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Pokies addicts share tales as gambling reform gets NSW election concern: Jay Bateman and Tim Gray

Bynewsmagzines

Feb 19, 2023
For 28-year-old Central Coast tradie Jay Bateman, a night out with friends shortly after he turned 18 sparked a near-decade-long battle with gambling addiction


From working with a poker equipment on a night time out at 18, to currently being allowed into a VIP area as a ‘tall’ 15-year-previous, two previous poker machine addicts have shared their stories of gambling harm and recovery.

For 28-calendar year-previous Central Coastline tradie Jay Bateman, a night time out with friends shortly after he turned 18 sparked a around-10 years-very long fight with gambling addiction.

He describes heading into a Pub TAB room again then as a ‘right of passage’ but whilst his good friends stopped, he couldn’t.

‘(Applying the poker equipment) likely one particular of the 1st points you’d be eager to do,’ he advised NCA NewsWire.

‘I assumed it was just the matter to do for the reason that absolutely everyone is chatting about it. (It was like) you’d just have to see for your self and have a go.’

For 28-year-old Central Coast tradie Jay Bateman, a night out with friends shortly after he turned 18 sparked a near-decade-long battle with gambling addiction

For 28-12 months-outdated Central Coast tradie Jay Bateman, a night time out with friends soon immediately after he turned 18 sparked a near-10 years-long fight with gambling dependancy

Both major parties have released policies to gambling harm for the upcoming NSW election

Both major parties have released policies to gambling harm for the upcoming NSW election

Both of those major events have released guidelines to gambling damage for the forthcoming NSW election

Mr Bateman shared his story amid gambling reform rising as a dominant challenge in the guide up to the March 25 NSW state election. To day, both equally big events have unveiled policies to lower cash laundering via gambling machines and decrease gambling harm.

NSW Leading Dominic Perrottet has dedicated to make all poker devices cashless by 2025, with gamblers capable to established a daily limit which can only be enhanced each 7 times, as perfectly as bans on automated and credit score card major-ups.

Opposition chief Chris Minns has proposed a 500-equipment cashless trial, in addition hard cash feed-in boundaries of $500 – minimized from $5000.

By the time Mr Bateman was 19, the bulk of his pay back was likely towards gambling. A tiny reduction for the tradie-turned-social employee was about $50 in a night time, having said that that variety could arrive at up to $2000 if he was trying to ‘chase the win’.

He estimates he would have misplaced around $50,000 to poker machines through his wrestle.

‘I was acquiring paid roughly $1200 a 7 days and I’d go gambling about 50 percent an hour following it went in,’ Mr Bateman stated.

‘I’d almost certainly shed $200 that night time, then you’d feel bad and then the next working day you’d really feel like likely once more for the reason that you’d misplaced it. It is a vicious cycle.’

To this working day, Mr Bateman does not recognize what led to his ‘full-time addiction’. In the course of its top, he says he was employing poker equipment on most times of the week.

‘Pretty a great deal any spare time I had, I’d see myself going down the road to play and use them,’ he mentioned.

‘To be sincere, I do not even know how I acquired myself in there. They kind of just trap you.

‘The whole day, they are bringing in cost-free pies and sausage rolls. They have all these points and it’s like they’re environment up the ecosystem for you not to depart.’

Around six months ago, Mr Bateman misplaced his remaining dollar down a poker device. Paralysed by financial strain, he observed himself borrowing income from spouse and children associates, inspite of involved pals and family members users achieving out.

‘I couldn’t help you save for anything and I was not leaving myself just about anything,’ he said.

Mr Bateman mentioned the procedure of quitting was ‘quite easy’ when he made up his intellect, and also attended counselling periods at Wesley Mission which served him ‘open up’ about his habit.

Sydney tour guide, local musician and Gumbayngirr/Wiradjuri/Bidjigal man Tim Gray, 42, says he went to his first pokies room at the age of 15

Sydney tour guide, local musician and Gumbayngirr/Wiradjuri/Bidjigal man Tim Gray, 42, says he went to his first pokies room at the age of 15

Sydney tour manual, community musician and Gumbayngirr/Wiradjuri/Bidjigal gentleman Tim Gray, 42, says he went to his very first pokies place at the age of 15

‘My grandmother forwarded me on to the Wesley Mission. I bought a pamphlet from her two months in the past that was a great cellphone phone,’ he extra.

‘I’ve arrive to the realisation and observed out that the precise gain is if you don’t put any income in the device them selves.’

‘I went into my first pokies area at 15’: Tim Gray, 42

Sydney tour guide, nearby musician and Gumbayngirr/Wiradjuri/Bidjigal man Tim Grey, 42, states he went to his first pokies room at the age of 15.

‘I’ve completed that considering that I was 15. I was permitted in pubs then mainly because I was so tall and they just preferred the funds,’ he informed NCA NewsWire.

‘It was just usually the funds. Seeking more and much more. Primarily being an addict, even if you earn, it is not sufficient.’

Even though Mr Grey has been sober from medicines and alcohol because 2008, he observed he continued gambling by way of poker devices ‘on-and-off’ by means of his sobriety.

‘When an addict presents up ingesting, they want to give it up but I didn’t want to give up gambling I just required to have some thing,’ he explained.

‘I also constantly struggled with money and I just wanted some simple money to get me my little home. Now I’ve realised that is not heading to work.

‘I’m now treating the gambling like I did with alcoholic beverages and drink. GA, counselling and a economic counsellor,’ he included.

Mr Grey stated the peak of his wrestle arrived in Oct 2022, when he strike a ‘rock bottom, is it going to eliminate me?’ instant.

Remaining at a motel for function, he spent the expense of the motel and his hire revenue on gambling.

‘I would have acquired arrested but a person paid it for me,’ he said.

It was the considered of his rescue cat, Crystal, although he was at his cheapest that brought on him to pause and replicate.

‘Even all this time although I have been broke, I’ve manufactured sure this cat has experienced meals and litter, even if I really don’t,’ he explained.

Now approaching his 90th working day of sobriety, Mr Gray needs to share his struggles in the hopes of supporting other folks.

‘Just check with for aid. It’s surely not easy, but just access out to chat to an individual you have confidence in and never truly feel ashamed,’ he mentioned.

‘That’s why it can be superior to converse to counsellors and men and women on the cellular phone, like Lifeline.’

Tim Gray said the peak of his struggle came in October 2022, when he hit a 'rock bottom, is it going to kill me?' moment

Tim Gray said the peak of his struggle came in October 2022, when he hit a 'rock bottom, is it going to kill me?' moment

Tim Gray reported the peak of his struggle came in October 2022, when he hit a ‘rock base, is it heading to kill me?’ minute

He hopes the present-day conversations around gambling reform will in the long run lessen the total of poker devices in pubs and golf equipment, and hopes venues will be in a position to exchange missing earnings via foods or stay new music.

‘I barely went to the casino even in my worst gambling period of time, I’d head to a pub or club,’ he said.

‘We never need to have points that are likely to consider all our income absent. Communities have to have items that help us.

‘What is additional crucial? Income or lives?’

Resource: | This article initially belongs to Dailymail.co.uk

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