LOST HIS HOUSE

[tommy dee]

1 hour ago, Pinoydave said:

Fabulous programme by Paul Merson on his gambling addiction….. should probably be compulsory viewing

 

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/58859342

i interviewed him a few years ago and lovely man, with demons.  but very honest and genuine about them.  he was a total mess.  blew everything.  i think he had a relapse but i hope he s clean again

 

[Britboy]

3 minutes ago, tommy dee said:

i interviewed him a few years ago and lovely man, with demons.  but very honest and genuine about them.  he was a total mess.  blew everything.  i think he had a relapse but i hope he s clean again

 

I'm involved with Ipswich Town FC and a few years back we invited him to give a talk at our end of season dinner.

Wow, he was brilliant. He was actually quite nervous and it was a stuttering start, but once he got into it we got all the bells and whistles (along with expletives). So honest and straight, admitting more than I'd have expected from anyone. He was quite emotional at times throughout the talk.

He got a standing ovation, hung around after to have a few drinks and chatted to the attendees.

Top bloke and like you say I hope he's now clean again.

[Horizondave]

2 minutes ago, Britboy said:

I'm involved with Ipswich Town FC and a few years back we invited him to give a talk at our end of season dinner.

Wow, he was brilliant. He was actually quite nervous and it was a stuttering start, but once he got into it we got all the bells and whistles (along with expletives). So honest and straight, admitting more than I'd have expected from anyone. He was quite emotional at times throughout the talk.

He got a standing ovation, hung around after to have a few drinks and chatted to the attendees.

Top bloke and like you say I hope he's now clean again.

Ipswich Town, interesting. I used to play in the school 1st team with a guy called Terry Austin, think he played with you guys for a while upfront.  Also played with Keith Osgood in the Hounslow Football team, he went on to Spurs where he played quite a few games. That was in the 70s

[galenkia]

30 minutes ago, Horizondave said:

Ipswich Town, interesting. I used to play in the school 1st team with a guy called Terry Austin, think he played with you guys for a while upfront.  Also played with Keith Osgood in the Hounslow Football team, he went on to Spurs where he played quite a few games. That was in the 70s

Used to watch Hounslow in the 70's as a kid as I lived there. Think there is a school built on the ground now.

Also watched Hounslow cricket team as well. Remember when the Aussie Greg Matthews played for them, went on to play for Australia. Ball spent most of the time being retrieved from people's gardens. That man could hit a six.

[Toy Boy]

Many years ago, the GF wanted to buy a new motorbike for 65K Baht. When I saw that, with the interest payments, she’d be forking out well north of 100K Baht to the bank, I told her I’d lend her the money and she could pay me back monthly, but with no interest. She took the deal, of course, paid the first few instalments then started finding reasons not to pay the full amount, then ended up just saying that she didn’t have any money to pay me, sorry. I got less than a third of the loan I’d made back. OK, c’est la vie and all that, but the real shocker was when I eventually learnt that she’d anyway bought the bike with the loan from the bank, as well as taking my 65K Baht and frittering it away. I don't really blame her, it’s just the way that people who have been brought up in the poorer parts of a tough society live and survive, but I’m fookin’ glad that I never put the house in her name, lol!

[Britboy]

1 hour ago, Horizondave said:

Ipswich Town, interesting. I used to play in the school 1st team with a guy called Terry Austin, think he played with you guys for a while upfront.  Also played with Keith Osgood in the Hounslow Football team, he went on to Spurs where he played quite a few games. That was in the 70s

Yeah, I remember Terry Austin. Decent player, though never really made it as we had such a strong team/squad then.

[AussieBob]

On 6/6/2022 at 5:09 PM, Horizondave said:

When I worked at a Computer Systems Head Office one of my fellow managers used to tell us about his winnings. He once announced that he won £9000 and we were all in awe thinking how does he do it. The reality when digging deeper (one night out with him when he was drunk) found that he only ever told us about his winnings and in reality the fact was that he had to remortgage his house as he once lost £30000. He was always on the bread line and his life was depressing with stresses with family and friends. 

The fact is most people will tell you about their winnings, very few (rarely) will ever tell you how much they have lost. On a former forum I remember the ones who would happily tell you they had won money on a horse or a football bet, I wonder how many of those guys were actually in credit in real terms from their spending.

Knew a bloke just like that. He was always going on about his winnings and all that - but he was massively into debt - in the end he lost his house.  I remember one night when we were out and he talked me into playing the pokies. I stated that I would put $20 in a pockie but once that was gone I was not going any further. Anyway after i got down to about $10, he had already put into his another $20 - and then I hit the jackpot - $200.  I immediately hit 'collect' and took the money. He was really upset that I didnt keep going and play to win more - it was surreal trying to 'talk him down'.  Anyway, I took the $200 and put it in my pocket and put the other $10 back into the machine. By the time I had lost that he had put another $20 into his machine, and while I sat there and watched him and talked and bought a few rounds (because I had won) he kept putting more money in. After a few hours I decided it was time to call it a night, but he refused to leave and wanted to 'find' a jackpot like I got. He even switched over to my machine hoping for the same luck. I left him there and never went out again with him to a club - lunches only.  

I reckon it is a mental illness and the whole gambling industry should be much tighter regulated. Some people are just too self-destructive to be allowed to do it - and the industry is bleeding them dry.  Same reason why drugs and drink driving was banned - some people just cannot be trusted. 

[Golfingboy]

@Toy Boy Wow, thanks for the head-up. My brain works a certain way, and I’m reading your post assuming “OK he only lost 40K”….a split second later, and you’ve clued me in on a previously unheard of variation of squeezing baht from the foreigner

As you say, can’t really blame them, frog and the scorpion I guess

But little tales like this still make me shake my head…..damn

[Britboy]

5 hours ago, AussieBob said:

Knew a bloke just like that. He was always going on about his winnings and all that - but he was massively into debt - in the end he lost his house.  I remember one night when we were out and he talked me into playing the pokies. I stated that I would put $20 in a pockie but once that was gone I was not going any further. Anyway after i got down to about $10, he had already put into his another $20 - and then I hit the jackpot - $200.  I immediately hit 'collect' and took the money. He was really upset that I didnt keep going and play to win more - it was surreal trying to 'talk him down'.  Anyway, I took the $200 and put it in my pocket and put the other $10 back into the machine. By the time I had lost that he had put another $20 into his machine, and while I sat there and watched him and talked and bought a few rounds (because I had won) he kept putting more money in. After a few hours I decided it was time to call it a night, but he refused to leave and wanted to 'find' a jackpot like I got. He even switched over to my machine hoping for the same luck. I left him there and never went out again with him to a club - lunches only.  

I reckon it is a mental illness and the whole gambling industry should be much tighter regulated. Some people are just too self-destructive to be allowed to do it - and the industry is bleeding them dry.  Same reason why drugs and drink driving was banned - some people just cannot be trusted. 

In UK it is actually pretty strictly regulated nowadays.

While there are things that kind of encourage you to gamble (for me, as a regular at one of the nationwide casino chains, they gave me the black card, which gives me free food and free drinks when I'm in any branch, whether I gamble or not) they also do a means check, pretty much every 6 months. All the tables are monitored and they know how much a person has won or lost over a period of time. If it's a loss over a 6 month period there are thresholds as to how much the loss is and what they do about it, ranging from the GM having a private conversation to check people aren't being stupid to formal proof of income to ensure a punter can afford the losses. The gaming commission are really hot on this and regularly do spot visits to casinos to go through their records. It's not publicised but there has been many, many fines given to casinos and casino chains if their records aren't up to scratch. Big fines too, so casinos nowadays are very aware and spend a lot of time checking their punters.

[AussieBob]

1 hour ago, Britboy said:

In UK it is actually pretty strictly regulated nowadays.

While there are things that kind of encourage you to gamble (for me, as a regular at one of the nationwide casino chains, they gave me the black card, which gives me free food and free drinks when I'm in any branch, whether I gamble or not) they also do a means check, pretty much every 6 months. All the tables are monitored and they know how much a person has won or lost over a period of time. If it's a loss over a 6 month period there are thresholds as to how much the loss is and what they do about it, ranging from the GM having a private conversation to check people aren't being stupid to formal proof of income to ensure a punter can afford the losses. The gaming commission are really hot on this and regularly do spot visits to casinos to go through their records. It's not publicised but there has been many, many fines given to casinos and casino chains if their records aren't up to scratch. Big fines too, so casinos nowadays are very aware and spend a lot of time checking their punters.

Glad to hear that in UK - most pokies in Aust are in unregulated clubs/pubs. But there is also the online gambling that is heavily advertised - betting on football horses and all sorts of things - they make it far too easy. I would ban all advertisements for gambling on TV and all mass media sites. It would not stop it, but that is not why they do it - it spurs some people watching a show to have a 'flutter' - same as smoking did - and alcohol still does.   

[Britboy]

2 hours ago, AussieBob said:

Glad to hear that in UK - most pokies in Aust are in unregulated clubs/pubs. But there is also the online gambling that is heavily advertised - betting on football horses and all sorts of things - they make it far too easy. I would ban all advertisements for gambling on TV and all mass media sites. It would not stop it, but that is not why they do it - it spurs some people watching a show to have a 'flutter' - same as smoking did - and alcohol still does.   

All casinos are (technically) regulated and getting a gaming license (which all senior casino staff have to do) is mandatory.

I've got to know a few GM's of the casino group I go to and it's really interesting to hear about what they have to do behind the scenes regarding affordability, as well as money laundering, which has historically been a big problem.

I've seen many people banned due to betting beyond their means and I've seen some legitimately wealthy guys just leave as they get the hump when the casino asks them for bank statements.

I don't know about the betting shops, I get the feeling there's no control on them regarding affordability and the same with online gambling. The betting apps have a few safeguards, like allowing punters to set limits, but again I don't believe there's any control on affordability. I do know a couple of guys banned from some betting apps because they've won too much though . .