Betting in the blood book review 2: Born to lose by Bill Lee

As the full title suggests (Born to lose - memoirs of a Compulsive Gambler) this is a soul searching journey of a man that has struggled to contain his gambling addiction all his life. Whilst the first part of the book covers his growing up, and how outside influences shaped him, the second half goes onto cover how he desperately tried to get help to solve his problems.

If you ever need to know if you have a gambling problem, a read of this book will tell you pretty quickly. Finishing work at 9pm (apparently most compulsive gamblers obsess about most things in their life, including work), driving 4 hours to Nevada (he grew up and was based in San Francisco), getting 2 or 3 hours of casino action and then driving back to work without a wink of sleep is certainly nothing I can relate too.

For me, the second half of the book was the most interesting, especially his detailed writing of how he prescribed to the Gamblers Anonymous program, how it worked for him and how it couldn't hold him back (to start with). He explains his first meeting, and how the inner sanctums of GA, with all its little quirks. For example he explains that the "GA Mafia" are rogue members, who attend meetings with little intention of taking things seriously (for example they are their to lend other members money or to conduct extra-marital affairs).

You tend to pick up little useful snippets of information during the course of the book which every gambler could do with taking up. For example a compulsive gambler is specifically at risk if they are HALT (hungry, angry, lonely or tired).

Sadly there is no happy ending, every time you think that the guy has solved his problems and got his life back on track, he suddenly relapses, with each relapse being worse than the last one. Moral of the story being that a problem gambler is never cured, but literially has to live "one day at a time".

A unique book in terms of my library (for example Lee spends very little time going through specific gambling experiences, aside for one life changing hand of Blackjack, where he lost over $15k) but one I would recommend in order just to see how out of control people can become. It's sad in places, but brutally honest (I don't think this type of book can be anything else).

My rating: 64%