A convenience store owner from Farmington, Connecticut has spoken out after losing everything when a gambling addiction drove him to spend $1,000,000 on lottery tickets from his own store!
Adam Osmond built up the store after studying for a business degree but it all went wrong when his addiction saw him spending thousands of dollars a week in lottery tickets. In the beginning he just bought a few tickets, a few dollars a week but as his business became more successful, he says it was like having his own casino, compelling him to spend thousands.
He first bought a lottery ticket in 1986 and gambled occasionally but after a $50,000 win in 2007 his gambling spiralled out of control. He says he had spent the win within a week, and his wages too and from there everything went wrong. In 2008 the shopkeeper suffered a nervous breakdown after printing out an estimated 54,000 lottery tickets, an amount he was unable to pay to the lottery provider!
This did lead Adam Osmond to finally quit gambling, and he says his low point was losing the business and having to confess to his friends and family. Now he’s turned his life around, running marathons and warning people of the dangers of gambling addition.
Playing the lottery is great fun, but it should remain just that and that’s why there are such strict guidelines around many lottery draws around the world. Sadly it hasn’t been the happiest story for Adam Osmond, and so it’s best only to gamble what you can afford, and never chase your losses!