We're not going to subsidize your gambling debts

[Mental_Mouse]

I suppose he was trying to make things right (at least temporarily), but that doesn't matter as far as giving him a loan was concerned. And now the bank has returned the items which overdrew his account, so the casino won't let him use his debit card there again. It'll be cash only, which should limit how far in the hole he can go in the future.

No, that's the thing -- he wasn't trying to "make things right", he was trying to paper over his gambling debts with a desperate loan -- and the overdraft makes it clear just how desperate. That's not even robbing Peter to pay Paul! Rather, it's trying to fill the hole he's in by digging up some more dirt to fill it with -- and that's how you get yourself well and truly buried.

[protege]

I suppose he was trying to make things right (at least temporarily), but that doesn't matter as far as giving him a loan was concerned.

While he was trying to make things right, he could have landed himself in hot water. Trying to cover gambling debts tends to draw red flags from certain regulatory agencies...and can sometimes end up in your employment file. I work for a brokerage, and such losses can (and do) attract unwanted attention from your compliance department.

[Ghel]

But this doesn't seem like a guy on a ride to the bottom of a hole (as most posters seem to have assumed), but rather a guy trying to climb out.

I suppose he was trying to make things right (at least temporarily), but that doesn't matter as far as giving him a loan was concerned. And now the bank has returned the items which overdrew his account, so the casino won't let him use his debit card there again. It'll be cash only, which should limit how far in the hole he can go in the future.

[SpyOne]

Not giving the loan was the right call.

But most people here seem to assume he's still off the wagon.
What this sounds like is a gambling addict who has gotten help in the past, but had a little episode. See, you can stop gambling, but you can't stop being an addict.
Something happened and he slipped, and the next thing he knew he was in a casino writing checks he couldn't cover.
And he got out of there and got back into recovery. But that doesn't change the fact that he wrote checks ha can't cover. Which is actually a crime.
What he's trying to do is minimize the damage caused by things he did while off the wagon. Much like an alcoholic who falls off the wagon for a weekend might be placing phone calls to see if there could be no criminal charges if he returns the goat.

I don't think he was "lying" the first time so much as omitting some embarrassing details. He was kinda hoping to get this handled without having to tell a stranger about his gambling problems. Again.

As I said, none of this means you should have given him the loan.
But this doesn't seem like a guy on a ride to the bottom of a hole (as most posters seem to have assumed), but rather a guy trying to climb out.

[Slave to the Phone]

You can have yourself self banned from casinos in AZ as well.

We have a very good friend who has a gambling problem. He doesn't play scratchers, he plays at the casinos.

His income is the same as ours, but he was always borrowing hundreds of dollars from us every month. He is a very good friend who doesn't march to a different drummer*, so we started grilling him on where his money was going and it turned out that he was spending almost 2 grand a month at the casino.

We refused to lend him any more money until he brought us copies of him signing to be self banned for a year. Its been 7 months and he has been amazed at how much money he has now.

*because he ran out on the parade field, assaulted the drummer, tried to kick his foot through the drum and then hobbled off the field and staggered around in the bleachers.

[LadyofArc]

In Illinois, there is some regulation requiring a disclaimer to that effect for casino and lottery ads: Gambling problem call 1-800-GAMBLER.

Same here in Australia. The disclaimer is very small in most cases though but any ads for the TAB or those stupid betting apps end up with "Gamble responsibly" said very fast.

Over here in Aussie land, there is a system set up for problem gamblers where they can bar themselves from entry into a casino or pokies area.

https://www.austgamingcouncil.org.au...usion-programs

[Rosco the Iroc]

Who's betting he tries somewhere else.

pun intended

[Argabarga]

I don't think it's the bank's place to suggest mental health treatment. I side with the supervisor.

Agreed, in today's hyper-litigious society, that could be construed by a lawyer as giving medical advice, and the dumbass could try and sue you. Given he's low on money, and probably desperate, that's not a minor concern.

[protege]

Gambling problem call 1-800-GAMBLER.

Same here in PA--every ad, even the radio ones, has to have that disclaimer on it. The only ones that don't, are the state lottery ones.

[taxguykarl]

some states also have their own agencies for treating gambling addiction.

In Illinois, there is some regulation requiring a disclaimer to that effect for casino and lottery ads: Gambling problem call 1-800-GAMBLER.

[wordgirl]

He'd have ripped through that money in less than an hour and probably ended up three times as much in debt. The tragedy is he doesn't look at it that way.

The first is true, the second probably isn't, which only compounds the tragedy.

Many compulsive gamblers know they are very unlikely to ever get back to even. The win is not what motivates them. I've seen someone with a compulsive gambling problem hit a big jackpot -- a sum that would have me jumping up and down, laughing like a loon and then Googling "Ford Mustang" -- but their reaction was flat, almost cynical. Like they knew that money would be gone, and quickly .. and then some.

It's a wickedly tough addiction to kick because logic just doesn't work on them.

[notalwaysright]

I don't think it's the bank's place to suggest mental health treatment. I side with the supervisor.

[Mental_Mouse]

I wanted to, but while I was talking it over with my supervisor, he said that it wouldn't be appropriate for the bank to suggest he needs that sort of help. So I didn't.

Argghh. He's already admitted he has that sort of problem. To not give him at least that much advice is pretty much declaring that it's no skin off the bank's nose if he bankrupts himself and probably his family. I call that malign indifference, framed as bank policy.

[Rosco the Iroc]

Never gambled more then I was willing to put on the floor and set fire.
Turns out it was $20.

[Ghel]

For future reference, one thing you can do is to refer him to Gamblers Anonymous -- some states also have their own agencies for treating gambling addiction.

I wanted to, but while I was talking it over with my supervisor, he said that it wouldn't be appropriate for the bank to suggest he needs that sort of help. So I didn't.