Thoughts on "Tony 10" - a book on gambling addiction and recovery, by Declan Lynch & Tony O'Reilly3/3/2018 Last week, I was fortunate to get an advance copy of a soon to be released book, 'Tony 10'. Although I had read much about the fall and rise of Tony O'Reilly, over the years (mostly the fall), I found myself very quickly being immersed in the world of Tony's extreme gambling addiction. This is, in part, due to the inimitable writing style of Declan Lynch - a man who has written about his own recovery (from alcoholism) and who has previously written two excellent books on gambling (Free Money & The Ponzi Man). The other part of this winning formula is the story itself. Tony's story was headline news at the time. A post office manager stealing €1.75 million (in cash) from his employer, gambling every penny on his online account and going on the run to Carrickfergus (when the jig was finally up) is pretty newsworthy. What Declan and Tony have achieved with this book is to give a crystal clear insight into the mind of a man on an all-consuming, relentless downward spiral into the devastating madness of a gambling addiction. And while the figures are astronomical, the same story could be told of the person who is losing every penny they have on payday (or dole day). One of the standout features of this book, is the fact that Declan had access to Tony's account history. Tony only ever had one online gambling account (with Paddy Power) - so every transaction could be followed in a clear timeline. Because of this, we get to see Tony's progress from making a €1 bet (from a €50 online voucher he had received as a gift) all the way up to winning - and then losing- nearly half a million over the course of two days. Tony makes no bones about the fact that he is responsible for his actions and that he stole the money. This is undeniable and unjustifiable. However, it is mind-boggling that any gambling operator could ignore the extremely suspicious behaviour that Tony was exhibiting - without ever once raising concerns regarding money laundering, the source of his 'wealth' or the fact that he clearly had a massive gambling problem. In this case, it was Paddy Power, but it would be difficult to believe that any other gambling operator, licensed in Ireland, would have acted any differently. If ever there was an argument for gambling regulation in Ireland - Tony's case is it. Tony's case (along with so many other cases of gambling related fraud) also highlights the need for stricter controls in workplaces. Tony was regularly gambling at work, while also stealing vast amounts of money and managing to make it through several audits. A large proportion of the people who contact our service have stolen from their employer to feed their gambling. While most of the book is like watching a car hurtling towards a cliff edge, it does end on a positive note. After Tony's time in treatment (in Cuan Mhuire), followed by his prison sentence, Tony trains to become an addiction counsellor. I really hope that Tony's work as a counsellor, along with his story, can help others to recover from gambling addiction. 
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Gambling is a pastime which many Irish people enjoy. It is deeply ingrained in our culture. In fact, Ireland has the third-highest losses, per person, on gambling – in the world. While for the majority of people who gamble, it is a relatively harmless bit of fun, there are many who experience harm from gambling. Problem Gambling (Gambling Addiction) is estimated to affect up to 40,000 people in Ireland. For every person with a gambling problem, there are estimated to be a further 8-10 people affected, meaning that there could be up to 400,000 people in Ireland feeling the negative impact of gambling-related harm.
The types of harm a person with a gambling problem may experience are: • Financial issues (debt) • Relationship issues • Mental Health issues (Anxiety, Depression, Stress) • Deterioration in Physical Health • Issues at college or work (loss of productivity, absenteeism, difficulty concentrating) • Suicidal Thoughts So, how can you tell if you (or a person you care about) are showing signs of problem gambling? Recognising the problem in yourself: If you answer ‘yes’ to one or more of these questions, you may be developing a gambling problem. Do you: • gamble alone and often? • continue gambling longer than you intended? • spend more time on gambling than other favourite pastimes or interests? • gamble every last euro you have? • think about gambling every day? • try to win back money you have lost with more gambling? • find it difficult to stop yourself spending too much? • lie to friends and family members about your gambling and how much you have spent or do you just not tell them about it? • sometimes reach the point where you no longer enjoy gambling? • feel depressed because of gambling? • have trouble sleeping? • feel that gambling is having a negative effect on other areas of your life, such as family and work? Helping yourself If you are concerned about your gambling and want to make some changes, then these suggestions may be useful: • Break the silence and talk to someone you trust, a counsellor or attend a Gamblers Anonymous or SMART Recovery meeting. Keeping a gambling problem secret only makes it harder to bring about change. Talking to someone about it can help reduce the stress of a gambling problem and help you to do something about it. • Avoid high-risk situations. These include any situations which you know can lead to gambling in a harmful way, such as having your ATM or credit cards with you when gambling, gambling on your own or mixing alcohol with gambling. You may want to avoid risky situations such as talking about gambling, carrying large amounts of money or socialising close to gambling venues. If you have online accounts, shut them down and ask to be excluded from the service. • Challenge your gambling thoughts. It’s difficult to cut down or stop gambling if you believe that you can win and will come out in front. Remember: nobody ever gambled their way out of their gambling problem. • Prepare for gambling urges. Urges to gamble are common for people trying to cut down or stop. Preparing yourself can help you cope. Think of times or situations that are likely to trigger urges and have plans for alternative activities that can help distract you. • Find alternatives to gambling. It’s important to replace gambling with activities that you find satisfying. Finding a range of alternatives can help, such as sports, being with family members and friends, hobbies, and relaxation exercises (e.g. yoga or meditation). • Reward your progress. There is a lot of guilt and shame associated with having a gambling problem. Acknowledge any progress you’ve made and reward yourself with a non-gambling treat – a nice meal, a movie or something else you enjoy. Recognising the problem in others: Here are some signs you can look for if you’re worried about a family member, friend or fellow student. People with a gambling problem have a preoccupation with gambling and may: • want to borrow money to gamble or to cover debts • have changes in their sleeping and eating habits • start to miss college, work or other regular commitments • express suicidal thoughts • sometimes celebrate their ‘good fortune’ by gambling more. If you are concerned about another person’s gambling, there is a simple, 2 question screening tool, which is an indicator that the person would need to undergo a more thorough gambling addiction assessment: Q1: Have you ever felt the need to bet more and more money? Q2: Have you ever had to lie to people important to you about how much you gambled? (Answering “Yes” to one or more of these questions, strongly indicates that further assessment is necessary.) Helping a friend or family member If you think a friend or family member has a gambling problem, try to show your concern without lecturing or criticising. Your comments may be met with defensiveness and denial. Don’t take this personally, but let the person know you care and explain how his or her gambling behaviour affects you. You may have to clear boundaries with the person. Don’t be manipulated into excusing, justifying, overlooking, enabling or participating in the person’s destructive behaviour. If the person agrees that he or she has a problem, here are some tips: • Help the person make contact with organisations that can help, such as those listed at the end of this article. • Be supportive and encouraging of the person’s attempts toward change, however small. • Expect that there may be steps backward (“slips”/relapses) as a normal part of the recovery process. • Encourage activities that are not associated with gambling and try to support the person by limiting or stopping your own gambling. • Become informed by finding out more about problem gambling. Resources:
http://www.problemgambling.sa.gov.au/ http://rethinkgambling.org/ An excellent article in yesterday's Guardian newspaper (06.01.16) claims that the Chair of the UK's Responsible Gambling Trust (RGT) - a charity funded by the gambling industry - lobbied on behalf of that industry. Unlike Ireland, the UK has numerous other organisations which are completely independent of any potential influence or conflict of interest from the industry. Neil Goulden, the Chair of RGT since 2011, also chairs the gambling industry lobbying arm, the Association of British Bookmakers (ABB), since 2012. He had previously been on the board at Ladbrokes and was chairman of bookmaker and bingo group Gala Coral until 2014. The Guardian claims that a 2013 gambling industry strategy paper, written by Goulden and Ladbroke's CEO, Richard Flynn, identified “a large degree of righteous paternalism” which would see the public mood “swinging away from smoking, heavy drinking, gambling, non-contributors and tax avoiders”. The paper went on to call for research “which helps to position gambling as an economically valuable and socially responsible leisure pursuit” (like heavy drinking, smoking and tax avoidance, presumably). It is worth noting that the Irish Department of Justice wrote in their 2010 document, 'Options for Regulating Gambling' - "It can be acknowledged from the start, that for some, the pairing of the words "responsible" and "gambling" is incongruous". It could be argued that giving the gambling industry responsibility for encouraging responsible gambling (i.e., reducing the industry's profits) is more than a tad incongruous too. This is exactly what we have done in Ireland with the forming of the Irish Responsible Gambling Board's 'Gamble Aware'. While the Gamble Aware website provides some excellent information and support services, the silence from the organisation in terms of raising awareness around gambling addiction (compulsive gambling/problem gambling/pathological gambling) - and the industry's part in perpetuating those issues - is truly deafening. Take Gamble Aware's Twitter account, for example - set up in November 2011 and (4 tweets later) nothing since February 2012.  Just like the alcohol industry in Ireland, the gambling industry encourages you to 'enjoy gambling responsibly' and directs you to the Gamble Aware website (the alcohol equivalent being Drink Aware). Alcohol addiction has an independent organisation with 'teeth' - Alcohol Action Ireland - ready to take on the vested interests, lobby government and actively raise awareness. To date, there has been no such organisation dedicated to gambling addiction in Ireland.
My inspiration to set up Problem Gambling Ireland originally came from reading University College Dublin's research into gambling behaviours (specifically problem gambling) in Ireland , entitled 'Playing Social Roulette' (June 2015). In my work as an addiction counsellor in private practice, I was aware of the damage caused to individuals and their loved ones by gambling addiction. However, the report showed the shocking scale of the issue and the dearth of dedicated, independent services. Subsequent to reading the report, I was fortunate to be involved with the U-Casadh Project winning an Impact Award at the Social Entrepreneurs Ireland Awards (2015). Attending the award ceremony in October, I was surrounded by social entrepreneurs who had followed their passion for positive social change. This was the final push I needed to make the move from having the idea to taking on the challenge. Currently I am operating the website, www.problemgambling.ie, on a voluntary basis. It is a free information resource for anyone who has been negatively affected by gambling. I am in the process of bringing together a Board of Directors (with no links to the gambling industry) in order to set up as a not-for-profit organisation. I intend, with the help of the Board, future volunteers and (possibly) staff, to further develop the organisation to lobby and advocate for improvements to treatment and changes in legislation, raise awareness of problem gambling, develop educational programs, develop treatment programs (and have them evaluated), undertake research, as well as monitoring gambling marketing and advertising. On a final note, a Goldsmiths University (UK) report in 2014 warned that “the idea of ‘problem gambling’ is politically useful … It focuses attention on individual gamblers, rather than relationships between the industry, the state, products and policies.” These are the relationships that Problem Gambling Ireland, an independent organisation (with teeth) intends to examine. Barry Grant Founder, The Gambling Clinic B.A. Degree Counselling Skills & Addiction Studies Member of the Association of Professional Counsellors & Psychotherapists in Ireland Email: barry [at] thegamblingclinic.ie |
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Barry Grant is a fully accredited member of the Association of Professional Counsellors and Psychotherapists in Ireland (APCP). Membership Number: MBR10126 www.apcp.ie
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