'Wow… I cannot express enough how appreciative I am': College student loses $10k in sports betting, finds an outpour of support online

Author image for Elna McHilderson
Elna McHilderson • Managing Editor
Feb 24, 2024 4:00 PM EST

Nowadays, with the advancement of betting online and through apps, sports betting is easier than ever. For some people, that's an exciting development. However, to many others, it's a bad omen point towards a downward spiral. So what do we do?

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    Messed Up. Bad. Hey y'all, I'm a 22M and currently in college. I messed up pretty badly. I got addicted to sports gambling. But let me tell you that I was good at it. I hit 4 $10K parlays last year. Those big wins were so good at the beginning. I mean that's life changing money. $10K overnight as a broke college student? I didn't know what to do except one thing: let's do it again.
    via Kev-Fin
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    The bets became bigger. My ego got bigger. Shoot, if you hit big like the amount of times I did, you too would think you're unstoppable. So I kept betting, trying to hit the big one again. But for months it never came. I began to use my credit cards in hopes of clearing the debt like I always do. Until one day, I maxed everything out. I messed up big time.
    via Kev-Fin
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    What was I thinking? I don't come from money, I'm in school on a practically full- ride scholarship. I put myself in a hole that should have never happened. I am now roughly $10K in credit card debt and am dying. I'm not delusional enough to not recognize my faults, which is why I've been Ubering and Doordashing on the side while maintaining my part-time job and still going to school. But man is it tough. 18 hours of classes, 30 hour work weeks, and Ubering till 3-4AM on weekends. I am mentally
    via Kev-Fin
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    I'm not looking for any sympathy because I don't deserve it. I'm my biggest critic and judge and I'm mature enough to admit it. I know what I did wrong and just wanted somewhere to share my story and my thoughts. It's tough to do this on my own. No way in can I bring myself to tell anyone about this. I'm ashamed and embarrassed. Anyone who was in my position I feel like would've took that win and ran and changed their lives for the better like how I should've done. I didn't understand how much t
    via Kev-Fin
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    Thank you stranger for taking the time to read this. EDIT: Wow, firstly, I had no idea this would blow up as big as it did. I cannot express enough how grateful and appreciative of all of the supportive, uplifting, relatable, and positive comments. Seriously, it's been hard to keep this to myself, but it feels GREAT to pour all of it out to people who have no idea who I am. I will be okay, even if it . The hard work will pay off and I will be better from this. I'm taking all your comments to the
    via Kev-Fin
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    I see a lot of people are dwelling and on me saying I was good at it. Me saying I WAS good at it does NOT mean I still feel that way now, because obviously if I was smart I would've have walked away and this post would not exist. I think I've stated it a couple times that I know I was stupid and messed up. At that point in time, I'd say being up that much and winning that much, I WAS good at it. Huge emphasis on WAS. But I became greedy and unsatisfied.
    via Kev-Fin
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    The 4 parlays were just an example, but I made this my job, researching and 1. day. That's what betting every. made me bad at it, the addictive personality. At the end of the day, that doesn't even matter anymore, but I wanted to clarify that I know that, so stop dwelling on a sentence that was meant to be past tense and something the old me said and was setting up the backstory to the climax of me realizing my mistake. I also see all you trolls and negative comments as well :) I appreciate y'al
    via Kev-Fin
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    PrettyGuy69 15 hr. ago Soon enough u will pay that debt and be a better person. Trust in yourself
    via PrettyGuy69
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    SketeDavidson69 14 hr. ago You're 22 bro, you'll get out of that soon enough. Keep grinding & hustling. There are people going thru worst. Just gotta keep that mentality
    via SketeDavidson69
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    JDextol 14 hr. ago No shame in it u admitted u have a problem and r working to fix it. Let it be a lesson there would only be shame in not learning from this experience. 26 Reply Share jdakidd13 10 hr. ago This 100 1 Reply Share
    via JDextol
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    Own_Acadia3889 - 12 hr. ago Honey, if you're only 10k in credit card debt after realizing you've got a problem, you're doing better than 99% of gamblers. 10k isn't the end of the world, keep things in perspective and consider it a life lesson that'll save you money later.
    via Own_Acadia3889
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    Rhogdye316 14 hr. ago Young man, you learned a life lesson that many don't learn in their entire lifetime. $100 a week towards the debt. It's paid off in two 1/2 years (I'm assuming about 20% interest per year). Next lesson you don't have to learn from experience : Don't have kids before you're financially set; and know for a fact you'd rather die then ruin the relationship you're in.
    via Rhogdye316
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    Weak Ad1092 - 13 hr. ago I've lost over 80k to sports gambling and options trading starting at 18 and I only turned 23 a few months ago. You are gonna be alright man. I was bed ridden for months and lost my mind for a couple years. I'm also in credit card debt for the same reasons. If you just quit now and never go back I promise you're still young enough to where it's gonna be alright. All I do is dog myself for knowing i could've had a down payment for a house 5 times over by now, but no, I ju
    via Weak_Ad1092
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    stpg1222 14 hr. ago 10k in CC debt is a mistake and a big deal but it is not going to destroy your life. The 2 best thing you can do now is forget the money you won and lost and also make sure you address your gambling addiction so that its not a mistake youll again. Just focus on the debt you have in front of you and work hard to pay it off as fast as possible. Once that's done you'll have a clean slate and you can start making your plans for your future.
    via stpg1222
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    In reality there are so many people in their early 20s that are in similar situations for all kinds of reasons. Credit is easy to come by and it's really tempting so you're in good company. The good news is that 10k can be paid off with some hard work and sacrifice. You'll still have the bulk of your 20s to get your life started on the right path with smart decisions from here on out.
    via stpg1222

  • College is supposed to be a time of growth. It's not only when you are growing your mind with higher education, but also figuring out yourself as a person. This is usually the first time you're living away from home, and it's exciting and a little scary. Discovering yourself as a person can be messy. You don't just discover your talents, but you also meet your demons. That's not a bad thing! Life is all about balance, so it's good that you meet both those sides of yourself. You just have to make sure you learn how to live your life cohesively together. 

    For Redditor, Kev-Fin, he found out that his darkside was gambling. At first, he was up $10k and couldn't believe it! He decided it wasn't just lucky, he was actually talented at betting. He quickly found out that this is exactly what the gambling monsters want you to think. Now he's sitting $10k in credit card debt and feeling like a fool. He feels too embarrassed to confess his plight to anybody he knows, so he turns to the internet intending to get it off his chest. What he didn't expect was the outpour of support from other Redditors like and unlike him! 

    Sometimes online can be a dark dark place, and other times it's beautiful and a place of connection. See for yourself below! Want more positive stories? Read about this rescue kitten being reunited with his deaf brother!

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