted to be able to see that what happened to you might happen to them?

Tough question.

I genuinely think that it would have opened by eyes before I because addicted however, If I read it when I was an addict then I would've been able to relate to it. I honestly think that I would've appreciated the book in both circumstances, both to prevent becoming addicted or to stop the addiction.
Reply 13
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Original post by Mankytoes
Hmm, I doubt they'd approve of it if it specifically attacks one of their main revenue sources. I'm an occasional small gambler, and I quite like the fixed odds machines you're talking about, if I've got some spare time I put a couple of quid on the roulette, I know you never win long term but it's a bit of fun. I know gambling addiction is a very real and huge problem, but there are also issues of personal responsibility and individual liberty here.

I realise that one should be allowed to do what he pleases without being told not to do something. However, I believe that should only be the case for people who take responsibility and have self-control and enjoy life (like yourself). However, those who play those FOBT everyday are generally in denial about their addiction, continue to lose money, are bitter and carry on trying to chase their losses. I want to get my message across to them more than anyone else. I understand that it may seem like I am encroaching their personal freedom to play those machines however, I merely want to open their eyes to a growing problem.
Reply 14
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Hopple
18
Original post by Anonymous
Tough question.

I genuinely think that it would have opened by eyes before I because addicted however, If I read it when I was an addict then I would've been able to relate to it. I honestly think that I would've appreciated the book in both circumstances, both to prevent becoming addicted or to stop the addiction.


If you think people in both situations would greatly benefit like that, do you have to choose between them? You say you can print them out for free, unless you have a limit after which you have to start paying?
Original post by Anonymous
I realise that one should be allowed to do what he pleases without being told not to do something. However, I believe that should only be the case for people who take responsibility and have self-control and enjoy life (like yourself). However, those who play those FOBT everyday are generally in denial about their addiction, continue to lose money, are bitter and carry on trying to chase their losses. I want to get my message across to them more than anyone else. I understand that it may seem like I am encroaching their personal freedom to play those machines however, I merely want to open their eyes to a growing problem.


Ah, that's fair enough, I thought you might be calling for them to be banned.
Reply 16
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Anonymous #1
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Original post by Hopple
If you think people in both situations would greatly benefit like that, do you have to choose between them? You say you can print them out for free, unless you have a limit after which you have to start paying?

No limit.

I just don't want to see my book being thrown away or an object for punters to use as a betting slip clipboard.
Reply 17
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Hopple
18
Original post by Anonymous
No limit.

I just don't want to see my book being thrown away or an object for punters to use as a betting slip clipboard.


I think that's a risk you're going to have to take anyway. Perhaps work out something to say to them (I don't know what, but including saying it's your bad experiences of gambling) to make them take proper notice of it?
Reply 18
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Anonymous #1
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Original post by Hopple
I think that's a risk you're going to have to take anyway. Perhaps work out something to say to them (I don't know what, but including saying it's your bad experiences of gambling) to make them take proper notice of it?

I will try that, but I do not want to be seen as patronising.

Thank you for your advice, you have been more than helpful:smile:
Reply 19
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Hopple
18
Original post by Anonymous
I will try that, but I do not want to be seen as patronising.

Thank you for your advice, you have been more than helpful:smile:


Yeah, I don't think any addict ever thought they'd get hooked initially. And again, good luck :smile:

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