Hardlife:
please were you addicted to virtual before. How did you overcome it. I cant stay a minute without thinking about my life and money i have lost. Right now, my heartbeat is above normal. I am so frustrated. Please help me.

Hardlife:
PLEASE I KNOW ALOT WILL NOT BELIEVE MY STORY. PLEASE IF YOU HAVE BEEN ADDICTED TO VIRTUAL GAMBLING. ONLY THEN WILL YOU UNDERSTAND.

ANYONE WITH SIMILAR EXPERIENCE. PLEASE HOW DID YOU QUIT. WHAT WERE THE RECORVERY PROCESSES YOU USED. I AM FRUSTRATED. I WANT TO QUIT. BUT I KEEP ON CHASING MY LOSSES. PLEASE HELP ME. I WANT TO GET MY LIFE BACK TOGETHER AGAIN. I AM TIRED. PLEASE HELP ME SOMEONE ONCE TOLD ME THAT LOSING MONEY WAS NOT THE PROBLEM I THINK I HAVE. THE WAY MY SUBCONSCIOUS MIND AND BRAIN HAS BEEN REWIRED IS THE BIG PROBLEM. TRUTH BE TOLD, I FEEL RESTLESS WHEN I DONT HAVE MONEY TO PLAY.

WHENEVER I AM PLAYING, I GET THIS HIGH LEVEL PEOPLE GET WHEN THEY SMOKE WEED. I FEEL FUELED. THE BIGGER THE AMOUNT I STAKE, THE BIGGER THE THRILLS I GET. HOW CAN THIS BE POSSIBLE. COULD THIS BE THE REAL REASON I AM ADDICTED AND NOT BECAUSE OF MY LOSSES

oyb:
This story is playing out all across Nigeria. No one is regulating gambling. Peoples lives are being destroyed. The house always wins.

TheKingIsHere:


Who told you that nobody is regulating gambling?

The reality is as crushing as scary. The new fad among teenagers in Lagos is that they take to gambling at a tender age. The situation compels SHOLA ADEKOLA, AKIN ADEWAKUN, LEKAN OLABULO, Ayomide Owonibi Odekanyin, NAZA OKOLI and NEWTON RAY-UKWUOMA to do an indepth story to save this younger generation almost irretrievably lost to the new craze in Lagos; gambling.



Francis, (surname witheld) a 15-year-old Senior Secondary School (SSS2) student of a government secondary school at Gowon Estate in Egbeda, Akowonjo should be any mother’s hope. But he is now a complete nightmare to a distraught mother who had no choice than tell her story for the world to hear, learn and possibly help her. Her “future” is gradually being ruined as the boy who should take care of her at her twilight, has been taken over by a new craze in Lagos; underage gambling. Francis’s mum (names withheld) can no longer keep mum or turn a blind eye as the social menace sucks in kids like Francis and gradually seduces them to addiction point.

Everyone agrees that times change. In fact, change is considered the only permanent thing in life. But nearly everyone desires a change for the better. While the unfolding generational change is now almost acceptable to all, there are societal issues like gambling, changing with time that should worry homes and families. While it is likely a national problem, it is almost of epidemic proportion in Lagos.

There was a time that adults hid to gamble in whatever form. Then, it was a thing of shame for such gamblers and even their families, to indulge in what was then considered as pastime of low-lives.

The Gambling Act 2005 (2005 c 19) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It mainly applies to England and Wales, and to Scotland, and is designed to control all forms of gambling. It transfers authority for licensing gambling from the magistrates' courts to local authorities (specifically unitary authorities, and the councils of metropolitan borough, non-metropolitan district and London boroughs), or to Scottish licensing boards. The Act also created the Gambling Commission.

The Act gives its objectives as

(a) preventing gambling from being a source of crime or disorder, being associated with crime or disorder or being used to support crime,

(b) ensuring that gambling is conducted in a fair and open way, and

(c) protecting children and other vulnerable persons from being harmed or exploited by gambling.

The Gambling Commission has set out further commitments to protecting children and young people from the dangers of gambling, building on work already underway in this area.

The Commission asked its expert advisers for specific advice on the critical theme of children, young people and gambling. Bringing together existing work and acting on the advice provided by the Responsible Gambling Strategy Board (RGSB), the Commission’s strengthened focus seeks to ensure the right protections are in place to reduce the risk of harm to children and young people.

The gambling regulator has called for all those responsible for safeguarding children, to work together with the Commission to address the wide range of issues identified in RGSB’s advice. Actions are needed to address:

access and exposure to gambling by children and young people
digital and online risks
preventative education and treatment
evidence collection and consumer engagement.

newbie2018:


hi OP.

I can relate 10000000001% to the agony you feel right now. I was once in your shoes but not my school fees but my hard earned salary after 30days I would loose to virtual in a day or two without attending to rent or basic needs first. I turned a beggar, eating from one room to the other of my co-tenants. my side business was in shambles because it's either am virtualling and can't open my shop or my shop is open but I am in the virtual shop. I did everything to try to stop but all to no avail, I swore with a Bible never to play again... I managed to stay away a week or few days and I was back. to make matters worse I started to work in a bet9ja shop the very first day was a disaster I played 25000 on the spot, the very first day I started the job lucky for me the boss wasn't around, I quickly ran to a cousin sister and cried for help on how my boss would kill me, she pardoned me and lent me the money instantly, I put it into my boss purse, he returned and was very happy the sales I had made. I almost burst in tears in his presence, surprisingly I didn't quit but worked there for 2/3 months more but my brother my salary I never saw because I had shortages upon shortages and sometimes had to use my savings to fill up my mess, my bank account read zero.

guess what I did next and you should try it too. I swore with my MOTHERS LIFE never to play virtual again and believe me I have been Prolly 5years clean now (I LOVE MY MOM TOO MUCH OH) and its even better now because I am no longer her in Nigeria even though back then I played both on and offline.

I don't know what's wrong with the Nigerian Government, this bet9ja ish has ruined the youths financially. in some countries gambling is illegal. why will the Nigerian Government encourage a disease like bet9ja (am not surprised I heard LASG is one of the sponsors, my pastor back then in Nigeria who happens to be a top bank official says bet9ja deposits in billions weekly and this was about 5/6 years ago).

my friend OP you may not try what I did but I am on my knees, I do not even know you but you must stop. you have to put your life on the line someway, I n
do not know if "swearing" works but I am never virtualling with my mother's life .

be smart

oyb:



https://lslb.lg.gov.ng/lottery-law/

that is the lagos state lottery law

it does nothing to prevent this

http://www.tribuneonlineng.com/60551/


https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Gambling_Commission

[/b]

is there anything in that document that protects children from exploitation by gambling?

http://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/home.aspx

http://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/news-action-and-statistics/news/2018/Gambling-Commission-announces-further-plans-to-protect-children.aspx



unfortunately, LASG is only interested in tax and license fees - until some bigwigs kids get ensnared. then their eyes will clear

Koralords:


Bro you not alone .....2012 before starting bet9ja I bought 3 cars same time from the USA ..had $28k in my Dom account ....have 3.8m in my accounts ...everything went bet9ja ..the day I sold of my car I staked 750k onces on a match and lost ....now have less then 200k in my act and squart with ppl

Hardlife:
Please try and read to the end. I am a young guy early twenties. I have been playing virtual since 2014. I was never this useless and unpurposeful. My life changed when i entered university. It all started in 2014 when i walked into a nairabet close to my school and saw people playing virtual. I decided to play, as i remember i won that period. I never knew the day i started was the day i gave the devil the key to my life. In 2014, i spent my school fees on virtual, lost everything. Sold my phones, my feeding money and everything. All went to virtual. So i was not able to continue my education, though i remained in school not letting my parents know till this year. Dear reader, from 2014 to date have been the worst years of my life. I stole to play virtual, sold my properties, my clothes, shoes. I became an addict. Even not being a formal student, i still collected money from my parents, school fees and allowance. Everything ends up in virtual house. I could not even buy good clothes.

TheKingIsHere:



If you know anyone or anybody that has a betting shop ask them if they allow anyone under the age of 18yrs to play.

Infact, many don't even allow young people to come near their shops because many agents have been arrested.

When 16-year-old Abiodun Kalejaiye was first introduced to sports betting in January 2017, he felt reluctant to participate in the game as he had always imagined it a wasteful adventure. But after much persuasion by friends, he joined them to hang around the neighbourhood sports betting centre in Agege, Lagos.

Nine months after, he said, he now enjoys the game because it is fun and “very lucrative.”

“I first thought it was like MMM but I have realized that it (Sports betting) is very lucrative,” he told a PREMIUM TIMES undercover reporter who was at the sports betting centre in the guise of a naïve but interested bettor. “If you play with as little as N150, you can win as much as N5, 000 to N8, 000 or more depending on how the games ‘come’ out,” he explained further in Yoruba.

Abiodun’s participation in Sports betting, something legally reserved for adults above 18-years-old, is not unique, PREMIUM TIMES investigation reveals.

Section 34 of the National Lottery Act, 2005 stipulates that it is illegal for underage to be involved in betting.

“Any person who knowingly sells to any person under the age of eighteen years any ticket in a lottery operated by a licensee…commits an offence and shall be liable to conviction to a fine of not less than N20, 000 or imprisonment for a term of not less than one year or both such fine and imprisonment,” the law states.

But due to poor enforcement, thousands of underage teenagers like Abiodun, a SSS 2 student of a private secondary school in Tabon-tabon area of Agege, Lagos State, have taken to sports betting for varying reasons.

Many of these underage bettors narrate their reasons for venturing into sports betting to PREMIUM TIMES.

TheKingIsHere:


Baba, never swear with your mother's life again. She wasn't the one who took you to play gamble.

Next time swear with your own life, so that if you break the promise, you will pay with your own life.

Hardlife:
Well, i took last jamb, i passed very
well to the joy of everybody. They thought i was back to being
normal but secretly i was still playing
virtual. Virtual has eaten deep in my blood. All the money i managed to save
before the jamb period while at home
still ended up in virtual. I want to stop but i cant. Fast forward everything to today the
7th of july. I took the money for my
post utme form to play virtual. My heartbeat was felt by the person
close to me when i lost the last kobo i
came with. Till now i have not
stopped thinking, nobody knows. now
i am thinking how to get the money
back. I am a dead man alive. Gambling has eaten deep into my
soul. i am finished. I AM TIRED AND FRUSTRATED,
SOMEBODY PLEASE HELP ME. I
WANT TO STOP. I WANT TO HAVE MY LIFE BACK
TOGETHER. PLEASE HELP ME IF
YOU HAVE HAD SIMILAR
EXPERIENCE. I AM DYING SLOWLY. I NEED
HELP. TODAY I HAVE PUT A
STOP TO IT. GOD HELP ME.
PLEASE
HOW CAN I QUIT FOREVER

Hardlife:
PLEASE I KNOW ALOT WILL NOT BELIEVE MY STORY. PLEASE IF YOU HAVE BEEN ADDICTED TO VIRTUAL GAMBLING. ONLY THEN WILL YOU UNDERSTAND.

ANYONE WITH SIMILAR EXPERIENCE. PLEASE HOW DID YOU QUIT. WHAT WERE THE RECORVERY PROCESSES YOU USED. I AM FRUSTRATED. I WANT TO QUIT. BUT I KEEP ON CHASING MY LOSSES. PLEASE HELP ME. I WANT TO GET MY LIFE BACK TOGETHER AGAIN. I AM TIRED. PLEASE HELP ME SOMEONE ONCE TOLD ME THAT LOSING MONEY WAS NOT THE PROBLEM I THINK I HAVE. THE WAY MY SUBCONSCIOUS MIND AND BRAIN HAS BEEN REWIRED IS THE BIG PROBLEM. TRUTH BE TOLD, I FEEL RESTLESS WHEN I DONT HAVE MONEY TO PLAY.

WHENEVER I AM PLAYING, I GET THIS HIGH LEVEL PEOPLE GET WHEN THEY SMOKE WEED. I FEEL FUELED. THE BIGGER THE AMOUNT I STAKE, THE BIGGER THE THRILLS I GET. HOW CAN THIS BE POSSIBLE. COULD THIS BE THE REAL REASON I AM ADDICTED AND NOT BECAUSE OF MY LOSSES

Martzki:
Are you on facebook

Hardlife:
please were you addicted to virtual before. How did you overcome it. I cant stay a minute without thinking about my life and money i have lost. Right now, my heartbeat is above normal. I am so frustrated. Please help me.

francescainnoce:

Can I have your number please please

Hardlife:
Well, i took last jamb, i passed very
well to the joy of everybody. They thought i was back to being
normal but secretly i was still playing
virtual. Virtual has eaten deep in my blood. All the money i managed to save
before the jamb period while at home
still ended up in virtual. I want to stop but i cant. Fast forward everything to today the
7th of july. I took the money for my
post utme form to play virtual. My heartbeat was felt by the person
close to me when i lost the last kobo i
came with. Till now i have not
stopped thinking, nobody knows. now
i am thinking how to get the money
back. I am a dead man alive. Gambling has eaten deep into my
soul. i am finished. I AM TIRED AND FRUSTRATED,
SOMEBODY PLEASE HELP ME. I
WANT TO STOP. I WANT TO HAVE MY LIFE BACK
TOGETHER. PLEASE HELP ME IF
YOU HAVE HAD SIMILAR
EXPERIENCE. I AM DYING SLOWLY. I NEED
HELP. TODAY I HAVE PUT A
STOP TO IT. GOD HELP ME.
PLEASE
HOW CAN I QUIT FOREVER

onlyonechid84:
My friend the solution to stop gambling isnt only prayers. If I talk my story, you will give God the Glory for given you a second chance to received sense into your life.
If you have ever used house rent twice to gambling and still loose you will comprehend what I mean.
Fast forward - solution : if u are an online gambler meet a good friend to help u change your password and never to tell u the password that's after deleting your account.
2. Never Go near a betting shop, tell that gambling spirit to leave you anything time you approach a betting shop.
3. Attend more activities in your church. .If you are not one join a group. Don't be idle.
4. Stay with friends who never and that can never encourage gambling.
5. Tell God to forgive you.

Hardlife:
sir i cant even access mail due to my phone issue. all thanks to virtual. this is my number. 08108604610. pls text me. Thank you for your concern.

Xtine22:

bro, don't give up! continue playing as you may chop 50m one day to recover ur losses.... always play sure game

oyb:


So? you tried to help a single person somehow means you are not a bad person? or it s only things you see in front of you that you are bothered about?

think about this - people are using their school fees , their money for the month, the company money, the money for feeding, their children's school fees , money client gave them to buy car [that one is up your alley, not so?] to fund their gambling habit. these choices will cascade and cause them no end of misery.

there is no such thing as pure black and white. even the most evil men in history have people who will say they did good for them. that is a flawed analogy. you think yahoo boys don't also help people? do you think your helping one single person will somehow undo all the other lives you have destroyed?




and that is precisely why there is a need for government regulation. most 'capitalists'' left to their own devices will destroy their customers for profits. this is not a benign business. it is a business that is actively destroying people. the OP is just one of thousands of people who are destroying their jobs, families etc because of gambling addiction.