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Until 1994 Tom's only indulgence was the odd lottery ticket or taking part in the office pool. A visit from a relative changed that. On his first visit to Casino Windsor, Tom became acquainted with blackjack.
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"It fascinated me but I didn't play that first time and watched as a man put down $200 and in 10 minutes was up $200," said Tom. "I went home and got tapes and books on how to win." His first experience playing was in August, 1994. It wasn't significant. In December, he won big. He started with $600, playing at the $25 table. As he started winning he upped his bets to $500 a hand. He was soon $23,000 ahead, and his fate was sealed. His wife sent their son to get him out of the casino. "I gave him a hard time and he was amazed to see 40 chips in front of me worth $500 each. He called another son and daughter to come down and I played a $500 hand for each and won all three," Tom said. "Of course I only tell stories about the wins because you don't want to remember the losses."
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His life slowly spiraled out of control. While away on holiday, he would instruct his son how to juggle money from one account to another when his pension cheque arrived. He ran up credit card debt and ran through their chequing accounts. Life wasn't pretty and he wasn't having fun any longer.
Desperate, he told his wife what was happening and handed over all control of the household money to her. Tom signed a self-exclusion letter, banning himself from the casino. He had lost a total of $115,000. He also found Problem Gambling Services. With best intentions, support from his family and professional help, Tom is still fighting his addiction battle, but one that is getting easier.
"It feels good this way. I can be trusted with money now and I'm at peace with the world. I'm grateful I still have enough money to live on," said Tom, and joked "I have $25 in my wallet. It's been a long time since I was allowed that much." When Parkinson's isn't waging a war in his body, Tom likes to spend time improving his computer skills. "Once you decide the casino is not for you, start doing other things, think about other things, seek out someone who understands and who can support you," said Tom. "My counsellor is my conscience. But you can't do it yourself. I hope if there's someone reading this he or she can recognize themselves and ask for help."