Gambling & the workplace: What sort of job is safe for me & should I tell my employer about my addiction?
Over the last many years, numerous gambling clients of mine have encountered difficult risky situations in regards to gambling addiction and workplaces.
They tend to fall into one of the following categories:
1) Theft/embezzlement from work or risks thereof
2) Communication to the workplace regarding gambling addiction
3) Types of jobs that are suitable for gamblers to carry
In this blog post, I will try and cover some of the important points relating to this topic. It is an area of recovery that pertains to most gamblers. It is not unusual that the career pathway needs a review and choices of jobs and work patterns may need to be readjusted to fit it around recovery. Try not to see this as only something negative (even if I appreciate that is often how it feels). Having a change in circumstances can often enable people to upgrade to far more suitable job roles. I am of course not dismissing the pain of losing any jobs, that you have previously cared for, as a result of your gambling. Starting out on a new path with work could enable you to make important choices about keeping yourself safe from money and any possibilities of committing fraudulent acts at work.
The bottom line is; Going forward, any job that you take on has to be compatible with your needs as a recovering gambling addict. The requirement of assessing any job to ensure you are safe to yourself is non-negotiable and has to take place whether you continue in an existing role, or end up taking on a new position.
I have put together a couple of points to consider when you face this problem. It is still far from straightforward, but hopefully can give you some pointers and ideas as to what to look out for.
What sort of jobs should to definitely avoid?
Unpopular as it might make me- I am here to tell you that you should not be continuing with your job in day trading or poker, or any jobs that involve directly managing money (either online or in cash. You should also avoid any job that enables you to make transfers to people (and could end up transferring money to your gambling account or yourself). Here is a small breakdown of some jobs that are unsuitable for addicted gamblers:
Trader (working for financial institution/bank) This is not because I think you will necessarily steal money from the bank, but because trading will keep you constantly stuck in a gambling mindset and you will find that moving on from gambling addiction is considerably harder when your job is one where you gamble full time- even if it is with other peoples’ money (I have a separate post coming on traders who become addicted to gambling)
Day trader; whether you are sitting at home following the market, engaging in spread-betting or you are into crypto- neither one of these are going to be particularly safe preoccupations, given the amount of risk and volatility that you are going to be facing daily. If you find that you have started losing control (or have fully lost control already) it is a very strong sign that you are better off quitting. The same applies to these types of investment as does to gambling; if you cannot fold when you need to, and you are known to chase losses – then you are not going to be able to win or end up on a positive long term anyway.
Cashier, or other person responsible for the management of money where there is a risk to embezzle given an opportunity
Bookie-employee or croupier in a Casino: This one should be obvious but you would be surprised how often I have seen people who are dead set on doing these jobs even after their gambling addiction has come to light. The love for gambling is often very real, and these jobs might then seem like fun and suitable options. One person said that it was ‘particularly safe’ for him to be working in the bookmakers as this meant he would not be allowed to place bets. I don’t think I need to go any further in commenting on why this is not the full truth of the situation. With or without the ability to place bets, working in jobs that make you triggered day in and day out would seem overly masochistic.
I am also going to add to the list of high caution the investment banking jobs whenever such jobs involve spending most of your day looking at lucrative investment opportunities, keeping a strong engagement with the markets and possibly also following every up and down of stocks & shares online.
I really do feel your pain as I have come to understand that many of these jobs are really exciting, interesting and in many ways really difficult to replace.
Every time I tell people what I think about this I end up getting treated a bit like the Grinch that stole Christmas.
People exclaim in distress ‘ WHAT…. this is what I love doing- surely that would not be necessary?!’ ‘ I can always invest someone else’s money safely can’t I?’ or ‘but what if this is my only means to make really good money?’
I know. I know. I know…. This is NOT what you want to hear at all. And needless to say, you don’t have to take my word for it. I am after all just one person.
But I also want you to know, that I have never been a gambler myself and can assure you that I have one agenda only in my mind; Your safe and smooth recovery Everything I share in this blog is based either on evidence based treatment strategies, or my own personal clinical experience. Therefore, it is my responsibility to tell you that based on the many hundreds if not clients I’ve encountered over the years- that doing those jobs if you have an entrenched gambling addiction – is unlikely to serve you well!
As always – there are some grey zones where there may be features of addiction, but there is still some control left. In these cases, it could be that you can keep a job and still remain abstinent from gambling. At the very least, try and be open and honest to the fact that they may not work out well for you. Best way to do that, is to keep a little log book where you right down exactly what is going on.
Working with high risk investments in the finance industry is equivalent to working by the ‘pint-tap’ in a pub or as a wine connoisseur for an alcoholic. I won’t tell you that it could never work, but what I can tell you is that it will make your recovery harder and longer. Additionally, it will make it less likely for you to fully let go of some of the gambling affiliated thinking around opportunity, potential and any the delusional thinking around the risks that you are prepared to take with money. It is a bit like being one foot in/one foot out of a relationship.
You are not really enjoying the benefits of either freedom from gambling, nor are you going to feel like your investment is ever going to be quite the same now that you have to operate with so much caution.
For some people, letting go of a profession is quite a process. It may be that you have to personally go through the experience of the many difficulties of continuing to work in a field that you are also actively trying to avoid, before you believe this to be true. If that is the case, please know that this is ok. It is quite understandable that people cannot just throw in their entire career overnight before feeling personally convinced that it is the best thing for them.
What sorts of jobs can work for me?
Everyone is different and of course. Educational levels, areas of interest and skill will vary dramatically across gamblers. One thing that tends to be true for most gamblers however, is that they are always quick to boredom. Therefore, if there is a choice, doing jobs that are too tedious, monotonous and lacking in any kind of thrill could be challenging. The last thing you want is a job that is so dull and demotivating, that you spend the entire month longing to get paid in order to pick yourself up with a bet. You are then effectively working for free. It is not particularly uncommon for gamblers to pull away from work altogether for this exact reason. By the time you are ‘slogging it’ in a job that provides a net of nothing - it really is not making any sense. I am fully aware that there often isn’t that much choice left by the time you are in debt, loaded with responsibilities or perhaps worse; have people breathing down your neck looking for money that you borrowed from them. In such cases, you will have no choice but to just do a job for the purpose of getting paid. At least for now. The truth is that working is perfectly possible (and probably necessary). Getting paid safely is also possible. But you will need to be honest with yourself about the type of situations that will put you at risk - and then take proactive steps of eliminating such loopholes.
Instead of doubting and questioning how you are going to ever work again, here are some of those proactive steps and considerations:
Finding a job that can give you a level of stimulation, attribute to personal growth and also ideally come with some form of unpredictability such as bonus payment, regular salary increases, competitiveness or other features that tend to appeal to gamblers- could be really important. I can see that it is hard for gamblers who often by definition favour instant gratification, intermittent reinforcement and excitement in life to sit in a dead-end job, where no prospect for long-or short-term improvements on the horizon. If you are yet not at a level of choice, try and remind yourself that whatever job you take, for now, is a stepping stone for something better in the future.
Sit down with yourself and try and figure out what you value in a job. Is it being of service? Is it to have the possibility of advancing levels quickly? Is it proximity to the home? Is it the freedom to have a say in the hours that you work? I would suggest to any human being, gambling or not, that having a clear idea of what you look for in a job will greatly increase your chances of ending up in a satisfying position. Don’t let one variable only influence you to take something that does not work on any other levels. And in case I did not make it clear enough in the first section- if a job comes with a risk that you might find yourself getting accused of theft further down the line- then the job is most definitely not for you. NO JOB is going to be worth putting yourself at risk for. Your number ONE priority from now on has got to be that the job does not allow you to commit illegal acts.
Work/life balance This is important whether or not your job is a new or existing one. Overworking and having no time to attend to other recovery-related activities, family etc is potentially a set-up for a very imbalanced way of life. The tendency towards ‘all or nothing’ is already far too pronounced amongst gamblers and for sure, you do not need a job that accentuates and reinforces a ‘crash and burn’ pattern.
Nature of reimbursement: Do opt out of cash payments as much as this is possible as well as jobs that are commission only. I would also suggest asking to be paid no more often than weekly. You might have thought that the opposite would be true but I find that gamblers who get used to getting money here and there -say for plumbers jobs, small sales etc are often inclined to continue with a mindset of 'oh well what does it matter what I lose today, tomorrow there is another cheque coming anyway’ . There is actually a lot to be said for budgeting and planning for a person with a gambling addiction. Neither one is particularly likely to happen when money comes at unpredictable intervals. If there is no way for you to control this, but you still like the job, then try and see if you can create a situation where the money you take out of any account is controlled- but the account where the money goes into is out of reach for you on a day to day basis.
Make sure you take great care when wages are paid. It may be worth having your salary paid into an account that someone else helps monitor. I have written about some safety mechanisms here in a previous post
If you will get paid bonus payments- do under NO circumstances consider being solely in charge of such when it arrives. I have seen lots of otherwise responsible recovering gamblers that lapsed as a result of a bonus payment from work. Even the anticipation of a future bonus payment can often be enough to trigger high levels of fantastizing and pre-meditating for a bet to come
Ensure that any debts are going out IMMEDIATELY upon arrival of your wages. Contrary to many gamblers reasoning, there is absolutely no reason at all why these should be delayed to later in the month. I know that the feeling of having money is a good one, but the risks that you take by allowing money to sit idle in the account are huge. It is also not bad from a learning perspective to feel the consequence of gambling for a little while to come. I am not saying this to be cruel to you and I think most of you will know that the removal of consequence is an ever so common pitfall for addicted gamblers.
Shall I tell the truth about my addiction to my employer?
Gamblers Anonymous, as well as the other fellowship groups, tend to be huge promoters of honesty. I am too of course, but I definitely feel like there are times when 100% honesty to everybody at all times can be too destructive to be worth it. You should obviously be honest about your addiction to partners, family members, friends etc. Anyone with whom you need to have a personal, deep and authentic relationship. These are also the people who might need to look out for you at times of heightened vulnerability. However (and please feel free to disagree) – I cannot tell my clients to go to their new employers and disclose a gambling addiction and hope for the best. Whilst gambling is classified in the DSM 5 as a mental health condition (and addiction), and should not be discriminated about, we also need to look at the reality of what might happen if you choose to disclose your addiction to an employer who may not know anything else about you to support a positive overall impression of you.
A pretty likely outcome, if you are not yet hired, is that they find another handy excuse not to offer you the job. Not only is it rejecting and difficult to be unemployed anyway, but you will definitely need a job to be able to get back on track from debt, have a more functional routine and also engage in something more fruitful than hoping that you will have a win from gambling. On the other hand- telling an existing employer with whom you have some positive track record (and there is reason to believe that they may be able to support you in your recovery) might occasionally work out fine.
In brief- you need to be able to get hired in spite of your gambling addiction. So- we need to be a bit smart and yet not take any risks on your recovery at all- and of course not on any prospective employer either.
If you choose to tell your employer/prospective employer
If you have decided that you trust your employer, or that it is important for you that they know the truth about your gambling addiction; I would recommend that you have a think through of the following:
a) What it is you are expecting from them in terms of support and communication. Then make sure you are ok to experience rejection should they not be prepared to meet you in the middle (or at all) with your requests.
b) Whether you think that they will support you, or if they may end up using this knowledge to remove genuine and safe opportunities from you because they don’t really understand your risks very well and are worried about trusting you
c) A clear and concise idea of what you will need assistance with: could be a firewall, blocking software etc. Try to also offer them your reassurance and information about your committed steps to make it work - e.g., treatment accounts management etc. Make it clear that you have thought through potential loopholes and that you are proactive in protecting both them and yourself
DO NOT CONSIDER ANY JOBS IN WHICH YOU COULD BE PLACED AT RISK OF TAKING MONEY. You have to be personally responsible for your recovery regardless of the level of protection some helpful employers might be prepared to offer. The truth is still, that gambling addiction is poorly understood and that most workplaces still do not have a gambling policy to hand. Therefore, there is a very real possibility that your addiction problems will be misunderstood, judged harshly and that even a generally well meaning employer will not have a clue on how to support you in the workplace.
‘Side-hustles’ and maintaining big dreams on the side of a ‘real’ job
This idea may seem a bit out there- but I have seen many gamblers who do particularly well as a result of doing for example one part-time job that brings in money and keeps a stable routine. On the side of that job, they might be trying to realise a dream of say writing a book, creating a website, starting a business or similar. This seems to be a very nice way to ensure that the bills get paid but that boredom is prevented. The idea of maintaining contact with big dreams and hopes is very important. Particularly as many gamblers will have fallen short financially and professionally due to their gambling. Going forward, you don’t want gambling to define you to the point where it prevents you from reaching dreams and goals. All that matters is that whatever you work with, does not conflict with your goals of remaining gambling free.
The idea of having a ‘side hustle’ is another commonplace strategy these days when fewer people are inclined to keep one job for the rest of their lives. Having a side hustle can make people feel proactive in regards to debt repayment and might also provide a more wholesome way to get that ‘little extra’ income that you used to delude yourself that you were getting from the gambling.
Final words:
Having a job is going to be important for you as it gives you a purpose and enables you to repay debts and move forward in a healthy manner financially. As I have covered in previous blog posts, one of the traps of gambling addiction is that having money often triggers gambling - but so does NOT having any money. If you are not lucky enough to have enough in the bank to survive, having a job is going to be fundamental for you to retrain your brain from the mode of ‘if I gamble I might win some money…’ to ‘if I work- I will be guaranteed some money’ .
More important than anything; Do not allow the gambling addiction to define you or your future. Yes, it is true that you have to keep considering the risks of any job or venture forever. You should however not be afraid to feel worthy or as deserving as any other employee to have a fun and well-paid job again. If you are someone who has a criminal record as a result of your gambling history- I empathise and understand that the journey back to fruitful employments may be longer and harder. Don’t give up though. One of the advantages of the internet/tech revolution is that there are more possibilities for freelancing and alternative jobs available than ever. Get creative and don’t forget to support yourself every step of the way.
Annika X
