Gambling until you go totally broke

[joniboini]

What if, he tried to borrow money to start again another chapter of his life, away from gambling? Or after being wrecked at gambling, trying to borrow money until he finally gets back on a smooth track again on his financial status. There are lots of scenarios that we can think about.

But OP already told us the story though? Assuming his friend didn't lie and OP retold what he said to him, there's no hidden motive or secret activity to fix gambling addiction whatsoever. He has signs of addiction and he needs to solve that. OP should not be his saving grace unless he wants his life to get fucked even further. Besides, even if he wants to fix his addiction, he needs to start by reducing his gambling activity, and not taking a loan (or begging for donations) after losing all his money.

[piebeyb]

Your friend is already addicted to gambling so it's best not to lend him any more because he will continue to do that over and over again until he really realizes that he is addicted to gambling, it's difficult to advise gambling addicts, they won't listen to us either, the point is never give a gambling addict money, even though he is our close friend, don't feel sorry for him, just help with something useful and if you help borrow money for him to gamble, we are just letting him continue to be a gambling addict. The way for him to stop is to start from ourselves to stop helping him.

If I were like your friend, I wouldn't spend money just to gamble, let alone spend all my money on gambling, that's clearly a stupid way to make money, there are still lots of jobs we can do and make money, after all, gambling doesn't always make money. when we are addicted we can lose more money, but I am also surprised that even now there are still people who gamble brutally and don't care about their future, even though there are still many necessities in life that must be met, why do people prefer to spend it on gambling, it's strange .

[Iroh]

I don’t think this should surprise anyone. This is just one of thousands of scenarios where people display some form of irresponsibility when gambling. This isn’t the first person to gamble away literally all the money he has and sadly, there would probably be more people who would do the same later.
Compulsive gamblers are more likely to spend all the money they’ve got on themselves placing bets. They don’t stop until all the money is exhausted. There isn’t any discipline on their finances.

Individuals like the one mentioned in the OP are either fully or well on their way towards addiction. It would be best to seek help.

[Eternad]

It's definitely rough when a friend hits you up for cash because they blew it all gambling. I've had my own moments of going too far with gambling but luckily

This rough but I commend the courage of OP friend on telling the truth about his gambling problem before he ask financial assistance since he can just lied that he was financially short due to something else instead of telling the truth about gambling since it will be very hard for him to get help if he show sign of addiction which he really have.

I've never been completely broke. When I realized I was risking too much, I stopped and kept what I had for important stuff. It's all about knowing when to pull back and take care of yourself. If you ever find yourself in that spot, it's okay to say no to that last bet and prioritize what's really important. And reaching out for support or advice can make a big difference too

The typical problem of gambler is knowing when to pullback that’s why there’s a lot of addiction cases since it’s very hard to do that in reality for people that frequently gamble. Probably you are just gambling occasionally which is why you can manage to control yourself before you become addicted but this not the case to the others.

[Odohu]

A friend, (doesn't stay close to me) called me up on the phone this morning, I was surprised to see his call since it's been a while we Last spoke to each other, and talking to him again on the phone was the last thing on my mind, and Answered the call and we greeted as usual.
He went on to ask me for financial assistance, that he is totally broke and have asked all his friends who are close by, and non of them agreed they have enough so as to lend him some money, he went on to tell me that I am his last hope, that he wouldn't have bothered me if he had anyone else to call or turn to.

I asked him what happened? What the sudden need for financial assistance? He tried lying (I noticed from his turn) but later, he opened tell me that he had some funds on him which could possibly have sustained him until this month ending to get his salary, but he didn't know what came over him, he went to a casino last night and in the process of trying out one and two games, he gambled and lost every single penny on him, and now, he has nothing to fall back on for the few days remaining before he gets his salary for the month of March.

Long story short, I wasn't going to help him, most especially for the fact his a single guy, but out of pity, I later lended him $20.

But then, this got me wondering why a full grown person will gamble until he or she has no money left in his or her bank account, and no cash at hand, I personally have on several occasions gambled away every single cash I had at hand, but I always had some money in the bank to fall back on, together with my family.

I am just wondering if anyone here have ever been in a similar situation before? That is, gambling until you are completely broke with nothing to fall back on?
No money in the bank, no cash in the hand, what did you do?

Or maybe gambled until you are one bet away from going broke (if you lose), do you go ahead and risk the money, or cancel the bet and  keep that money for something more important?

This is something that is common and I have seen it more than once. First, you have to understand that he is your friend and what make you his friend is often tested in a time of challenges, like he is facing now which is gambling addiction. lending him money is just a temporary solution but the actually solution will be to help him overcome the addiction because without it, it wouldn't have gotten to the point of you lending him money. You have to make effort to advice him to manage his gambling activities in such a manner that it will not impact negatively on him. It is a gradual process and if you try you can help him overcome. Like I said before, he is your friend and what you did is nice and highly commendable nd encourage you to do more so he will be able to find lasting solution to his problem.

[Rabata]

In this concern your friend seeks financial help from you. There are many gamblers who reach out to friends with no recourse when they lose their last fortune. At that moment it is difficult to return him without giving something. Because those who lose everything in gambling they become depressed. I was also in such a situation where my friend requested me to lend him some money. When I asked him why he needed money he told me he needed money for some other work. But I already heard about him from some of my other friends. He gambles regularly. I contemplated whether to give him the money at that point and at one point told him that I wouldn't give him the money if the money was borrowed for gambling purposes. He lied to me and took the money. I gave him that day because he never came to me to borrow money. I know he gambled with my money and lost. I thought to myself that I would never lend him money again.

[Yogee]

It's not as stupid as what your friend did but I've been through a similar situation before. It was during the early days of my gambling and I can tell you that it ain't fun at all. I was also tempted to borrow but it didn't came to that point since I don't want anyone to know that I'm falling short because of gambling.

[Ultegra134]

You were too nice and lenient on him; I personally wouldn't lend him a single cent; it's like giving a drug addict his dose. I'm guessing that you already acknowledge that there's a high chance of not receiving your money back—not that it's a large amount, but the motive is what counts in this case. Unfortunately, having seen a few similar cases myself, this is all proof of how harmful gambling addiction is. I've never been in that situation and am not planning to ever be. I can't imagine how someone can end up like that. It's a vicious, never-ending cycle.

If I were you, I'd refrain from lending him money again. Although he might return the $20, you'll be a close contact for borrowing money in the future.

[yudi09]

I am just wondering if anyone here have ever been in a similar situation before? That is, gambling until you are completely broke with nothing to fall back on?
No money in the bank, no cash in the hand, what did you do?

Or maybe gambled until you are one bet away from going broke (if you lose), do you go ahead and risk the money, or cancel the bet and  keep that money for something more important?

So far, I have never gambled until I went bankrupt because I no longer had all the money and types of goods left that could be used as betting material.
But seeing people who play until they go bankrupt is like your story. The player is old and already has grandchildren, but now that person has died.

The story begins with his habit of gambling in a place with people he didn't know before.
He brought a large amount of money and as a reserve, he told me to keep it in my trouser pocket. When the money ran out, he would take what was kept with me.
One day, I remember very well, in a very exciting situation he lost all his money, including what was stored in my trouser pocket, until there was nothing left, but he wanted to play so much that he was forced to use the ring as a bet.

[Hirose UK]

In fact, that is the risk if someone gambles until they lose control and experience some bad luck such as bankruptcy, they decide to gamble, which means indirectly they have to be prepared for all the risks involved.
Even though things like this often happen, we must not sympathize and help him so easily, he must learn to have sense of responsibility and accept everything with the right attitude.
If something like this happens again or there is still feeling of pity and sympathy in helping materially then he will underestimate every problem that occurs and that is the human attitude.

Problems like this should also teach us many things related to self-control, time and money management.
There are many things to consider when using money to gamble because even though are single and not yet burdened by family needs, still have to think about the long term and also save to be able to have decent life in the future.

[goaldigger]

It's not as stupid as what your friend did but I've been through a similar situation before. It was during the early days of my gambling and I can tell you that it ain't fun at all. I was also tempted to borrow but it didn't came to that point since I don't want anyone to know that I'm falling short because of gambling.

I guess we all have this kind of moment in our gambling experience and I also have this one. I was totally broke before because of gambling and that was a wake up call for me to choose the best side to live a life and make up for everything I’ve missed because of gambling. Now I know how to handle this and fortunately I was able to get it through, though I still gamble but I can manage my risk now and I can say that I’m totally a responsible gambler now.

[0t3p0t]

I personally do not experience this kind of scenario but I experienced spending more than what I can not afford to lose and that really hurt my pocket. But what your friends experience is so alarming and I think that is some kind of desperation or addiction.

[Taskford]

A friend, (doesn't stay close to me) called me up on the phone this morning, I was surprised to see his call since it's been a while we Last spoke to each other, and talking to him again on the phone was the last thing on my mind, and Answered the call and we greeted as usual.
He went on to ask me for financial assistance, that he is totally broke and have asked all his friends who are close by, and non of them agreed they have enough so as to lend him some money, he went on to tell me that I am his last hope, that he wouldn't have bothered me if he had anyone else to call or turn to.

I asked him what happened? What the sudden need for financial assistance? He tried lying (I noticed from his turn) but later, he opened tell me that he had some funds on him which could possibly have sustained him until this month ending to get his salary, but he didn't know what came over him, he went to a casino last night and in the process of trying out one and two games, he gambled and lost every single penny on him, and now, he has nothing to fall back on for the few days remaining before he gets his salary for the month of March.

Long story short, I wasn't going to help him, most especially for the fact his a single guy, but out of pity, I later lended him $20.

But then, this got me wondering why a full grown person will gamble until he or she has no money left in his or her bank account, and no cash at hand, I personally have on several occasions gambled away every single cash I had at hand, but I always had some money in the bank to fall back on, together with my family.

I am just wondering if anyone here have ever been in a similar situation before? That is, gambling until you are completely broke with nothing to fall back on?
No money in the bank, no cash in the hand, what did you do?

Or maybe gambled until you are one bet away from going broke (if you lose), do you go ahead and risk the money, or cancel the bet and  keep that money for something more important?

Maybe he just said that out of pride since he want to look cool into the eyes of his friends that happen on some people since they always want to boost up and gain a attention from a lots of people. Most of this guys would just realize the mistake they have done once they experience how they lost all their money like nothing left on their pockets.  We can also determine that people engaging in this actions are addicted individual so maybe instead of taking to much attention with their toxicity then maybe we let them get the dose of the action they have done since once they experience to get broke for the first time for sure they would never do or decide to commit the same mistake again.

[legendbtc]

I don’t think this should surprise anyone. This is just one of thousands of scenarios where people display some form of irresponsibility when gambling. This isn’t the first person to gamble away literally all the money he has and sadly, there would probably be more people who would do the same later.
Compulsive gamblers are more likely to spend all the money they’ve got on themselves placing bets. They don’t stop until all the money is exhausted. There isn’t any discipline on their finances.

Individuals like the one mentioned in the OP are either fully or well on their way towards addiction. It would be best to seek help.

Well, these people are addicted to gambling. I don't think they will stop when they run out of money. Players will constantly chase bets that lead to losses, drain savings, borrow money, or even steal or cheat to get money to satisfy their addiction. When participating in gambling, they accept countless elements of pure chance and leave their assets to the "god of luck" to decide. Act recklessly despite all risks. Despite being aware of the risk of debt or bankruptcy, addicts continue to take themselves to casinos or participate in betting to get their money back. They will never be able to control themselves.

If you feel signs of gambling out of control, hope those people quickly withdraw, lest they have to repent and suffer a torment of conscience.

[crwth]

I know a lot of people who have really pushed their luck in gambling and continuously do cash advancements in the company just to gamble it all away. I think they are managing their money like this and have probably lost more than should've. I was completely aware of how he was handling his money and tried to ask me for some and I just steered away and said that I don't have any extra money.

It's saddening of people losing money to addiction and it's not what they want but they keep doing it. I believe it's something that would take someone over the edge if it's not controlled in any way.

They should probably stop if it's hurting somebody.

[Mauser]

I am just wondering if anyone here have ever been in a similar situation before? That is, gambling until you are completely broke with nothing to fall back on?
No money in the bank, no cash in the hand, what did you do?

Or maybe gambled until you are one bet away from going broke (if you lose), do you go ahead and risk the money, or cancel the bet and  keep that money for something more important?

That's a bit of tricky question, because I like to limit my bankroll as much possible to keep my losses in check. So, I have a fixed amount of money I gamble with each month and if I lose than I am not going to deposit any new money in that month. It feels like being broke even though I still have savings that I could use. Having a clear cut between my gambling bankroll, my emergency savings and my investment money helps me to build a long term portfolio. It's the same when going to visit our local casino with friends, we usually all only take a fixed amount of cash with us and if we lose that money than that's it for the night. There can be unlucky situations where myself or a friend blows through his whole bankroll very early during the night. Then a friend who had been more lucky will lend a small amount, but that's only for placing a few minimum size bets. The rest of the night means drinking and watching others gamble, which is also a lot of fun.

[Onyeeze]

Some people is extremely gambling addicted and they don't to realize what they lose at that moment in time when they only think of anything good about them is when they have lose what they have that is why I always emphasize that whoever that is into gambling should have a statistics of expenses and the person should spend according to it monthly and the weekly receiving it income so that you can be able to stand whenever it lose gambling much, if you are earning a $200 weekly and you are a gambler I think what should be better for you to gamble with should be at least $70 or $50 so that you have a remainder that you can use and sustain yourself whenever you lose constantly without any winning but some people does not take it to heart they will rather use all the money they have to gamble even ask for borrow from their friends or whoever that is around them hoping that that they will win when you have such mentality in gambling you have gone far and it will be hard before you come amend yourself we need to always be calculative in gambling so that you will withstand your loss

[348Judah]

Its a very bad thing to see that the reason to why some are broke today was due to their addictive nature to gambling, we should at least be able to caution ourself to a reasonable extent that some steps and decision in which we take does not affects us, we are not gambling in other to make our lives miserable, we are gambling because we want to have fun and make use of our free time on something worthwhile, we should change the kind of mentally we have that such abuses the way we are gambling and our life as well is being affected by such.

[uneng]

But then, this got me wondering why a full grown person will gamble until he or she has no money left in his or her bank account, and no cash at hand, I personally have on several occasions gambled away every single cash I had at hand, but I always had some money in the bank to fall back on, together with my family.

People who gamble until the last penny are compulsive gamblers who live the moment and don't think about long term consequences. This kind of mindset actually prejudices these gamblers on every aspects of their lives, going much further than financial matters. They are called losers because they don't make progress with their finances, relationships, careers and personal development. These people have difficulties keeping promises, following routines and achieving long term goals. They are too confusing and unstable, unfortunatelly, and those around them like family, friends and lovers tend to suffer a lot for the lack of commitment these individuals display.

Since you lent money to your friend once, you can expect he will come back for more, because you are probably one of the few contacts he has which did so... I suggest you not doing this anymore, because you are simply fueling his addiction. If you want to help, maybe you could lend money to his family, so they can pay their bills and purchase food, but don't give money to him directly.

[EarnOnVictor]

-snip-
I am just wondering if anyone here have ever been in a similar situation before? That is, gambling until you are completely broke with nothing to fall back on?
No money in the bank, no cash in the hand, what did you do?

Or maybe gambled until you are one bet away from going broke (if you lose), do you go ahead and risk the money, or cancel the bet and  keep that money for something more important?

First, you did the right thing by borrowing him the $20, you just saved a brother from the mess, and since he has not found himself in that mess before, it is a very kind gesture you just extended to a fellow man. But if such repeats itself, you should not do that again so that he will feel it worse than the easy help he found.

As for your question, heck No, I have never placed a bet with any unaffordable money. I bet with a very low fraction of what I am worth which is the right way to go about betting. It will be easy for us to view betting as such that is not a means to guarantee our earnings but a risky means of getting money if possible. With this mindset, if one wants to gamble, such a person would think twice about gambling with an amount that would hurt him since it can come out with a win or a loss.

Gambling aside, it is just a senseless way of lifestyle for someone not to plan his life. One should know the money to spend, the money to save and so on. For someone to now misuse the opportunity he has and mispends for any reason is not what I entertained. And we should not pity them for any reason if they are adults. I know this is caused by a weak mind, nevertheless, it is not an excuse as one can train that weak mind to be strong, it depends on what we feed our minds most. It can only be the weak mind that would tell you to gamble all the money you have at a casino and start suffering and borrowing money up and down. If the mind is strong, the person will reject that temptation immediately. Living has to be well-planned, or else, we regret our actions.