Oh fuck.

[Fuckfuckfuck123]

Oh fuck. Ive just spent £200 on online slot machines. Im so ashamed. My money, but could have been put to better use. Im an idiot .

OP I do matched betting plus casino offers. I would go back to sign up offers and reloads until you have made that money back.

What % of your bank was the £200? Because if it is more than about 20% you really can't afford to do casino yet, the variance is too high.

I make probably 90% of my income from casino, but can afford to ride out the variance. I also hate casino, I don't get a buzz from a big win, I don't chase. I do mainly high risk stuff and have days where I can be a couple of hundred down. The only thing that upsets me about being down is the wasted time, not the money.

You have to have the right mentality for casino. And the bank. And the knowledge. And most importantly the discipline.

Unless you have those then dont do it. And if you do it, have your exit plan and maximum deposit before you sit down. Write it down and keep looking at it.

I have known people blow their entire bank, £1000's rather than £100s, chasing casino or just pure gambling. I'd withdraw every penny and spend it before I did that.

Jesus, just read through some of the thread.

See the MB moralisers are out in force.

Wish people wouldn't judge what they don't understand.

It is Gilbert. I make a decent living from it. And I always explain if asked. But people either want to teach them, free of charge for hours and hours. Or think you are gambling away your life savings on hot favourites.

I am slowly moving over to high risk casino and trading. Darent explain what that is though, would push some over the edge.

But if I said 'oh, I trade stocks and shares' they would think I was very clever and very wealthy.

A friend of DHs was very sneery over it. Said it was a mugs game. Told him what my bank was and he just wouldn't believe that it had come from free bets the bookies give away. Said I must have had a few big wins or be lying.

It's a grind some days. But not as grinding as working for minimum wage somewhere and juggling school runs and holidays.

But obviously we are all mugs who will end up at GA in a million quids worth of debt.

I might Google it just so I am a little more in the loop on these kinds of threads, but I know that I will definitely not be partaking in MB.

It's been mentioned that you need to be mathematically minded to MB - well this is where I fall down as I know fuck all about maths and hate sport - I would be repossessed before I had time to turn around!

I like having a house to live in and am about 6 months away from being mortgage free. Best I stick to my day job for now.

I think it's actually better to not be interested in sports and do it! Because you're thinking with your head and not who you WANT to win

Does the casino operator offer self-limiting measures? (this is legal requirement in my country). Might be good to set the online casino to stop you once you're bet more than x per day. As a safety-net.

It's happened but stop when the fun stops and it seems to have stopped.

@YesQueen - thank you! Will have a good read.

I don't want to sound rotten, but losing that £200 will have probably saved you a fortune in the long term and is a real blessing. If you are doing matched betting then you are on those betting sites everyday- everything about their design is made to lure you in. If you'd have won big today I think you may have gone down a path of thinking you are 'beating the system' alongside your matched betting. Honestly see this as a good thing, not any loss.

Just read the articile linked upthread.

And, crucially, once you have used up all the free bet deals, stop betting. This is a short term opportunity only! It will not make anybody rich. But there is still an easy, and guaranteed £500 or so available to anybody with a little time on their hands.

How are people making 30k if this is a short term opportunity?

Recognising what you've done is great

Slot machines make a hell of a lot of money
Betting businesses make a hell of a lot of money
Casinos make a hell of a lot of money

They're businesses that thrive off people trying to make a win, and they do excellently. The reason, is because nearly everyone loses.

I manage my money very well. I almost 2/3s of my years earnings in the bank as savings. I would have full if I didn't treat myself to some expensive purchases within the past few years

It started when I was young, £100 in the bank and I would never go under. £200 in the bank and I would never go under... £300..£500...£1000...£2000...and it crept up and up.

It'll take a while but save as much as you can for the rest of the year and you will find yourself feeling far more comfortable than a gambling win can make you feel.

It's not moralising to point out that every penny you get from the bookie is directly a loss someone else is making.

I looked into Matched Betting. I would do very well from it: Good at maths, sensible head, no urge to gamble, good at digesting and applying rules. But I couldn't stomach the idea of contributing to someone else's downfall, so I didn't do it.

@Antigon there's things called reloads
So you do the sign ups and then learn more - get £10 back if your horse is second, bet £10 and get a £5 free bet, money back if your team score the first goal etc
Plus big events have a lot of offers
And low risk casino - wager £5 for 10 free spins etc

Last weeks profit for me was £350, week before £129 and the week before that was £8 so it's quite variable

It's not short term. There are offers every day you can use. There are 100s of bookies. New ones, new offers, reload offers. 100s and 100s of casino sites. Price boosts, arbs, big sporting events (I made 1k over Cheltenham and £700 on the Grand National).

There are ways to make money every day. You just have to know how. And be prepared to put the work in. I do about 20 hours a week. Profits vary but I pay myself £100 a week and put £100+ back into my bank. I then use that money for big things like a holiday, home improvements, stuff for the dcs, days out etc.

Have been doing it since February 2018 and earning consistently since then.

Oh dear . £200 would buy me about a months worth of groceries and nappies, or pay for school uniforms for the dcs

I would love to know more about match betting. My ex husband used to do it when he lived here, I never really showed much interest but he often sent me into bookies to place bets, he did quite well with it especially when it was Cheltenham week. I could do with some extra cash so I may look into it.

I might try this. I have a spare two hours each morning while DS has a nap. May aswell have a go.

Thanks YesQueen.

On balance I think I agree with view below.

I looked into Matched Betting. I would do very well from it: Good at maths, sensible head, no urge to gamble, good at digesting and applying rules. But I couldn't stomach the idea of contributing to someone else's downfall, so I didn't do it.

I'm pretty sure this is something I ought to stay away from, but a friend has just started it and is very successful. It does blow my vintage mind somewhat!

My partner actually works for an online gambling company/casino. He is the person that “codes” the games, the slots whatever you call it- but he makes the games work.

He NEVER gambles. Ever. He told me never to touched matched betting with a barge pole. Why? Because you will never win, ever, in the long term. By his own admission it’s a total mugs game. He’s seen people win thousands only for it to be gambled away instantly, plus a lot more.

Matched betting has also been a good way for me to make income on the side. But I would highly recommend that you stay away from the casino side of things from now on. Don't beat yourself up too much over it, but I'd take it as a warning that you need to stay away from slots and casino side of matched betting. Xx

@notsohippychick but it is not gambling! If you only do the sports offers you can't lose because you are laying the bet too. So you're say betting for a football team to win, lose, or draw
If you just place the bet, that's gambling but that isn't matched betting