Would past gambling addiction affect our ability to get a mortgage in the future?

Kamile23

Hi,

Me and my partner both had really bad gambling addiction. We gambled on online slots almost every day for around 6-7 years. Both of our salaries were gambled every month and we also used overdrafts, credit cards, took payday loans and personal loans to feed our addiction. I’m talking about thousands and thousands of pounds. We got to the point where I had to seek for a professional help as my mental health became very poor. We managed to stop and we didn’t gamble for almost 2 years until recently when we gambled for a few days again. However we both realise it was a bad idea and our goal is to never go back to this path again. 

We cleared most of our debts and we are dreaming about applying for a mortgage once we are completely debt free and we have enough savings and money for deposit (I’m guessing this would be after 1.5- 2 years). My question is if we could ever get approved for a mortgage after having such a gambling problems in the past? Would mortgage lenders be able to see that? 

[Deleted User]

Only if they ask for statements from that period, which they won't.

They'll see your credit history over the last 6 years, so it depends on the state of your files at the time as to how much they see of your previous borrowing.

Retireby40

Firstly delete and self exclude yourself and your partner from all online sites. Even if you were able to save for a deposit you know yourself that one bad weekend could see that deposit gone. And 1.5 years leads to 3 which leads to 5 and stuck renting forever.

There are numerous tell tale signs of gamblers without having the evidence of gambling sites on your statement. Frequent withdrawals etc. Banks know this.

If you were able to save consistently and be seen to have excess money in your account every month for a year or two and all your other debts and things were paid and up to date I can't see why you couldn't get a mortgage especially if you have 2 solid jobs.

Kamile23

Thanks for your advice. We both set gambling freeze on our bank accounts so even if we would like to deposit money into a gambling website, this would be declined automatically (I wish I knew about this option earlier).

Retireby40

Also delete paypal accounts if you have them. My friend did something similar in terms of not being allowed directly to deposit into betting sites but has somehow found a way around it depositing money into his PayPal account and then PayPal to sites. 

JamieJ89

Register for Gamstop and  you can self exclude from ALL online casinos and bookies.

Brenster

I cannot stress registering with GAMSTOP enough, it sounds like you both have issues and decide to Start / Stop together, to me this shows a lack of will power for you both and also a lack of moral support, its like if one of you say lets have a bet, the other is not strict enough to stop it.
That said you have done the responsible thing with freezing your bank accounts, but that will only work for those bank acccounts, if you  were to get another credit card or bank account then they would still work on your betting accounts.  GAMSTOP recognises your name, post code, and Date of Birth so it isnt restricted to just a bank account it is restricted to a person, so when that dark cloud appears and you try to log on, you physically cant.  If you are genuinely serious, then this is a must do, as it is acting as a safety net for moments of weakness when you are not thinking clearly.
Good Luck.

Kamile23

I have to admit I’m the one who always starts this. I also knew about GAMSTOP but never had enough courage to register as the thought of not being able to gamble ever again somehow terrified me. But I just registered with them now. 

Thanks a lot for your advice, I really appreciate that. 

Brenster

Kamile23 said:

I have to admit I’m the one who always starts this. I also knew about GAMSTOP but never had enough courage to register as the thought of not being able to gamble ever again somehow terrified me. But I just registered with them now. 

Thanks a lot for your advice, I really appreciate that. 

Massive well done, their is no shame involved, these things are hear to help us, and its better to use them to your advantage than struggle without, I think in 5 years time you will look back at this step as one of the most important you have taken,
Good Luck

bamgbost

Kamile23 said:

I have to admit I’m the one who always starts this. I also knew about GAMSTOP but never had enough courage to register as the thought of not being able to gamble ever again somehow terrified me. But I just registered with them now. 

Thanks a lot for your advice, I really appreciate that. 

well done buddy. I can totally relate.. I found myself in my situation due to similar circumstance.

GAMSTOP is defo the first step, followed by good counselling. its a bad habit that can reoccur without the right mindframe and defences around you.

I am still licking the wounds, and am detailing my journey in link in my bio.

But in answer to your Q. With your debts cleared, and a smooth running account, there will be no issues with getting a mortgage in future.

good luck!

JamieJ89

Kamile23 said:

I have to admit I’m the one who always starts this. I also knew about GAMSTOP but never had enough courage to register as the thought of not being able to gamble ever again somehow terrified me. But I just registered with them now. 

Thanks a lot for your advice, I really appreciate that. 

Really glad to hear this. Sorry to be off topic slightly, but this is a huge step and I commend you for this. As a fellow Gambler, I fully understand this topic and the way you had felt - there is help out there for you if you need it, various blockers, self excluders and even GA - I'm at an early part of my recovery but GA so far has been life changing for me.

Good luck, just remember one day at a time.