Help! My dad is addicted to the lottery! this is getting REALLY serious! what to do?!?!?

Question

okay, so my dad once upon a time used to play the lottery you know, just casually. but now he plays it so often that he even makes his own system of playing. he has to go to the same stores before 9:00 which is when the draw is held. he even goes to the convenience store to play even if my brother is late for soccer practise. once he even told me and my cousin to leave soccer practise early, at the time i didn't know why, but then it occured that it was so he can play lotto at one of his "special stores" before nine. once i found $17 in lotto tickets in his car that he played in one day. i asked him why he spent that much he made up the lame excuse "i played it with my co-workers" but it was obviously a lie cause he played it on a saturday. once my mom even found $35 worth of lotto tickets all played in one day!!! he usually spends around $12 a day. he works 2 jobs and 7 days a week to support our family, but he just throws away his second job's salary on lotto tickets. what to do?

Answer 1

I am actually someone who runs a lottery club but you know what, when someone has an addiction that interferes with their family, well that's a serious issue that needs to be corrected. One of your other answerers posted a link to gamblers anonymous which I think is a good place to start. I had a good friend of mine get divorced and just about lose it all, including his family and I would hate to see that happen to you! Family is everything!! ........All the best!

Answer 2

I think your Dad is working really hard and he is like most poor people playing the lottery is his only hope of getting rich.Dreaming about it may even give him enjoyment thinking of how he could give you all the best.I do think you are being kind of selfish though.Soccer is your thing and playing the lotto is his soccer.He needs you to respect him and love him.In time he will grow tired of wasting his money and he will slow down .You getting  on him will only make him feel angry .I use to buy scratch offs all the time after I won 35 dollars on one.Plus I know a woman who won 100,000 dollars on one so yeah I was hoping for a win.One day I bought abopught 50 $ worth and didnt win anything.I still buy a scratch off maybe 3 cards a months for a total of 6$ they are 2$ each.I cut down because I wanted to and thats the only way your Dad will.Really your Dad does have a right to spend some money for enjoyment and since he works so much he doesnt really have time to enjoy anything besides lotto tickets.You do need to try to see that this is in a way his entertainment the way soccer is for you.Just keep loving him no matter what because he is your Dad.

Answer 3

id call the same store he always goes to and speak to the mager and ask them to please not sale your dad any lottery tickets tell them he has a ambleing problem

do this at other strores around that sale them if possible

and if this doesnt work tell him its the lottery or you

Answer 4

All the family should get together and ask for a family meeting state your concerns in a way that is not accusatory such as we feel we think we are concerned about and then agree upon a budget amount that he can spend weekly on lotto tickets. and everyone else in the family should get the same amount for a leisure of their choice

Answer 5

they have this organization to help people withthat problem

and i think right now tis the best time for it

beofre it gets wayyyyyyyyyyyy

out of hand

or there should be a family intervention

just talkto him

dont make him feel wrong

or make him cry

im not trying to be funny

because they will

good luck !

Answer 6

I don't know how to help you and I do understand how scary this can be (had a family member that had a serious drug problem) and how helpless you can feel.  The only thing I could think to do was to give you a link to the website for Gamblers Anonymous (yes, it's a real, legitimate agency that tries to help problem gamblers quit):

http://www.gamblersanonymous.org/

I'll pray for you and your family.  Remember, you dad is a good person, but he has a problem and needs help.

Answer 7

hey you...

I think you and your family should confront him first so that he KNOWS that you guys are serious. From reading what you said, it sounds like he thinks it's just fun and games but you guys need to let him know how you really feel about it and that it's more than just lottery. Let him know that you care about him and love him, and that if he wants what's best for the family then he should listen to you guys! I'm sure he loves you guys just as much as you guys love him, so it should be understandable to him that you guys are confronting him like that. Just remember that it's a delicate matter, so don't deal with it with 'anger'. Like someone said before, he may be having his own problems, so listen to his side of the story too. Letting him continue like this isn't helping anyone at all, so make a move before it get's worse and good luck to you!

Answer 8

To be honest,u can actually discuss this problem wif him or an adult hu u think u can trust like yr grands.But as an adult,he shuld be acting as a role modal but not be such a nuisance(I know i shuld not say tad) to the family.Or u can actually ask him to spend more of the time wif the family outing instead of doing such things.Probably he may actually been having problems wif his own life.So i think u shuld ask him nicely.