Gambling problem

Count_Dante

The OP appears to have a problem with online casinos and poker rather than bookies, which is the form of gambling discussed on MSE. In any case, if we were to take the view that everything must be 100% safe before we allowed discussion of it here, we would discuss almost nothing. Out of everyone who has followed the advise on bookie introductionary offers on MSE, 99.9% of people have profited.

mrbadexample

You could try https://www.pokerstars.com, which allows you to bet with "play" chips.

It's not quite the same, but you still get a bit of a buzz when you do well. Unlike non-alcoholic lager, which strikes me as completely pointless. :rolleyes:

jamescredmond

depressing, the whole business. mse rightly invites us to screw the gambling industry in a limited and structured way - nothing wrong with that.
the OP needs to get out - and quickly. if it's just a lack of self-discipline then this shouldn't be too tricky. if it truly has become an addiction then urgent pro help is needed. I've lost count of the number of people I've known down the years who have slowly slipped around the u-bend and taken their relationships/finances/jobs/prospects with them.
to be fair to other posts, poker can be profitable if played with a high degree of informed savvy but I don't think that this is what the OP wants advice on.

OP: if you value your future (and loads more) get out of this and join the rest of us in screwing the system: that's where the real buzz lies!