Former problem gambler condemns Vaughan's casino idea
Former problem gambler shares spiral into addiction. When a former problem gambler heard Vaughan was considering bringing a casino here, he said he considered it one of the most “irresponsible ideas” he’d ever heard from a group of local politicians. He shares his personal journey. Illustration by Steve Somerville
'I finally admitted it and surrendered,” he said. “I was powerless, my life had become unmanageable. I stopped the lying, the cheating. That was my first day of recovery.' Luigi, former problem gambler
*The subject's name, age and family make-up have been altered to protect his identity.
When Luigi first read that Vaughan was considering bringing a casino to town, he said he considered it one of the most “irresponsible ideas” he had ever heard from a group of local politicians.
Almost instantaneously, the past 14 years of his life, during which he spent his days and nights lying and cheating his loved ones to feed his gambling addictions, came rushing back to him.
It was during these years that the “regular” son, father and brother, who had never been addicted to anything but cigarettes, stooped to levels he never thought imaginable.
Thankfully, he says he is now recovering and in counseling for his obsessions.
He said he brought his story to The Citizen as a warning of the evils of gambling and casinos.
“No amount of money could justify bringing this sort of misery to the people of Vaughan,” said the 49 year old.
His first encounter with the one-armed bandit (slots) came very innocently, along with some friends at Mohawk casino in 1994.
“At this point, Woodbine hadn’t opened yet,” said the local businessman.
“It was right at the beginning of gambling in Ontario, there was a buzz, the thrills the lights, the excitement. I enjoyed it, maybe too much.”
On that night he went home “the big winner”, claiming a prize of $1,500.
Despite desperately wanting to return the very next day, he decided to wait one day before going back.
The wait was excruciating.
“It (the win) was so easy, I just wanted to try it again,” said the married father of two. “I just couldn’t stop thinking about it.”
When he eventually did return, he lost $800.
That same weekend he found himself in front of the flashing lights once again.
Over time the cash he dealt with during work became his piggy bank.
“I would stay until I had nothing left in my pockets,” he said.
As addiction tends to do, the problem escalated until he found himself in the casino on a nightly basis.
In the first year he estimates he lost $20,000.
Soon after, it became a “real problem” at both his home and work, where it was becoming obvious that something was awry.
“The bills and mortgage all started getting behind,” he admitted. “But you find a way around it, you become a genius at innovative ideas of how to acquire money.”
By the second and third year he already owed his employer $12,000, but the problem was, the employer didn’t know this until it was too late. When they found out, he was let go.
“It’s a progressive sickness, it gets worse little by little,” he said. “One thing it never does is get better.”
By the end of the third year he had lost about $60,000, plus the entirety of his winnings, which included, among others, $30,000 in one sitting.
“This is the thing with a compulsive gambler,” said the Vaughan resident. “When you’re a compulsive gambler you never have any money in your pocket. That’s the great illusion, because no one ever really wins.”
By 1997 his family had convinced him to seek counselling.
Problem was he hadn’t admitted to himself that he had a problem.
After six months in the program he relapsed, and fell into a self-described “spiral” for the next 11 years.
“Between that decade plus, I was home physically, but mentally and emotionally I was not, I was in a gambling spiral,” he said. “I abandoned family, I don’t remember any kid’s birthdays or functions from that time.”
This time around the financial damage was so deep that he almost lost his home, family and friends, after borrowing plenty of cash and losing approximately $180,000.
At this point he was visiting the casino every night, often returning home at 5 or 6 a.m..
Often times he would binge, spending 3 days in a row in a 24-hour casino, only taking periodic breaks to rest in his car.
“I have done things as an adult, a father and a spouse that would astonish people,” he added. “What was my low point? I would have to say sneaking into my kid’s room to take $20 or $30 to feed my habit.”
He didn’t stop there he also took from his parents when they would give him money to “buy something for the kids”.
In times of desperation he would “take from the streets”, explaining, that meant, borrowing from loan sharks, whom he thankfully always paid back on time.
Soon his life went from one lie to the next, getting countless calls from banks, bill collectors and utilities.
He then retold a story he said he often thinks about.
“I remember being at the casino it was in the early morning,” he said. “I remember seeing a woman that I knew from Vaughan, sitting beside me. She was restless, nervous, sweating and wiping it away with one hand while playing slots with the other.
“I looked at her and said ‘Signora is everything OK? She looked at me and said ‘my husband was snoring in bed when I left at 2 a.m.. I snuck out of bed put my clothes and now here I am gambling, sneaking around just trying to keep it from my husband’.
That among other experiences scared him stiff, although the final straw came as it often does, through the long arm of the law.
It finally came time to face the music when he was charged for theft.
Although Luigi wouldn’t go into details it was clear it shook the decent, family man to the core.
“I finally admitted it and surrendered,” he said. “I was powerless, my life had become unmanageable.
I stopped the lying, the cheating. That was my first day of recovery.”
Luckily for Luigi his wife stood by him and he was able to get his life back on track.
Many, including people from all walks of life, lawyers, accountants, priests, teachers, have not been so lucky he said.
Since the day he rejected gambling two years ago, he’s been clean and although he didn’t want to come forward with his cautionary tale he said he had to after reading The Citizen article on the recent talks of a casino in Vaughan.
“Alarm bells went off, I had to come in and share my story,” he said. “I just can’t believe they’re even considering this, there are over 50,000 compulsive gamblers in Ontario. Those are the ones that have admitted it, there are thousands going through it right now. I wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy.”
http://www.yorkregion.com/news/article/1509720--former-problem-gambler-condemns-vaughan-s-casino-idea
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