A gambling habit often starts small, some fun with your mates or a bit of excitement when you are bored at home. But soon you may be spending more than you can afford. Then your cards and overdraft are maxed out.
It is so tempting to hope to win back enough to clear the debts and pay your bills. You need money to do this, so you get a loan. But you lose more…
Soon the only credit you can get is at horrible rates of interest such as logbook loans, doorstep lenders and payday loans.
You can escape from this vicious circle. It’s not going to be easy, but there are steps to take and ways to get support.
The secret addiction
For many people gambling is addictive and they can’t simply choose to stop. It’s not like saying you were tempted to have a takeaway because you were too tired to cook.
The free offers, the flashing lights, the feeling of suspense – they have all been carefully designed to trigger responses in your brain. Some people aren’t interested at all, some people can have a few punts and then not bet for months or years. But if your brain is wired a certain way, then you may get seriously hooked.
It’s not always easy to tell when a “habit” crosses over into an “addiction”. There is an anonymous self-test here you could try if you aren’t sure.
You have to be brutally honest with yourself. It’s too easy to kid yourself that you could give up but you don’t want to… Try not gambling for a week and see how it goes.
It’s often pretty obvious when a friend has an alcohol or drugs problem. But many people get very good at hiding their gambling from their family and friends, which makes it harder to get help earlier.
So how do you stop gambling?
Tackling a debt problem if you are still gambling is like trying to put a fire out with a fire extinguisher in one hand, whilst the other is throwing petrol onto the flames… So even if your debts feel like the more urgent issue, ending the gambling has to come first.
Here are some practical ideas. Not all of them will be relevant for you, so go for the ones that feel right first, but if it’s proving tough going, come back and think about the others.
Make it harder to gamble
- Self-exclusion There are different ways to self-exclude from betting shops, casinos, arcades and online gambling. For betting shops, you can visit them individually or call the Central Self-Exclusion Team on 0800 294 2060.
For many people deciding to self-exclude proves to themselves that they CAN do this. It can also remove you from email lists so you won’t have to ignore tempting offers every day for the next ten years. - Blocking software If online gambling is your weakness, get blocking software for your PC, tablet and phone. It works!
Get help and support
- For advice about stopping gambling, call the National Gambling HelpLine on 0808 8020 133 from 8 am – midnight every day. They also have a webchat facility and they can provide counselling if you want.
- Many people find the best support comes from other people who have been addicted themselves. GamCare have forums and chat rooms where you can be anonymous. Gamblers Anonymous organises different types of meetings where people with gambling problems can support each other.
- Telling your partner, a relative or a friend may be very difficult, but stopping the secrecy and lies can be a relief, and you may get much-needed encouragement.
- Think how changes in your lifestyle could make it easier to resist the itch to gamble. This can vary from the simple – take different routes so you don’t have to walk past betting shops – to getting some new hobbies to occupy time in the evening.
Reduce the money you can gamble with
- Many banks will now let you block payments to gambling sites from your debit card. See Gamcare’s up-to-date list.
- If you have any credit cards that aren’t yet at their limit, consider giving them to your partner or a friend to take charge of. Or cut them up or put them in the freezer in a block of water.
- Try to move as many bills as possible to be paid by direct debit or standing order on, or soon after, your payday.
- If you have a partner, ask them to take over paying all the essential bills and set up a transfer of money to their account on your payday. Switch any joint benefits to be paid into your partner’s account.
- Get all your benefits or wages paid into your partner’s account, who then gives you some pocket money in cash.
Extreme? yes, but it may not just reduce the money for gambling, it could go a long way to rebuilding trust with your partner. - Sign up for Cifas protective registration. This is meant for people who have identity fraud problems. If you apply for credit, you are written to asking if you did apply. If you may try to take out a payday loan in the middle of the night, this couple of days delay may be all you need to resist the temptation. It does not harm your credit score.
Read one man’s story
Here is the story of a man who became addicted to online slots and how eventually he overcame his addiction.
It wasn’t easy. He used site blockers and needed a lot of support from his wife, eventually giving her full control over his money.
Prioritise your money problems
You need to be honest with yourself – and your partner if you have one – about the damage that has been done to your finances. This means a list of all your debts, including any ones which you may not think of as being a problem, and any bills which are overdue. List the size of the debts and the amounts that need to be paid this month.
Then decide if you have enough money to pay them this month if you don’t spend any more money on gambling. If you do, then that is your plan. Read up about “snowballing” for ways to help this go faster, but at the beginning your main priority is not gambling and getting used to this.
If you don’t have enough money to pay them all each month, read Which debts and bills are top priority? If you have any priority debts these need to be paid in full, even if this means paying nothing to your other debts. If you can’t pay the priority debts in full, get help asap, see below.
Non-priority debts can be offered a lower amount, even a token payment of £1. Tell the creditors that you are trying to sort out your finances because you have a gambling problem and ask them to accept this lower payment for a few months until your priority debts are repaid. It may feel scary telling a creditor or a debt collector that you have a gambling problem, but most now recognise this as an addiction which means that you need extra help from them.
If you have priority debts you can’t pay, a lot of creditors, it’s going to take more than a few months to sort your debts out, or you want expert help to talk to your creditors, read Where to get help and advice which looks at your options depending on the types of debts you have, where you live and whether you would prefer phone help or to talk to someone face-to-face.
Whoever you talk to, tell them about your gambling problem and what you are doing to try to give it up. All the debt advice services I have listed are confidential and non-judgmental, but they can’t help properly unless they know the full picture.
Often the best approach is to put your non-priority debts on hold for a while until it’s clear that you are winning the battle to stop gambling.
Feeling mad at your creditors?
A common reaction when people realise the full situation they are in is to blame the creditors for allowing you to borrow so much. Sometimes this is a good point!
It may be possible to ask for refunds of interest you have paid if a creditor should have known you had big problems but they continued to lend. See these articles:
- complaints to payday lenders; and large loans lenders;
- complaints if you have a guarantor loan;
- complaints to doorstep lenders;
- complaints to a credit card or bank if they have increased your credit limit even though they could see a lot of gambling transactions on your account.
Don’t worry that your complaint will be rejected because you were gambling. The lender may well say No, but take the complaint to the Financial Ombudsman, see How gambling affects affordability refunds for some detailed examples.
But this isn’t going to help at the start. In six months, once you are feeling on a firmer footing, you can think about any complaints. They aren’t quick – many of them need to go to the Ombudsman which can take a long while, so they won’t solve your immediate problems.
Your priorities are to kick the gambling habit and get your finances stabilised so you don’t need to borrow any money each month.
Need a clean start away from gambling debt
Gambling & affordability complaints
20k in gambling debt – what can I do?
Gordon says
This is a fantastic item and full of good information, my debt spiralled out of control pay day loans, bank loans overdrafts ( I do not hear much news about people in debt chasing the banks I have complained to the FOS about Santander as they have given me a number of loans and increased my over draft in the same space of time).
I had taken out over 200 payday loans in the space of 2 years it got to the stage as the FOS said my out goings were over £4,000 per month more than my income and thanks to this site I am chasing the lenders for irresponsible lending, I am in GA and as your item said please look at the gambling problem before the debt.
well done Debt Camel
anon says
Also a good one ive used for online gambling is to cancel cards. and when the new ones come get someone to scratch the last 3 digits off the back. Then you can not make online payments.
Pear says
Hi Sara
Excellent article and should help a lot of people. I am a compulsive gambler but have not gambled in over 3 years through the help of GA and I would recommend anyone who is a compulsive gambler and wants to stop to visit their local group. I have started the process of putting in complaints against payday lenders and anything I get back is a bonus as my debts are paid.
The most important thing is to stop gambling first or coming into money could fuel the addiction further, I know this from experience as my parents cleared my debts 3 times, each time I promised I wouldn’t gamble and each time I did.
When you stop gambling you realise that money was only part of the problem and it is possible to rebuild your life through being honest with your loved ones. I hope what I have posted is OK. Thank you for this great site.
alan says
You can also contact the Central Self-Exclusion Team on 0800 294 2060. They will sent your details including a photo to all shops you go into for self-exclusion. After a year they will renew your requests for exclusion if you wish. They cover all bookmakers on the high street. I haven’t been in a bookies for 6 months and am now getting straight with my money.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Thanks Alan, I’ll add that to the article!
Mark says
Hi Sara,
On a slightly different angle to irresponsible lending, is there any recourse available against online gambling companies that clearly fail in their duty of care. I did try and complain and got a short rebuffal. It sounds like I’m chasing the money that I gambled, which would of course be very welcomed to reduce my debt, however it is the general principle that I feel really strongly about. I should say, I’m a twenty year addict and it was always my choice to try and Gamble, I don’t hold the companies at fault for that, however I would regularly try and make deposits that were rejected, decreasing the amount until I finally had a deposit accepted, I would wait until my deposit limit time expired (say 01:00) on a Monday morning and would be clicking deposit as the clock turned over. Reversing withdrawals, don’t get me started on those! I would also make multiple deposits on the same day each month, then go 3/4 weeks without making one (out of money). On one occasion i played solidly for 4 days, with no more than 1/2 hours break (literally no sleep) it is just so obvious I had a problem. I know people have taken companies to court and inevitably lose but they always seem to be the big sums, what I’m try to illustrate is the constant, desperate nature of repeated patterns that clearly showed an addiction… your thoughts would be much appreciated
Sara (Debt Camel) says
It’s not really a topic I feel qualified to write about, sorry. Chasing the lenders that gave you the money to feed the addiction may be a more realistic prospect.
Jay says
Hello Sara
I too feel the online gambling companies need to be challenged. It is very clear I have a gambling addiction and two sites in particular I use should have picked up the signals of this. However they bombard me with emails, text messages, and even on social media sites promising big wins. It is out of control with advertising everywhere I go and there seems to be no escaping it. The cancelling withdrawals too is a massive problem for addicted gamblers. Patterns in my play show that I cancel 85% of attempted withdrawals. The pattern also shows by cancelling a withdrawl sometimes allows you to win a little more but then lose the lot. They know what they are doing. They claim they are regulated and it but I see more than often the NEW people winning big to draw them in, that cannot be random ! Some sites do not allow the withdrawal cancellation and I feel ALL companies should be made to stop this.
I blame the Gambling Commission. They should be all over this ! I once complained about the adverts on the television but my complaint was rejected. My grandson even knows the theme toons to some of the sites !!!
Today I have decided to take control myself by closing all accounts of which there are many. The problem I have found is actually closing them. Some sites insist you have to call them. I do not want to call them, I want to just close the site, but it will not let me.
Sam says
Sign up to gamstop most reputable companies use this now , it’s a site wide self exclusion scheme it has completely stopped me gambling online https://www.gamstop.co.uk
Dean Stepney says
Hi Sara, I owe £10k plus a further 5k to my mum due to a horrendous gambling addiction! I’ve had 20 plus payday loans. Please help! Do you have a phone number?
Thanks
Dean
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Are you still gambling?
Dean Stepney says
No, I’m 2 weeks clean. I’m seeing a counsellor too.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
OK well I suggest you talk to StepChange about a DMP to get your current finances under control. Then in a few months start looking at payday loan reclaims.
Charlotte says
My son borrowed from several pay day loan companies whilst suffering with depression, he used the money to gamble. His mental state was such that he was not capable of committing to these loans and could not afford them and they are all now in arrears. Can I contact the lenders on this basis?
Helen says
Hi Charlotte,
I have the exact same situation and I have set up a separate email account and I have done all the emails and ombudsman work in his name.
I’ve been doing it for about six months now and nearing the end, just tidying up some stragglers.
He should never have been lent so much money over so many years and has given me much satisfaction getting it all back (if only to pay off the debts he still has outstanding).
Go for it!
Anonymous says
Just stumbled upon this.
I received multiple payday loan refunds mostly after using the Ombudsman and I cant tell you how much of an impact my gambling problems had on the decision of the ombudsman.
In most cases the ombudsman believed that had proportionate checks been carried out including the viewing of bank statements lenders should have quickly realised that I was in a spiral of pay day lending to fund gambling and if they took my deposits to gambling firms into consideration they would have seen I could not afford to repay the loans and should have in fact realised that the lending was primarily to fund gambling which of course would not be responsible lending.
If there are people out there looking for re-dress and this was part of the problem then you should not be ashamed to admit it as part of your reasoning for irresponsible lending. It wont define a claim but where multiple loans were taken out it will add weight to your argument.
I’m pleased to say I am in recovery now and to those in this situation I would say that getting into recovery is more important than getting the re-dress but if you get into recovery then get re-dress it might help pay down some debts which will in turn help with your own recovery.
Wish you all well.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
thanks for sharing this.
Nick says
Hi Sara
I was looking on the main payday loan refund page and was worried about the gambling side of things until I saw this one!
My question is, in the first stage of
Complaints (to the lenders) do
I mention my addiction and how it affected my decision process then? Or wait till I push it towards the FO?
Btw, been abstinent for a year and attend GA meetings weekly.
Many thanks
Nick
Sara (Debt Camel) says
It’s up to you. Some people don’t want to discuss personal things with a payday lender. A few can sometimes be quite nasty, especially if your applications weren’t accurate.
Nathan says
Hi all.
I’ve finally got around to sending my SAR to 7 companies today so now playing the waiting game.
What I was wondering, has anyone had any problems with refunds involving compulsive gambling where very few transactions would show on bank accounts?
I wasted £000s gambling, but it was always in cash withdrawn from an ATM.
Just concerned that they might try to say I had loads of disposable income when there’s hundreds being withdrawn in cash each month and I cant easily prove its because of a gambling addiction.
Many thankings.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Did you borrow a lot from the same lenders? Repeat borrowing should have been a sign to a lender that you were in trouble, even if they weren’t sure why.
Nathan says
Yes, absolutely. Wonga was pretty much every month for about a 3 year period.
Payday express and PDUK was alternate months for a good year or so as they wouldn’t let you do consecutive months… even though they’re the same company.
Almost constantly had 2 6 month loans with lending stream for a couple of years. Wage day advance and myjar thrown in there too. And not forgetting pounds till payday, cash genie, uncle buck, and a couple more… think I was doing over 2k a month between various companies at one point…
The silly things a fruit machine will make you do…
Gary says
Hi,sara
I’ve had gambling problem for a few years now,i self excluded from all online betting sites a year ago,but up until a February,i was frequently in the betting shops.
At one point,i was paying 900 a month on loans,then rent and utility bills were 300/400.
All on a monthly wage of 1500.
In december i had to get a 10000 loan from amigo loans to consolidate but ended up living beyond my means and wasting money,then applying for loans again.
I’ve sent away to wonga,lendingstream,WDA,quickquid,and safetynetcredit regarding my problems but only safetynetcredit are willing to help.
WDA are demanding proof from a doctor that i have an addiction,and want to see bank statements,but as i said,its mostly in the stores i gamble.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Your bank statements probably show large cash withdrawals? It is bizarre of WDA to ask for proof from a doctor of gambling addiction, I think they are just trying to be difficult.
You need to expect that most of these cases will have to go to the ombudsman I am afraid. lenders rarely make good offers where there is gambling involved.
The Amigo loan – read https://debtcamel.co.uk/how-to-complain-guarantor-loan/ and think if you have a reason to complain about that. Also could your guarantor really afford the repayments from their income? If not, they may be able to complain and get removed as guarantor: https://debtcamel.co.uk/amigo-complaints-by-guarantor/
Will says
Hi,
I have had 100’s of payday loans from multiple
Companies for the last 5 years. I have struggled to payback at times and set up plans. I have credit cards with over 3450£ outstanding and always just pay off the minimum each month and regular missing payments for the last 18 months. Payday lenders have giving me credit even though this will be on my payment file. I also have a loan with 118118 which I have topped up during this time. I currently am in arrears and trying to set up a plan to get my current debt under control. Which I have done for 4 out of my 7 lenders so far. I have gambled all way through this time and these loans were to cover gambling, to pay off other loans from other payday lenders and bills. 3 months ago I have block all gambling sites and haven’t gambled during this time. On my application I would have given wrong expenditure information and also had the wrong address on the application (I have used my parents address on the application instead of my current rented property). Would this still be something that I can put forward for a refund in this situation? Would you wait till my current debt is clear with my lenders to then apply for this(this will be in around 8 months)?
Thanks
Sara (Debt Camel) says
3 months clear – well done! I think you should set up,payment plans with all your lenders. The less financial pressure you are under the better.
I think you should put in affordability complaints now, including to 118 where the top up makes it more likely to succeed.
Not having made accurate applications means these cases are harder to win and usually have to go to the Ombudsman. If you only borrowed once or twice from a lender AND the applications were not accurate AND the amounts weren’t large, it probably not worth sending that case to the Ombudsman. But for the others, the repeat borrowing means the lender should have realised you were in trouble even if the loan looked affordable on your application. See https://debtcamel.co.uk/payday-lender-says-lied/ for details.
Alex says
1 Yr ago I have set up a DMP with payplan. They were wonderful and I got my life back. I had 45k in debts due to gambling addiction. I make a good salary and two yrs I ll be debt free. Since then I have not gambled at all… My money is budgeted to the penny. I have made complaint to all the payday loans and won all my cases with exceptions of Unclebuck and moneyboat. My cases have been now with the FOS but still waiting
Sara (Debt Camel) says
good – hope you win those last 2!
Alex says
Waiting for it…. Thx
nikki says
Hi Sara,
This isn’t payday loan related but wondered if you knew anything?
Last year I received a refund from cassava enterprises (gambling site). This was due to the fact that they let me deposit after I had self excluded. Do you know if they should have added interest to this type of refund?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Sorry, not come across this before.
Daz says
Hi Sara.
My friend told me about all this refunds from payday loans and said he’s getting a couple grand back. Over 5 years I’ve been using payday loans from various payday lenders. I believe I’ve borrowed thousands from these companies and feel I have given them thousands over the last few years. I currently am still using some. I have 4 open with sunny. 3 with lending stream (which are nearly paid off but taken well over a year to pay off) 1 open with satsuma and 1 open with peachy. I’m currently paying around 500 a month to these companies. I have a few concerns on the expenditure lists they’ll ask for. As I feel I earn a good wage of roughly 2k a month. But if I lost my expenditure to these companies it’s roughly a grand a month. Then there’s the 500 I pay to these companies a month. Yes I gamble. Some months more than the others. In 2013- 2016 I was paying 500 a month for a car too. I had nearly a year on the sick from work in 2015 and found that year hard and used them a lot to help with bills. I’ve struggled with depression and anxiety in the past and these payday loans certainly didn’t help that cause. I don’t feel like I need a dmp although I’ve thought about it in the past. I feel I can get them under control. But just seem to become abit careless with money. Can you give any advice on what to do without a debt management plan as I really don’t want to go that route.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
My advice is to tackle your gambling and to sign up for a DMP. Then in 6 months when both of those are going well, start payday loan refunds and use them to rebuild your finances.
Payday loan refunds can take a very long while if there is gambling, as most of them will have to go to the Ombudsman. So you have to get your finances on a safe, secure footing which means you won’t have to borrow again, because once you start these complaints you can’t carry on borrowing.
Daz says
To be honest the gambling isn’t a problem. Are you saying no gambling at all. As I don’t spend too much. I don’t need to go in a dmp as the pay day loans I have open are nearly paid off. A couple aren’t but they will be soon. I only really gamble as I’m left with x amount of money n know I’ll need more. Stupid I know. But it’s just been a vicious circle.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
“I only really gamble as I’m left with x amount of money n know I’ll need more. Stupid I know. But it’s just been a vicious circle.”
sorry but that is problem gambling! My advice is the same as before. But if you don’t want to take it, go ahead with payday loan complaints now and carry on paying them (if they are affordable) or stop paying them (if they aren’t).
Steve says
Hi daz I used to do the same thing gamble to make up the shortfall. Everyone has there trigger that makes them gamble. Ultimately its to hide from a problem or situation. Could be an emotional or financial problem. If you could bottle the highs from any addiction you would be a rich man. But the consequences from the aftermath is so disstructive to yourself and people around you. I totally get if you pay everyone who needs paying and you have £200 left you think how can I live on that but if you gamble you might double up or even treble it. Then it seem like a solution as the pressure is gone. But inevitably you’ll hit a losing streak and have nothing to go through the month on and have to borrow of family friends or payday loans. Causing the problem to get bigger and bigger. I tried a few things gamblers anonymous wasn’t for me but I get it’s for some people I contacted gamcare which put me in contact with a councillor which helped a lot took me a couple of attempts to stop even after the councillor. Butt without there help I wouldn’t of understood the addiction so would never of looked for the triggers that made me gamble. Tip it’s not the money that causes you to gamble but it causes money problems. And you don’t have to gamble every day to be an addict.
Don’t mean to bend your ear just some friendly advice. When I read your message it struck a chord. Could hear myself. Good luck
Daz says
Oh no Steve. I’m not stupid. I totally get what your saying. Your completely right. But spending a tenner a week on a footy bet don’t seem a gambling issue to me. I do that cos I like to have a footy bet lol. I get when I use to spend a couple hundred on slot machines. I see that as an issue. N yeah ya right about the deeper issues. As I said in my first post. I struggled with depression and andiety after a couple of events a couple years ago. N think when I was gambling on the slots it took my mind off it. But like u say. About losing. It hurts after even more. Sara referring to the quote You highlighted I’m not doing that now but I was a couple years ago. As I said. I don’t gamble on the slots like I use to. And don’t actually have as many payday loans open at the moment. This is my problem. If I get paid 2k a month and outgoings of 1k. Then pay off 500 in payday loans. I’m left with 500 after everything. Are these lenders not going to say. Well you could afford it.
Ps. I’m not arguing with you here. I’ve read lots of these posts and think your advice is brilliant. I’m just questioning it over in my head.
Steve says
No tenner on the footy isn’t a gambling problem. As for having 25% left after out goings and loans paid depends if out goings cover fuel,food, clothes etc and your left with the £500 to yourself for leisure or you have £500 left for but you still have to pay for travel food clothes. I personally think if it’s £500 spare for leisure it looks affordable if it’s the latter then that’s a different story but I’m really no expert and that’s only an opinion which is an unqualified one at that. My concern was the gambling which I have a A* in. But as you said a tenner isn’t a addiction. I going to dip out now as the financial side Sara is the one with the best advice. Good luck
Daz says
Cheers Steve but no it didn’t include clothes. Or fuel as I don’t have a car right now. But that will come into play soon as I’ll be getting another so it will be less. I’m confused as hell really. Cos if you can’t have any open when you claim. Then they look at you surely the gap will be more in there favour. It’s more about how bad I was on them in the past I’m thinking I could claim for. But I just don’t see how them looking at more recent bank statements when your debt free helps my situation out. Cheers for the info anyway 👍🏻
Sara (Debt Camel) says
“I’m confused as hell really. Cos if you can’t have any open when you claim.”
no one said this!
As I said, if you don’t want to take the easy route of going into a DMP you have too go ahead with payday loan complaints now and choose between carry on paying them (if they are affordable) or stop paying them (if they aren’t).
Lisa says
Steve , very wise words . Keen to get in touch with you as have same things going on
Janice says
Hi Sara
I’m looking for some advice for my Son. He is a 27 year old compulsive Gambler and has been for over 11 years, He’s had some help and been to the NHS clinic in London and is now currently with in talks again with Gamcare.
He is self employed and still lives at home. He earns around £500 a week. He ultimately wants to get a mortgage with his girlfriend. His credit score has been good up till recently, apart from a lot of payday loans showing on his credit file as settled. He was still able to get credit. His addiction has been fuelled by the ease of the payday loans. Can’t count the amount he has had over the years.
So, at the moment (he’s in a bad place), he has gone on a binge over the last month and has currently £5100 new payday loans with 8 different lenders. He has also personal loans Natwest and Tesco £13000 and credit card debts of £7000 with Aqua & Barclaycard. He was able to pay the latter but with the payday loans now its impossible. He hasn’t defaulted on anything yet but he has no money left and a month till payday. What would your advice be moving forward. I’m not in a position to help him and he cant get a consolidation loan. We were thinking of a debt management plan as a last resort. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Hi Janice, he is lucky to have you helping. But it isn’t your job to solve this for him. Do not under any circumstances lend him money or guarantee any loan for him.
Are you charging him rent at the moment? If not, you have been effectively enabling his gambling to continue. He needs to start paying you rent, I suggest £400 a month, from his next pay cheque. If you are paying for his car, mobile, contact lenses, holidays etc that all has to stop – he pays his own way from now on. This will reduce what he can pay to his debts but that’s tough – he is an adult and needs to stand on his own feet.
He needs to forget about a mortgage. That isn’t going to happen until he has stopped gambling, salvaged his finances and saved a lot which is going to take years. Don’t rule out options now because they may hinder a mortgage in future – if he doesn’t take effective action now he has NO HOPE of ever getting a mortgage.
Stopping gambling is the single most important thing now. Get him to read the above article. He needs to self-exclude and install blocking software on all his devices. Also to sign up to Cifas to make it harder to get more credit. If he won’t do all of these things he is not serious about stopping.
A DMP should be his first choice, not a last resort. (The last resort is bankruptcy – that isn’t a stupid idea, but he may as well give a DMP and payday loan refunds a chance first.) There are no options that will not harm his credit record.
He has no money to make this months payments so he needs to cancel the DDs (for the loans and cards) and CPAs (for the payday loans) with his bank. Then phone each of the lenders and say he cannot make any payments in January but he will talk to StepChange and hopes to set up a DMP in February. If you can sit with him while he makes the calls that may help – moral support is the best thing for him at the moment.
Then I would leave putting in payday loan complaints until his DMP is up and running – so in March. If he starts the complaints now, he may be desperate and take the first offer to write off a debt, even if he could potentially get a large refund by waiting and going to the ombudsman. So he needs to get his finances onto a reliable base that can continue for many months.
Mark says
There is a service called Gamstop, this enables people to sign up and get blocked from (at the moment) most gambling websites.
Soon every company must have the Gamstop enabled service.
Sit with him while he does this, if he is really seriously going to stop gambling, he won’t think twice about doing it. Ps it’s a government backed rolled out service.
C says
Hi Janice.
I think your son would benefit from what Mark has described above, or some further psychotherapy from a professional.
Gambling like many addictions is due to deeper and hidden issues he may not be fully aware of. Things from child hood and teen years you may or may not be aware of.
Gambling ranges from impulse right through to lucky charms and the ‘gamblers fallacy’ that after a long run of losses, you must be owed and due a win so you hunt that win by gambling more and more.
A stop to gambling in our minds may sound good but maybe quite fruitless in the long term, so again professional psychological therapy to deal with the fallout from stopping would help.
My addiction stopped after receiving psychotherapy for a separate incident when I was diagnosed with PTSD.
I didn’t think I had an issue until that point and got treated for both PTSD and addiction (oddly interlinked at child hood) and the treatment (12 weeks) worked wonders.
The underlying causes to gambling can vary according to my psychotherapist, but there I always a treatment that can work. Both you and your son may not realise at the moment, but there will be some causes. They just need to be treated professionally.
To put some perspective behind my borrowing for gambling,
Credit cards – £19k
H/street Loans – £27k
Payday loans – over 7years – £79k borrowed and £129k paid back (cap&interest)
Your son can get through this, he just needs the professionals to help.
All the best
C
Janice says
Hi C
Thank you so much for sharing your addiction story and the treatment you had.
I absolutely agree that there must be an underlying cause for this. He is such a good hearted loving man who absolutely hates what he is doing but just cannot stop for longer than a few months.
Can I ask you where you found the psychotherapist? I just don’t know where to start looking for someone who would specialise in gambling addiction. The NHS Clinic in London were great but it cost so much to travel there every week and also the time off work etc. We live in the north west. There is always a long waiting list aswell to get back onto the scheme.
A massive well done to you for overcoming this and paying back that huge amount of money.
Thanks again C.
C says
Hi Janice.
No trouble at all. Without giving too much detail on where I live. My therapist is based in in the south west, so some miles away unfortunately.
I paid privately for mine which in the end cost me about £1300 for the 12 weeks. I paid private as the nhs were going to take about 6 months before a pschyotherapist could start seeing me for PTSD (diagnosed by the GP) and with a young family I couldn’t put me or them through the pain any longer.
But it was the best £1300 I spent, it was going to be in the bookies pockets anyway.
My suggestion is to ask your gp for advice on the best therapists/psychologists nearby. They’ll know the best I’m sure.
By the sounds of it, your son could pay for some as he’ll gamble it anyway, it’s seriously hard opening up at first, but if he wants to get through this, it’ll work out in the end.
Stay strong for you and your son.
as the quote goes, “when going through hell, keep going, you don’t want to stop here”
And you’ll get plenty of support here in this forum aswell👍
Janice says
Thanks for all the information. That may be a good option for the New Year.
What a great quote! I’ll be passing that one on.
All the best for 2019 and thanks again .
Janice says
Thanks for the advise Sara. Really appreciate it. I wont be lending him any money or guaranteeing a loan. He does pay rent and all his expenses himself. I don’t help him at all (anymore)!! I have took control of his finances over the years. Still have access to his bank account, emails etc. He has tried to stop many times. His recent attempt was hypnotherapy and that seemed to work for a few months. He’s also done G/A, Gamcare, 6 weeks @ NHS gambling London, a private appointment at the Priory, run off to Australia for 2 years thinking that would help. He was worse than ever there. He sometimes goes months without gambling. Thinks he’s conquered it. Starts to feel really good about life, then something just triggers him and he goes into self destruct again. Doesn’t eat and gets into a very depressive state. A very isolated and hidden addiction.
He has Gamblock blocking software on his phone. That helped a lot, but he is now going back to the casinos playing Poker and the dreaded Fixed odds machines.
Janice says
He has opened a Monzo account recently, spoke to his Natwest bank yesterday and cancelled the payday loans cpa’s. They also put a block on his card using gambling sites. He’s given the Natwest card to me also. Didn’t realise you could self exclude from multi operators. Didn’t know about Cifas. Thanks Mark for the Gamstop advice. Didn’t know about that either. He’s pretty scared about arranging a DMP. He still thinks he can pay this all back. His loans and credit cards are not due till the end of the month and he can pay them with his wages, (btw Monzo gave him a £500 overdraft yesterday!!). He’s going to ring the Payday loans tomorrow and tell them his circumstances and take it from there. He is just trying to take one day at a time at the moment as his mental health is not great. The payday loan complaints as you have said Sara is maybe something to tackle in the future. (I am so angry though)!! He absolutely loathes what he is putting his family through and all I can do is help him anyway I can to hopefully see him have a future. Any further advice is very welcome from anyone.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Other people have said that going through the payday loan reclaim procedure is quite therapeutic in some ways – you have to be honest about your previous situation but equally many people move on from thinking it was all their fault to realising just how poorly the lenders made their affordability checks. Then onto the “don’t get mad, get even” stage.
Addiction just traps some people harder than others. I expect you know people who just decided to give up smoking, were determined and then got through to the other side quite quickly – and also people who have tried, really tried, and given up many times. One day at a time is the only thing he can do.
I would advise a DMP though. There is such a relief to knowing the immediate pressure is off.
Janice says
Thanks Sara,
Yes one day at a time is where we are at today. You are so right about the addiction trapping people harder than others. It has him pretty hard right now and unfortunately we don’t have an answer as yet.. We will put in place all suggestions made on the previous posts.
He has a admitted to a lot more payday loans than yesterday. He has 9 currently active around £6500. Most of these companies, he has borrowed from several times (thousands of pounds) within the last month, and further back also.
We are thinking of making complaints to these 9 and sending his Noodle credit report showing the present loans and past loans (which there are a lot). I am already at that stage of getting even with these companies!!
Dean says
Hi all
Quick one – when I had gambling problems and took out many loans / credit cards etc – I also opened a spread bet account which have large amount of credit and I was able to rack up a 400 quid value in about 10 minutes. I believe this was given to me irresponsibility- can I complain about them or would it be another process ?
Thanks
Sara (Debt Camel) says
That is not regulated as consumer credit, complaining would be an entirely different process.
john says
Hi Sara
Further to this thread I too feel as if a spread betting company lent to me irresponsibly do you have a hunch of what angle I could try to give it a go, I had no income when i was given a £2000 credit limit.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Look at the company’s complaints procedure, look for policy stuff on the website and try to construct a complaint out of the fact they breached what they said they would do.
Mia says
Hi Sara
Hope you can help me my dad is 74 and a long time gambling addict he finished paying his Iva a couple of years ago as he was in over 80,000 debt . He told everyone he stopped but I have never been sure , in the last week while I have been off work for half term and went to visit while they were away this week and two credit cards have arrived I have opened them but google the back of the envelopes two from barclaycard and two from aqua with I am guessing is the pin . What type of business gives credit to a 74 year old who is only a few years clear of a large Iva . I already found a statement from capital one and vanquish in his draw when he asked me to get him a tablet a couple of days ago . I am passed my self , it would destroy my mum who had had to deal with this for the last 30 years . Can I contact aqua and Barclay card and tell them about his situation.
Any advice would be helpful
Just shocked at these banks
Thanks
Mia
Sara (Debt Camel) says
That is very bad news :( Your poor mum and how stressful for you.
“What type of business gives credit to a 74 year old who is only a few years clear of a large Iva .” IVAs drop off your credit record 6 years after they start, so the landers probably couldn’t see it :(
If you contact Aqua and Barclaycard they will probably refuse to speak to you. He is an adult.
I think the only thing you can do (apart from just watch a slow-motion car crash) is to talk to your dad and try to propose ways forward to get him out of the hole before it is too deep again. I don’t know if you think he may be susceptible to some blackmail – if you don’t take practical steps to stop and show me the proof I will tell Mum…
He can close the accounts he has just opened and say he is a problem gambler and he doesn’t want them to give him an account in future. Where there is a balance, he can still close the account and set up a standing order to repay as much as he can afford each month. He can sign up to Cifas which makes it harder to open credit accounts quickly. He can self exclude from local bookies, close online accounts and install blocking software.
But he has to want to do it. You can offer moral and practical support – help him write the letters, go with him to the bookies.
Mr PDL says
Hi Sara,
I have been in a debt cycle and financial hardship for many years (since 2008) driven by a compulsive gambling disorder, although I am 6 months without a bet and turning my life around thanks to some very supportive people and professional help.
I have had my first affordability complaint rejected by a lender and am going to take it to the FOS as I believe I have a reasonable case. A 3k loan was taken out over 18months, with 9 payday loans showing in the 6 months prior to applying for the loan, many of them rolled over and being for large amounts as well as a 5k loan from Lloyds. In addition the lender claims to have reviewed my bank statement for affordability at time of applying. Whilst I don’t remember this I have re-supplied them with this bank statement which shows hundreds of pounds of payday loans coming out and of course a significant number of gambling transactions.
My question for you is should I just put it in writing in my FOS complaint that I was in a debt cycle driven by a compulsive gambling disorder or should I just let them ‘discover’ it when they request additional information when they pick up the case.
Thanks in advance as always for any advice you can give.
Thanks
Mr C
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Can I ask how long ago this loan was?
PS 6 months clean – well done!!!
Mr PDL says
Thank you Sara – it has been and will continue to be a hard road, but this process is really showing how destructive the whole episode has been.
In reference to your question it was only in 2016, so relatively recently.
Do you think I should spell out my difficulties in the complaint form or wait for the FOS to contact me for more details?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
I should put in your complaint that the lender says they reviewed your bank statements, which would have shown that you were a compulsive gambler so this was irresponsible lending.
Jason says
Hi Sarah just need some help in next step as what to do I fed my gambling addiction by getting payday loans .quick quid .sunny .lending stream. loans to go and safety net the last two i have not paid a penny back yet .i was so depressed and finally told my partner who has helped me over this last month I started be moving my wages into her bank so I can’t get to money it being 4 weeks and I feel so good but what’s the best way to handle all these loans I’m so frightened that bailiffs will come to door thank you
Sara (Debt Camel) says
First and most importantly, well done on fessing up & good that your partner is being supportive.
Next there is ZERO chance bailiffs are going to turn up in the next few months – or indeed ever unless you do an ostrich act. Bailiffs can’t be instructed until there has been a CCJ in court AND you have failed to make the court ordered payments to the CCJ. There can’t be a CCJ until the creditor has gone through a process of many months of sending warning letters. I don’t know a single payday lender that ever takes anyone to court – they sell the debts on and let some debt collector do it, which adds even more time. And if you start affordability complaints, a creditor can’t take you to court while they are in progress, which includes complaints being sent to the Ombudsman.
I suggest the best thing for you to do is to talk to StepChange (after talking to your partner of course) about a DMP. Then set about making affordability complaints to all those payday lenders. Even the ones you haven’t paid anything too – they should have noticed your credit record and (in the case of SafetyNet Credit your bank statements which probably showed your gambling?) not lent to you.
Loans 2 Go – is this a log book loans or one of these horrible loans: https://debtcamel.co.uk/worst-loan-in-britain/?
Jason says
Loan to go is a horrible loan where for 500 they want 1800 back .thank you for replying back but as I’m a 1st timer when you say start making a complaint do I email or write to the company’s and what is the best advise you can give to me on how to complain.do I tell them about my health issues and my addiction thank you
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Payday loan affordability complaints are described in detail, with template letters here: https://debtcamel.co.uk/payday-loan-refunds/. You don’t have to tell them about your health & addiction. Some people don’t want to as the lender may be unpleasant, but you will have to tell the Financial Ombudsman.
For loans2go, I would use the slightly different template letter here https://debtcamel.co.uk/refunds-large-high-cost-loans/ as you only had one loan.
For Safetynet credit, point out they could see your bank statements and so should have known about your gambling and never lent you any money.
Jay says
Hi I’m wondering if I can get some help?
For the last 5 years I’ve been in a spiral of debt from gambling with multiple loans, credit cards and payday loans. I entered into a DMP in April after never missing a payment on any of them.
I would repay debts first then gamble the rest, take out a new loan and repeat.
Will the fact that I’ve never missed a payment deem me able to afford them, even though I could only afford them due to the next loan?
I haven’t gambled since April and registered with gamstop to help prevent a relapse(but I’m certain that wont happen) and have only come to realise since then how irresponsible I was as well as the lenders. I used sunny pretty much every month last year to keep the cycle going.
Thanks in advance,
Jay.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
“Will the fact that I’ve never missed a payment deem me able to afford them, even though I could only afford them due to the next loan?”
no – many people winning affordability complaints never missed a payment.
Well done on 2 months without gambling.
MrAColl says
Hello,
I wanted to give my story to see if it helps others with questions.
Over 2016-2018 I had around 34 separate loans from various suppliers. I earn a decent wage but had a bad gambling problem. I never missed a payment but my loans were mostly rolled over month to month or atleast off the back of a loan closing. It did get out of control and I had some family step in to clear my loan balances. I’ve fully repaid this all now and I am completely debt free.
Step 1: Stop Gambling.
Step 2: Ask for help if you can or enter into some kind of payment plan.
Step 3: I raised my complaints with the following: Myjar, QuickQuid, Quidmarket, SafetyNetCredit, Lending Stream (again), Mr Lender.
Mr Lender and SNC were easiest to deal with and gave readers before FOS were involved to total about £1k.
QQ and QM still with FOS.
MrJar went to FOS but found not in my favour.
Lending Stream (who I had 15 loans with) also went to FOS but did find in my favour to a total Readdress of 2.5k alone – FoS took into account my gambling problem and seemed Lendingstream to have needed to conduct more detailed checks in addition to all of the additional other lenders I had on my credit record!
Don’t be afraid to raise a complaint even if you have massive gambling on you bank statements.
Mp says
GAMSTOP offer a free scheme that lets you self-exclude from the majority of UK online gambling sites in one simple registration.
I opted for the maximum five year period of exclusion and haven’t looked back.
Sharper says
I thought the FOS would rule against me due to the huge amount of gambling transactions and some big wins (that were all gambled away) but they said gambling is not a sustainable income and if sunny would of asked for my bank statements they would of realised this. Instead they gave me 15 loans one after another over a 5 month period. Adjudicators decision was to issue me a refund on loans 5-15, add 8% interest and completely remove the loans from my credit report.
Moral of the story, if you’re still gambling seek help now. There is so much support around and tools to help. And as far as unaffordable payday loans and gambling, don’t be put off claiming! If anything they aid it aids your argument.
Massive thanks to Sara for sharing her wealth of knowledge. You’re doing so much good for people in need of support and help.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Well done, hope you continue to stay free of gambling1
Sharper says
Thanks Sara. 10 months and counting.
shaun says
Sorry am i reading this right, they refunded the whole loam 5-15?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
It would have been just the interest paid on those loans.
Peter says
Hi Sara
You have given me some hope reading all this. Just reaching 200 days without gambling. So many of tge comments above apply to me. I noticed you gad looked at someones credit report to see if their borrowing was appropriately looked at…would you e able to give mine a quick look.
Pete
Sara (Debt Camel) says
No, sorry, I can’t look at an individual case.
But if you borrowed repeatedly from a payday lender – either new loans or rolling over loans – then you have a good claim for unaffordable lending. Send in complaints now!
Congrats on 200 days!
Ljc says
Please delete if this isn’t allowed – it just caught my eye as it appeared in my local paper and is about gambling
As I said sorry if not allowed thought it may be an interesting reading for some
https://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/18014623.bookies-must-pay-vulnerable-problem-gambler-100-000-landmark-case/
Sara (Debt Camel) says
interesting…
Tom says
I was paid very well by Quickquid before administration in a few days. Amazing luck. I put my payment from quickquid straight into a pension.
My balance is ok now addiction to gambling solved by strength of mind mostly.
It can be done. I went to group chats etc but the best way to give up is getting organised, having targets, getting happier, and asking to be blocked from all gambling sites.
Online is the killer ie using phone. Too easy to win and lose. Hard work best way of making money. More rewarding as well.
All good £139 from Wonga laughable but its in administration so makes massive difference.
Andy says
Tom,
It’s good to read that you got some monies from QQ and absolutely excellent thst you have beaten the gambling. Well done :)
The Wonga pay may be small but obviously some got more and some less but I am sure you’ll be able to put it to a good use, even if it just cuts down the cost of a few food shop trips etc.
All the best.
Wendy says
I have just submitted my complaint to FOS, I complained to Amigo affordability complaint, I have been a compulsive gambler for at least 18 years and suffered depression this is why I took loan out for £8,000 which I spent within a week. My argument is they don’t look hard enough at bank statements they would see that nearly every transaction was to an online gambling site. And I was always in my overdraft, the worst thing is I had my daughter go guarantor she is a lovely girl and doesn’t need this hanging over her head, I struggle with the repayments but I will never let my daughter pay this, I just needed the money so bad I lied to her why I needed it.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
My argument is they don’t look hard enough at bank statements they would see that nearly every transaction was to an online gambling site.
Did Amigo ask for your bank statements?
Have you had help to stop gambling? And do you have other problem debts as well?
Also have you been affected by coronavirus?
Sorry for all the questions!
Wendy says
Hi there to be honest I cannot remember whether they required bank statements they should ask really shouldn’t they, I am receiving help for gambling although very hard in these stressful times. And yes I do have other debts with likely loans that they will not help as sent in affordability complaint , they all say that all the investigations done at the time seemed to deem me able to pay back loans, but my argument is I wasn’t in the right state of mind when I took these loans out, and these companies should be mindful of that and ask if there are any medical conditions that they should be aware of at time of applying for a loan, I would have happily told them I suffer depression and also I am a compulsive gambler, would they have given me a loan, I think they would as the mental state of a person obviously doesn’t matter.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
ok, I was just surprised if Amigo had asked for statements as they don’t usually, certainly not from a borrower.
Likely loans – ask them for an affordable payment arrangement & send your complaint to the Financial Ombudsman. It is easier to focus on the fact the loan wasn’t affordable rather than your mental health at the time you took the loan out.
You can tell FOS you suffer from depression and ask if both your Amigo and likely Loans cases can be given priority.
PS re gambling – Have a look at blocking software – it can help a lot: https://www.gamcare.org.uk/self-help/blocking-software/
fred mack says
Hi has anyone complained to a spread betting company for allowing a credit line and then using this to spread bet from and repeatedly loosing without any form of due diligence or whether the amounts being gambled and subsequent losses above the credit line were affordable?
thanks
Sara (Debt Camel) says
I don’t know. So far as I know, they aren’t FCA regulated and that line of credit doesn’t come under the affordability regs.
Paul says
Sara – A massive thank you too you. Since deciding to quit gambling i immersed myself in podcasts to understand the addiction better. I listened to your piece in the All bets are off podcast, was directed to this page, Now 120 days gamble free never felt better and finally got some money to my name with savings that would otherwise have gone on gambling and refunds from some lenders all thanks to you. You are an incredible person and an angel to people like me. Hopefully more people can benefit from your incredible work. Thanks so much.
Greg says
Only just found this on the site and sad to say I can relate very much to everything that you have said.
The vast majority of my borrowing and subsequent money worries have been down to gambling.
Thankfully it is more a year since I last gambled and the difference in my finances even though I am on benefits is remarkable.
To all those out there, high cost finance and problem gambling are a toxic combination.