ODAAT Gambling Awareness

ODAAT Gambling Awareness

by ODAAT Gambling Awareness

Self-Improvement Mental Health

The Hidden Victims of Gambling Addiction: A Wife’s Perspective

Melissa shares her story as someone impacted by the gambling addiction of her partner. 🤝 How I Quit Gambling: https://youtu.be/ZUx9qIm4sNY 🙌 Gamban is an awesome blocking software for your devices to get rid of access to gambling websites and apps. If you're struggling to stop gambling, this could be exactly what you need to help leave it behind for good: http://gamban.com/getapp In this video, I interview Melissa, who shares her personal journey of being married to someone whose gambling addiction profoundly affected her life. Melissa raises awareness about the devastating impact gambling addiction can have on families and relationships. If you or someone you love is struggling with gambling, this conversation offers insight, understanding, and support. 🎧 Listen to Melissa’s podcast, Making Bets in a Burning House, on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3CqXAxF1psNelUbx2qNSaa?si=1d9b581c898e4f60 In this episode, Melissa shares what it’s really like to love someone with a gambling addiction and how it impacts money, trust, safety, and your sense of stability. Her story is unique because she was affected by the gambling of both her ex-husband and her current husband, and she explains how quickly it can escalate from seemingly harmless sports betting into secrecy, debt, hidden loans, and fear about paying bills. We talk about why family members often stay silent, how shame and stigma keep people from getting help, and the empathy gap that can form between gamblers and the people they hurt. Melissa also breaks down what Gam-Anon is (a 12-step fellowship for the family and friends of compulsive gamblers), what it teaches, and why it is not a place to attack the gambler, but a place to rebuild yourself through boundaries, support, and clarity. 🙏🏻 Recovery Resources: https://odaatgamblingawareness.com/resources 👀 Do you have a gambling addiction? Watch this to find out: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLQirxbLdrgPmaejpuzCcnfWaFOaPt2mSu&si=_pg9d3S7ddsnX-xb 1️⃣ First day trying to stop gambling? Start here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLQirxbLdrgPneNZshy-heKIhm9ftfqpwm&si=RgIHxiIJjC0Wi7yr 🧐 Recently Relapse? Watch This: https://youtu.be/QB2eJmU86Bk?si=vsTdyeXYhO4Kj1qz 😅 Subscribe To Avoid Making The Same Mistakes I Did: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCH8s1lNHQbXzltQg_aXMAQA?sub_confirmation=1

My Gambling Cost Me 4 Years In Prison | Scott's Story

Scott Meyer shares his story of gambling addiction and recovery 🤝 How I Quit Gambling: https://youtu.be/ZUx9qIm4sNY 🙌 Gamban is an awesome blocking software for your devices to get rid of access to gambling websites and apps. If you're struggling to stop gambling, this could be exactly what you need to help leave it behind for good: http://gamban.com/getapp Scott Meyer shares one of the most powerful gambling addiction recovery stories you’ll ever hear. From running a successful accounting firm and raising five children to offshore online casino gambling, financial collapse, prison, and multiple suicide attempts, Scott’s story exposes the real harm caused by gambling addiction. In this episode of the One Day at a Time Gambling Addiction Podcast, Scott explains how casino inducements, online gambling access, and digital slot machines fueled years of destructive behavior. He breaks down how gambling addiction rewires the brain, why intelligence and financial knowledge don’t protect you, and how shame, isolation, and secrecy nearly cost him his life. Today, Scott is in long-term recovery and works as a peer recovery coach helping others struggling with gambling harm. This conversation covers gambling addiction, online casinos, sports betting parallels, recovery, prison, family impact, mental health, and why gambling addiction is not a financial problem but a behavioral one. If you or someone you love is struggling with gambling, this story could be the wake-up call that saves a life. This channel is dedicated to spreading awareness about gambling addiction and helping individuals better understand the risks of excessive gambling. Through powerful storytelling, educational content, and real-life experiences, we aim to shine a light on the dangers of gambling and provide tools for recovery. Whether you're seeking help, supporting a loved one, or simply looking to learn more, our mission is to create a safe space for open conversations about gambling addiction. 🙏🏻 Recovery Resources: https://odaatgamblingawareness.com/resources 👀 Do you have a gambling addiction? Watch this to find out: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLQirxbLdrgPmaejpuzCcnfWaFOaPt2mSu&si=_pg9d3S7ddsnX-xb 1️⃣ First day trying to stop gambling? Start here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLQirxbLdrgPneNZshy-heKIhm9ftfqpwm&si=RgIHxiIJjC0Wi7yr 🧐 Recently Relapse? Watch This: https://youtu.be/QB2eJmU86Bk?si=vsTdyeXYhO4Kj1qz 😅 Subscribe To Avoid Making The Same Mistakes I Did: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCH8s1lNHQbXzltQg_aXMAQA?sub_confirmation=1

Former Gambling Streamer EXPOSES Online Casino Industry

Owen shares how his gambling streaming led to a gambling addiction 🤝 How I Quit Gambling: https://youtu.be/ZUx9qIm4sNY 🙌 Gamban is an awesome blocking software for your devices to get rid of access to gambling websites and apps. If you're struggling to stop gambling, this could be exactly what you need to help leave it behind for good: http://gamban.com/getapp Gambling streamers often start out believing they’re in control. Many begin by gambling casually on stream for entertainment, sponsorship obligations, or audience engagement. But streaming changes the relationship with gambling in dangerous ways. When money is flowing in from sponsorships, affiliate deals, and viewer donations, losses feel abstract. The stakes get higher, sessions get longer, and gambling becomes tied to identity, income, and validation. The constant pressure to be entertaining pushes streamers toward bigger bets and riskier behavior. Wins are clipped, shared, and celebrated. Losses are normalized, reframed as content, or justified by future wins. Over time, this creates the same psychological traps seen in any gambling addiction: chasing losses, distorted thinking, emotional dependence, and loss of control. What makes streamers especially vulnerable is the feedback loop. Viewers cheer risk-taking. Algorithms reward extreme behavior. Sponsorships often incentivize volume, not health. Eventually, gambling stops being something they do and becomes something they must do to maintain relevance, income, and self-worth. Many gambling streamers don’t realize they’ve developed an addiction until the stream turns off and the money, control, or mental health is gone. What looks like entertainment on screen is often addiction quietly unfolding in real time. This channel is dedicated to spreading awareness about gambling addiction and helping individuals better understand the risks of excessive gambling. Through powerful storytelling, educational content, and real-life experiences, we aim to shine a light on the dangers of gambling and provide tools for recovery. Whether you're seeking help, supporting a loved one, or simply looking to learn more, our mission is to create a safe space for open conversations about gambling addiction. 🙏🏻 Recovery Resources: https://odaatgamblingawareness.com/resources 👀 Do you have a gambling addiction? Watch this to find out: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLQirxbLdrgPmaejpuzCcnfWaFOaPt2mSu&si=_pg9d3S7ddsnX-xb 1️⃣ First day trying to stop gambling? Start here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLQirxbLdrgPneNZshy-heKIhm9ftfqpwm&si=RgIHxiIJjC0Wi7yr 🧐 Recently Relapse? Watch This: https://youtu.be/QB2eJmU86Bk?si=vsTdyeXYhO4Kj1qz 😅 Subscribe To Avoid Making The Same Mistakes I Did: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCH8s1lNHQbXzltQg_aXMAQA?sub_confirmation=1

My Gambling Addiction Gave Me 7 Strokes | Tracy's Story

Tracy M shares her gambling addiction story 🤝 How I Quit Gambling: https://youtu.be/ZUx9qIm4sNY 🙌 Gamban is an awesome blocking software for your devices to get rid of access to gambling websites and apps. If you're struggling to stop gambling, this could be exactly what you need to help leave it behind for good: http://gamban.com/getapp Tracy M shares one of the most powerful gambling addiction recovery stories you will ever hear. After gambling for more than 40 years, Tracy’s addiction led to multiple nervous breakdowns, suicide attempts, and ultimately seven strokes that left her unable to walk or speak for over a year. 🙏🏻 Recovery Resources: https://odaatgamblingawareness.com/resources 👀 Do you have a gambling addiction? Watch this to find out: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLQirxbLdrgPmaejpuzCcnfWaFOaPt2mSu&si=_pg9d3S7ddsnX-xb 1️⃣ First day trying to stop gambling? Start here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLQirxbLdrgPneNZshy-heKIhm9ftfqpwm&si=RgIHxiIJjC0Wi7yr 🧐 Recently Relapse? Watch This: https://youtu.be/QB2eJmU86Bk?si=vsTdyeXYhO4Kj1qz 😅 Subscribe To Avoid Making The Same Mistakes I Did: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCH8s1lNHQbXzltQg_aXMAQA?sub_confirmation=1

I Robbed Banks To Fuel My Gambling Addiction | John's Story

John Schmidt shares his incredible gambling addiction story 🤝 How I Quit Gambling: https://youtu.be/ZUx9qIm4sNY 🙌 Gamban is an awesome blocking software for your devices to get rid of access to gambling websites and apps. If you're struggling to stop gambling, this could be exactly what you need to help leave it behind for good: http://gamban.com/getapp Gambling addiction doesn’t just take money. It takes time, sleep, attention, self-respect, and eventually it can take your entire life off track. And when it gets severe, it doesn’t stay contained to casinos or apps. It spreads into your relationships, your work, your identity, and your decision-making. Today’s guest is John Schmidt, Director of Youth Prevention Services for the Delaware Council on Gambling Problems. John shares the full story of how early exposure to gambling in childhood, sports betting as a way to bond with his dad, and the slow normalization of risk escalated into a full-blown addiction. What starts as habits and “homework” turns into obsession, chasing losses, and living inside gambling logic where every problem feels solvable with one more bet. 🙏🏻 Recovery Resources: https://odaatgamblingawareness.com/resources 👀 Do you have a gambling addiction? Watch this to find out: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLQirxbLdrgPmaejpuzCcnfWaFOaPt2mSu&si=_pg9d3S7ddsnX-xb 1️⃣ First day trying to stop gambling? Start here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLQirxbLdrgPneNZshy-heKIhm9ftfqpwm&si=RgIHxiIJjC0Wi7yr 🧐 Recently Relapse? Watch This: https://youtu.be/QB2eJmU86Bk?si=vsTdyeXYhO4Kj1qz 😅 Subscribe To Avoid Making The Same Mistakes I Did: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCH8s1lNHQbXzltQg_aXMAQA?sub_confirmation=1

How Casinos Target Addicted Gamblers: A Lawyer Explains

I interview Matthew Litt, a lawyer who represents gambling addiction clients against the gambling industry. 🤝 How I Quit Gambling: https://youtu.be/ZUx9qIm4sNY 🙌 Gamban is an awesome blocking software for your devices to get rid of access to gambling websites and apps. If you're struggling to stop gambling, this could be exactly what you need to help leave it behind for good: http://gamban.com/getapp Matthew Litt's Information: Matthew Litt has dedicated nearly his entire legal practice to challenging the predatory practices of casinos. He’s appeared on The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper, ABC Nightly News with DeMarco Morgan, and Vice TV’s Out of Bounds, and has provided testimony to the state legislatures in Minnesota, Hawaii, Georgia, and Nebraska discussing predatory gambling issues with a focus on problems relating to VIP programs and VIP hosts. Learn more about Matthew on his website www.BettorLawyers.com. Casinos aren’t just offering entertainment — they’re building real-time systems designed to keep people gambling long after they want to stop. In this episode, attorney Matthew Litt breaks down the predatory tactics used by VIP hosts, “free bets,” deposit matches, and targeted inducements that keep addicted gamblers hooked. We talk about how the definition of a “whale” has changed, why responsible gambling messaging fails, how VIP hosts fuel addiction in real time, and what it takes to build a legal case against a casino. Matt shares the inside details of major lawsuits, the evolution of gambling laws, and the truth about why public policy is so far behind the science. If you or someone you love has been impacted by gambling addiction, this conversation will help you understand the industry’s tactics — and why so many people get trapped. Let’s keep bringing the truth into the light, one day at a time. This channel is dedicated to spreading awareness about gambling addiction and helping individuals better understand the risks of excessive gambling. Through powerful storytelling, educational content, and real-life experiences, we aim to shine a light on the dangers of gambling and provide tools for recovery. Whether you're seeking help, supporting a loved one, or simply looking to learn more, our mission is to create a safe space for open conversations about gambling addiction. 🙏🏻 Recovery Resources: https://odaatgamblingawareness.com/resources 👀 Do you have a gambling addiction? Watch this to find out: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLQirxbLdrgPmaejpuzCcnfWaFOaPt2mSu&si=_pg9d3S7ddsnX-xb 1️⃣ First day trying to stop gambling? Start here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLQirxbLdrgPneNZshy-heKIhm9ftfqpwm&si=RgIHxiIJjC0Wi7yr 😅 Subscribe To Avoid Making The Same Mistakes I Did: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCH8s1lNHQbXzltQg_aXMAQA?sub_confirmation=1

I Turned £20 Into £60 And It Cost Me £250,000 | Harj's Story

Harj from @SochTalksPod shares his gambling addiction story. 🤝 How I Quit Gambling: https://youtu.be/ZUx9qIm4sNY 🙌 Gamban is an awesome blocking software for your devices to get rid of access to gambling websites and apps. If you're struggling to stop gambling, this could be exactly what you need to help leave it behind for good: http://gamban.com/getapp Harj grew up in a South Asian household where success meant a prestigious degree, a big job, a German car, and a family by 30. After selling a student social media startup, he suddenly had more money than anyone around him – and a front row seat to extreme wealth. That glimpse of “the next tier” helped pull him into the casino, the bookies, and eventually into a full-blown gambling addiction. In this episode, Harj shares how a £20 night out win spiraled into nearly £100,000 lost in 12 months, years of secret gambling, and more than £250,000 of hidden debt that his wife eventually uncovered on his phone. He talks about gambling in toilets at work, manipulating friends and family for money, and the suicide attempt that left his car destroyed but him somehow alive – and how three words from his young son became the turning point. We dive into the shame and stigma in South Asian communities, why men struggle to open up, and how Harj rebuilt his life, paid off his debts, and found a new purpose helping underrepresented communities talk about gambling and addiction. If you’ve ever felt like you’re living a double life or chasing one big win to fix everything, this conversation is for you. This channel is dedicated to spreading awareness about gambling addiction and helping individuals better understand the risks of excessive gambling. Through powerful storytelling, educational content, and real-life experiences, we aim to shine a light on the dangers of gambling and provide tools for recovery. Whether you're seeking help, supporting a loved one, or simply looking to learn more, our mission is to create a safe space for open conversations about gambling addiction. 🙏🏻 Recovery Resources: https://odaatgamblingawareness.com/resources 👀 Do you have a gambling addiction? Watch this to find out: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLQirxbLdrgPmaejpuzCcnfWaFOaPt2mSu&si=_pg9d3S7ddsnX-xb 1️⃣ First day trying to stop gambling? Start here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLQirxbLdrgPneNZshy-heKIhm9ftfqpwm&si=RgIHxiIJjC0Wi7yr 😅 Subscribe To Avoid Making The Same Mistakes I Did: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCH8s1lNHQbXzltQg_aXMAQA?sub_confirmation=1

Gambling Took My Home — Recovery Gave Me My Life Back

Christina interviews Josh about his gambling addiction story! 🤝 How I Quit Gambling: https://youtu.be/ZUx9qIm4sNY In this powerful and emotional episode, Christina from Broke Girl steps in to guest host for Rob on the One Day at a Time Gambling Awareness channel — and she brings a deeply meaningful conversation with her friend Josh. Josh began gambling at just 16 years old, growing up in Oklahoma where casinos line the highways and slot machines feel like a normal part of life. What started as entertainment quickly escalated into a full-blown addiction. By his mid-20s, Josh had experienced financial devastation, homelessness, and the crushing shame that comes with gambling harm. At one point, he was secretly living inside the warehouse of his corporate job, sleeping under his desk at night and pretending everything was fine during the day. Josh opens up about how stigma — especially among young men — keeps so many people from asking for help. He also shares how being part of the queer community shaped the way he viewed success, identity, and perfection, making it even harder to admit he was struggling. But everything began to change when one coworker discovered the truth and showed him compassion instead of judgment. That moment of connection became the beginning of his recovery journey. Today, Josh has over four years free from gambling. He moved across the country to New York, rebuilt his life, developed new passions, and recently got engaged — something he once believed he didn’t deserve. This channel is dedicated to spreading awareness about gambling addiction and helping individuals better understand the risks of excessive gambling. Through powerful storytelling, educational content, and real-life experiences, we aim to shine a light on the dangers of gambling and provide tools for recovery. 🙏🏻 Recovery Resources: https://odaatgamblingawareness.com/resources 👀 Do you have a gambling addiction? Watch this to find out: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLQirxbLdrgPmaejpuzCcnfWaFOaPt2mSu&si=_pg9d3S7ddsnX-xb 1️⃣ First day trying to stop gambling? Start here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLQirxbLdrgPneNZshy-heKIhm9ftfqpwm&si=RgIHxiIJjC0Wi7yr 😅 Subscribe To Avoid Making The Same Mistakes I Did: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCH8s1lNHQbXzltQg_aXMAQA?sub_confirmation=1

“I Don’t Remember My Son Being Born” | Mark's Gambling Story

I interview Mark K about his gambling harm story and the work that he's doing to help others still struggling. 🤝 How I Quit Gambling: https://youtu.be/ZUx9qIm4sNY 🙌 Gamban is an awesome blocking software for your devices to get rid of access to gambling websites and apps. If you're struggling to stop gambling, this could be exactly what you need to help leave it behind for good: http://gamban.com/getapp About Mark: my name is Mark Kempster and I am a recovering gambling addict and now passionate gambling reform advocate here in Australia. I went through a 10yr addiction throughout my 20's and early 30's and loss around 100k across that time. I now work with the Alliance for Gambling Reform here in Australia and am part of a national campaign to get gambling advertising banned here in Australia. Link: https://www.agr.org.au/ Mark grew up as a fun-loving, sporty kid in Australia. By his early 30s, he felt like a broken shell of a person, lucky to still be alive. What happened in between was a decade-long gambling addiction fueled by sports betting, horse racing, and an Australian culture where having a beer and a bet after the game felt completely normal. In this episode, Mark shares how he started betting around 16 in local footy clubs, how sports betting apps exploded in Australia in the late 2000s, and how having “a bookie in his pocket” turned $10 pub bets into an addiction that cost him over $100,000. He talks about waking up and checking his bets before saying good morning, gambling all day at work on his phone, being bombarded with gambling ads and inducements, and becoming an angry, distant, dishonest version of himself. Mark also opens up about missing the first two years of his son’s life mentally, the Cox Plate and AFL grand final day where he lost $3,000 chasing losses, and the next morning when his partner discovered his betting history on their son’s second birthday. That intervention forced his secret into the light and became the catalyst for change. T oday, Mark is five years clean from gambling. He’s working with the Alliance for Gambling Reform, speaking out about Australia’s predatory gambling advertising, VIP schemes, bonus bets, and why this should be treated like cigarettes and alcohol: as a serious public health issue. If you’re in the middle of a sports betting spiral—or you love someone who is—this conversation will show you you’re not alone, and that recovery is possible. 🙏🏻 Recovery Resources: https://odaatgamblingawareness.com/resources 👀 Do you have a gambling addiction? Watch this to find out: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLQirxbLdrgPmaejpuzCcnfWaFOaPt2mSu&si=_pg9d3S7ddsnX-xb 1️⃣ First day trying to stop gambling? Start here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLQirxbLdrgPneNZshy-heKIhm9ftfqpwm&si=RgIHxiIJjC0Wi7yr 😅 Subscribe To Avoid Making The Same Mistakes I Did: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCH8s1lNHQbXzltQg_aXMAQA?sub_confirmation=1

Gambling And Drugs Almost Killed Me | Kiki's Addiction Story

Kiki shares her brave story of recovery from both gambling and cocaine addiction. 🤝 How I Quit Gambling: https://youtu.be/ZUx9qIm4sNY 🙌 Gamban is an awesome blocking software for your devices to get rid of access to gambling websites and apps. If you're struggling to stop gambling, this could be exactly what you need to help leave it behind for good: http://gamban.com/getapp When Kiki used cocaine, she had to gamble. Scratch cards, online bingo, slots – it didn’t matter, as long as it shut her brain off. What started as a way to escape pain turned into a devastating cross addiction to gambling and cocaine that nearly cost her life. In this episode, Kiki shares how her gambling began at 16 with scratch cards, escalated after a miscarriage into online bingo and high-speed slot games, and eventually left her isolated in a dark room, pawning her belongings, borrowing and stealing money, and living on one meal a day. She talks about sitting at a train station planning to end her life, the letters she wrote to the train driver and passengers, and the moment she decided to call GamCare instead. Kiki also opens up about rebuilding the relationship with her daughter, going through rehab at Parkland Place in Wales, joining Gamblers Anonymous and Cocaine Anonymous, and finding support through Bet No More and Epic Restart Foundation. Today, she’s 17 months clean from both gambling and cocaine, working as a peer mentor and speaker, and fighting to bring more ethnic minorities – especially Black women – into gambling recovery spaces that often don’t reflect their experiences. If you’re struggling with gambling, cocaine, or both, you are not alone. Recovery is possible and you deserve help. This channel is dedicated to spreading awareness about gambling addiction and helping individuals better understand the risks of excessive gambling. Through powerful storytelling, educational content, and real-life experiences, we aim to shine a light on the dangers of gambling and provide tools for recovery. Whether you're seeking help, supporting a loved one, or simply looking to learn more, our mission is to create a safe space for open conversations about gambling addiction. 🙏🏻 Recovery Resources: https://odaatgamblingawareness.com/resources 👀 Do you have a gambling addiction? Watch this to find out: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLQirxbLdrgPmaejpuzCcnfWaFOaPt2mSu&si=_pg9d3S7ddsnX-xb 1️⃣ First day trying to stop gambling? Start here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLQirxbLdrgPneNZshy-heKIhm9ftfqpwm&si=RgIHxiIJjC0Wi7yr 😅 Subscribe To Avoid Making The Same Mistakes I Did: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCH8s1lNHQbXzltQg_aXMAQA?sub_confirmation=1

6 of 16