‘ What has emerged in evidence is a picture of a torpid , toothless regulator that doesn ’ t seem terribly interested in either the harms it exists to reduce or the means it might use to achieve that .’
were drawn up in 2005 to fix this broken system ,’ said cofounder Liz Ritchie in January . ‘ A statutory levy on the profits of the gambling industry to pay for the harm it causes – administered by an independent board – would revolutionise the way gamblingrelated information , treatment and education is conducted in this country . More awareness about the dangers of gambling would mean fewer people falling into addiction , and those that did would receive much better treatment . The deaths would plummet . Each day one less family would be shattered .’ DDN
Gambling harms : evidence review at www . gov . uk / government / publications / gambling-relatedharms-evidence-review / gamblingrelated-harms-evidence-reviewsummary--2
Dreaming of the big win
It all began with waiting outside the betting shop as a child . Bezzo shares his journey and his hopes for government action
True to life , even a gambling addiction has to start somewhere . I suppose my actual beginning was when I was very young and waiting outside the bookmakers for my uncle to place his bets on the day ’ s horse racing . Betting shops were seen as dark places , filled with smoke and old men who had nothing better to do . I guess this would be my beginning , but in those days you had to be 18 to enter , just like today – which is probably the only thing that hasn ’ t changed over the years . Nowadays there is a bookmakers on every street corner , all nicely decorated , full of bright colour and offering free drinks to anyone who pops in . Looking back it was horse racing or greyhounds , and that was about it . Nothing ever happened after 5pm – the shops closed as did the bookmakers , whereas now bookmakers stay open until 10 or 11pm at night and the internet offers a complete new ball game , access 24 / 7 . It ’ s that simple .
THE MIDDLE The addicted person is driven by a dream and desire to win big and that certainly applied to me . The idea is that whatever the bet , you ’ re always one bet away from that dream turning into reality . Unfortunately dreams are exactly that and can very quickly turn to nightmares . You become a very lonely person – all of your money is thrown at the venture , with the thought that it will come back tenfold . Some days it did , and you were everybody ’ s friend , but mostly you would be chasing your losses and trying to find some common ground to heal your wounds and re-evaluate what went wrong , forming a new strategy for tomorrow . Yes , you always have a plan for the next day , however much was lost the day before .
I won thousands over many years , but the losses … it just scares me to think about how much ! The implications are very simple – your whole world is concentrated on gambling , you have a very blurred vision , like a horse would wear blinkers in a race . All I would focus on was betting , studying the form and the next best bet . If a loved one suggested going out , firstly you would have to check if it clashed with a bet , and then if you could afford to outlay good gambling money . If it came to it , gambling would always win .
THE END Hopefully , my ending is a happy one . I gambled away a fortune over many years . I always managed to hold down good jobs and made good progress up the ladder to management , but then ended up falling from a great height – not only wasting my own money , but using company funds to feed my addiction . In the end my wife and her family probably saved my life . If they hadn ’ t supported me at one of the worst moments of my life , I would have ended up homeless no doubt . So it ’ s not just about the person at the centre , but also about all the affected others – husband / wife , children , family and friends .
FIRST STEP TO HELP What have I learnt from my addiction that could help others and those who are trying to help them ?
One of the biggest challenges is that gambling is a silent addiction – there are no tell-tale signs that someone is a problem gambler . Any person you come into contact with on a daily basis could be suffering with a gambling addiction .
As always with addictions , it ’ s really hard to take the first step of accepting help . The shame of admitting your problems to loved ones , colleagues and friends is a big hurdle to overcome . Gamblers tend to be loners and only ever talk about when they have won – you never hear a gambler talking up their losses . Someone with a gambling problem needs to have trust in a professional trying to help them before they are likely to admit to a problem .
POLICY CHANGES We are still waiting for the government ’ s white paper on gambling – in particular we need to find out whether there will be a levy on the gambling industry to help pay for the badly needed treatment services . Here are the things I ’ d most like the government to do : 1 . Gambling adverts removed from television , or at least moved to after the watershed .
2 . Gambling companies ’ logos and sponsorship removed from all sporting events , shirts and boards around grounds .
3 . Gambling companies to make sure all customers predominantly on the internet are checked for different accounts with other companies and that affordability checks are carried out .
4 . For those falling foul of the system , better support is required with more therapy available on a national basis .
5 . We need better support , treatment centres , probably via the NHS , in hospitals , police stations , prisons , probation services and doctors ’ surgeries , offering practical and emotional support .
I think it will take a long time to achieve these goals , but people with lived experience of the consequences of gambling will be key to making change happen .
Bezzo ’ s book , Gambling Ends Behind Bars !, published in January , is available on Amazon . Thanks to Russell Webster who included this piece in his extensive resources at www . russellwebster . com suslik83 / iStock
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