Mike Korpi: Gambling Addiction easier to hide than other addictions

Man walks cross-country with a purpose
By RICKY CAMPBELL
Register Citizen Staff


Michael Korpi, from Seattle, Washington is walking across the country to raise awareness of problem gambling. Korpi left Seattle on Oct. 4, 2010 and hopes to reach Boston on July 1 in time for the National Conference on Problem Gambling. Korpi stopped in Torrington with his two dogs, Buddy (pictured) and Blackjack, Wednesday afternoon.

TORRINGTON — Wednesday’s showers may have soaked his external being, but they weren’t enough to damper the spirits — or determination — of Michael Korpi in his trek across the country.

While some people find themselves traveling across the United States this summer with their families, college buddies or following a band, entertainment is far from Korpi’s mind as he made his way through the Litchfield Hills en route to Boston. This 24-year-old self-professed recovering gambling addict crossed East Main Street in Torrington through the downpour as he nears the last leg of his journey, raising awareness for gambling addiction.

Korpi left his home in Seattle on Oct. 4 after previously being suspended from two different colleges for fraudulently funding online poker accounts. He found himself stealing money — and losing it all — from close friends, leaving him with burned holes in his pockets and a delay in his education plans.

“I wanted to do something good for myself and for everyone else,” Korpi said. The Washington resident and his two dogs, Buddy and Blackjack, were seeking refuge from the showers under an awning at the local Burger King. “I’m not out to ban gambling.

“It goes unnoticed because the symptoms are easier to hide than other addictions,” he continued. “Some people can handle it very well, but I couldn’t. The reality is most people can gamble without problems.”

Gambling, Korpi said, is unlike addictions to narcotics or alcohol abuse because the physical toll doesn’t make itself present. It does, however, mirror those dependences by driving humans to unfortunate extents.

Korpi said his problems began when he was in high school, playing poker with some friends. Soon, the snowball effect brought him to a place he was no longer comfortable, saying he had issues managing money, not a gambling problem.

“It was online poker that got me in trouble,” he said.

Fast-forward seven years after being dealt his first hand, Korpi said he only had a few options. One was to take his higher education hiatus and use it to get a job, working out the daily grind, or do find something else to do with his spare time. Something to benefit himself and others.


The daily routine for Korpi begins by walking 15-20 miles a day, sleeping in his tent or finding a hotel room to crash in for a night. He said convenience stores are the norm for food stops, but he enjoys all the exercise that comes with a journey beginning in the Pacific Northwest, down through the Arizona deserts, then eastbound before hitting the Hub.

“I’ve encountered nothing but nice people out there who helped me when they can,” said Korpi, claiming one of his fondest memories was the hike through New Mexico’s various landscape. “You have to take it one day at a time. Any long trip across the continent, you have to take it one day at a time. It’s for my own personal commitment to stop gambling.”

When asked if he focuses his mind’s eye on his former addiction during his time walking the roads, Korpi said, “I think about everything. It’s not just the gambling, but about whatever is going on.”

There are approximately 130 miles left for Korpi, Blackjack and Buddy before the Seattle native reaches the Conference on Problem Gambling in downtown Boston, beginning June 30. With gambling behind him, it may be safe to say the hardest part of his journey has already been conquered.

To read about Michael Korpi’s journey, see his blog at MichaelWalksAmerica.com