Former Gambling Addict Joined Aquarius to Help Others

Sam Perry, 33, started betting in 2018 and lost tens of thousands of pounds in two years. Luckily, he eventually mustered up the courage to seek help. The British man lost £60,000 to gambling but rediscovered himself and is now helping others overcome their addiction.

In an interview with PA Real Stories, Perry reminisced about his years of addiction.

Same Old Story

Perry, like many others, was introduced to gambling by a friend. However, what really hooked him, was his first win. As someone who had been diagnosed with autism as a child, Perry believed that his tendency to become over-fixated was responsible for his eventual addiction. He soon started playing slots and table games on a daily basis.

The man eventually took up a job in a Bromsgrove betting shop where he wasn’t allowed to use his phone. As a result, he couldn’t help but watch the screens at the shop and became interested in horse racing too. He would discuss the sector with customers and eventually started gambling for up to five hours a day.

Luckily, Perry was able to organize his monthly income and didn’t lack money for rent or food. However, he refused to spend money on anything else but the bare necessities and gambling. When asked why he didn’t have much money, he would always blame it on bills.

Perry never told his loved ones that he gambles and would purposefully plan his betting shop visits in accordance with his father’s schedule to avoid getting seen betting. He would also isolate himself as he thought that no one would understand his addiction. At one point, Perry even contemplated suicide because of the constant pressure.

The Turning Point

Perry’s gambling reached a turning point when one day he maxed out his overdraft, spending over £1,150 in a few hours. He felt really stressed about it at the time and felt guilty that he didn’t have anything to show for the money he spent.

Realizing that he must do something about his habits, Perry opened up to his family, who were very supportive. The day after that, he reached out to Aquarius, a gambling disorder treatment provider. He was quickly able to talk with someone but was warned that they could not help him if he could not help himself.

Perry then started the arduous journey of quitting gambling. He admitted that he did gamble a few times by buying lottery tickets and FIFA cards but didn’t consider this relapse to be a bad thing. According to Perry, quitting gambling is a “learning curve.”

In 2022, Perry joined the safer gambling team at an online casino. By helping others, he became more confident and saw a great improvement in his own gambling habits. In November 2023, Perry joined Aquarius, opting to help other people struggling with gambling addiction.

Joining Aquarius was the final nail in the coffin – it made me want to stop and now I’ve gone from living that gambling lifestyle to helping other people through it.

Sam Perry

Perry has also supported GambleAware’s anti-gambling stigma campaign, which seeks to help people feel comfortable to talk about their gambling struggles.

Now, several years after his lowest point, Perry has found a number of enjoyments other than gambling, including fishing, acting and working out. He encouraged anyone who believes they have a gambling problem to open up and contact a treatment provider.