“It’s a disease like any other”
Monishka Govender|Published 5 hours ago
FOR years, the thrill of the next bet consumed every corner of Rakesh Ramanand’s life. What began as casual trips to the tote with friends gradually spiralled into a cycle of secrecy, financial ruin, and emotional isolation.
Like many who struggle with gambling addiction, Ramanand did not recognise how deep he had fallen until the consequences became impossible to ignore.
Today, after 21 years of recovery, he is not only rebuilding his life but also helping others confront the very addiction that once controlled him.
The 52-year-old Verulam resident recently took to NeoRox, a podcast, where he spoke on gambling addiction.
This week, he told the POST that gambling had become so easy, one could place bets while on the toilet.
“I started off with spinning and tossing coins at a young age, probably 6 years old. In coin toss, we had to guess heads or tails and wage a bet. I then progressed to horseracing, cards, pool and casinos. Anything I could bet on, I would.
“Horseracing and casinos were my favourite gambling options. I enjoyed the thrill of the hooves of thunder and being able to pick a winner. Casinos had quick results and bigger odds,” said the IP Technician.
He said gambling did not run in his family nor did he learn about gambling from the environment he was brought up in.
“Some of my relatives gamble conservatively but I am the only one in my family with a serious issue. I started off with small bets when I was a teenager, which gained me small wins. This soon spiralled to bigger gambling habits as I got older.
“I remember times when I stole money from my parents. I also bought items on my clothing account for people and I asked them to pay half of the amount in cash. I used to concoct stories about car trouble, illness, and not getting paid my salary to get loans from friends and family.”
After gambling for most of his life, in 2004 he found himself in a position where he no longer had anyone to turn to for money to feed his addiction.
“My addiction started getting really serious in 1999 and I sought help in May 2004. When I reached rock bottom, I had nowhere to turn because I basically ran out of options, and people and institutions to borrow money from. They did not really know the extent I was gambling as it was so secretive. Over the years, I definitely lost over R1 million.
“I was continuously thinking about the next bet and stayed awake during nights wondering how I was going to get money to gamble with and pay debts off. It was a continuous vicious cycle. I also told a lot of lies and made up a lot of stories to get money. I was not a very pleasant person to be around. Being two-faced became a norm.”
He said his gambling had no triggers – nothing urged him to gamble – he just loved the feeling.
“I was so soaked into gambling that I had to have a bet on a regular basis. Although winning was the aim, it did not matter anymore. I needed to have my daily fix whether I won or not.
“Gambling was not even an escape from something going on in my life. I was just an addict. However, some lifestyle changes did affect my addiction. At one point I was trying to make ends meet after having moved to a job that paid less and paid for debts.”
Ramanand said he lost many relationships.
“I ruined many relationships. This was because of my continuous borrowing and lies. People lost trust and faith in me. I was now the corridor topic. However, I was like a frog in water. I thought that nobody could see through me.
“I was lucky not to have been arrested for certain behaviours. I also used to resign from jobs to collect my provident fund to pay debt off. However, that never happened. I just squandered all that money on gambling. I am lucky I have some semblance of a relationship with my parents and family now, although it was not easy to regain their trust.”
One of the relationships that fell apart was his marriage.
“I do not have children. My wife at that time was really upset. I hurt her a lot. I was not the husband I should have been and that was all as a result of my gambling addiction. This led to me getting divorced and I am ever so sorry for how I treated her and what I put her through. I hope she can forgive me someday.”
He said his turning point was when his desperation became strong thoughts of suicide. That was when he decided to seek help.
“I attend Gamblers Anonymous meetings on a weekly basis. That has been the backbone of my recovery. I will not compromise those meetings for anything. The hardest part about quitting was having to deal with the fact that I was not going to be able to do something that I had been doing for 20 years; that together with being in continuous denial made it very hard.”
Ramanand said there were still times when he felt the urge to gamble.
“It happens occasionally, especially with all the advertising everywhere. Although I cannot control my thoughts, I can control my actions. Regular meetings help to keep the urges arrested. I have only got this far with my addiction recovery because of regular meetings and having made a moral and financial inventory. More importantly, the peace and happiness I have in my life is too precious without gambling. There is a far better life without gambling. I will not trade that for anything. I did not want to end up as a hobo.”
He wished more people understood that gambling addiction was an illness.
“It’s a disease like any other. We do not mean to cause harm around us. We also do not mean to do the things we do like lying, stealing and being dishonest. We just need help and support. Families must not turn a blind eye and pretend there are no issues. That is as bad as gambling.”
Ramanand said gambling was too easy to access today, especially through online betting.
“Gambling in this country has become too easy. There was a time when casino gambling and online gambling was illegal in our country. Now it has become so easy that one can gamble while on the toilet. People can gamble 24/7 without leaving their homes.
“This is going to ruin the economy and the poorest of the poor because of the false promise of big wins. Something needs to be done urgently. The question begs: who has allowed this to get out of hand and why? There needs to be more done to address the gambling problem. I believe that gambling has become the biggest social addiction/problem in the world.”
Now after recovering, Ramanand helps others by telling his story.
“Everyone needs to know that there is free help available at Gamblers Anonymous. One just needs to make the decision that they have a problem and it needs to stop. Denial is a big issue. Which is why I always tell my story as a way to help others know that giving up is not an option,” said Ramanand.