Gambling Addiction News | Page №2

For the first time in history, the entire globe shared a comparable struggle - the pandemic lockdown. The deaths from COVID are certainly the main subject of this painful period, but even those who weren’t touched by the virus got a neat old slap in many other ways. Some lost their jobs, others had to stay outside of hospital doors while their loved ones were dying inside, and many took relief in morally forbidden things like drugs and alcohol abuse. This is an undeniable fact, as alcohol sales went up by 60% in the past year, and drug-related crimes began taking over regions all around the earth. 

39-year-old Chris Bilham is boldly speaking out on the topic of gambling addiction, as he struggled with it for five years. At the age of 30, he decided to take a chance and bet money on a football match on an app he had downloaded. Little did he know that wasn’t going to be the last, and he went down a spiral of a destructive gambling addiction that left him with a £100,000 debt and excruciating suicidal thoughts.  

The pandemic took a little bit of something from everyone. Some lost the will to do things they love, others lost their jobs, and many picked up habits that left them in a rut.

Craig Walding, a 36-year-old man from Wales, managed to go a bit deeper than most. He gambled away £40,000, got into heavy debt, and online betting addiction took a severe toll on his mental health. 

Hundreds of illegal online casinos in Australia have been blocked over the years due to illegal operations. Yet, they keep surfacing, and review sites are being less than helpful in terms of eliminating the criminal and civil offenses caused by them. Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) reaches out to the country’s internet service providers for backup, as illegal online gambling activities continue posing risks to problem players and those who underestimate the importance of a gaming license on casino sites. AMCA representatives instruct consumers to report unlicensed gambling services.

Jack Symons is a 34-year-old man who overcame a severe gambling addiction and is now using his testimony and talent to save others from the path he was on since he was only 14. He was attracted to the aesthetic and atmosphere portrayed in movies he watched as a teenager and managed to register on online gambling sites pretty early on.