The Bet

But gambling also has a dark side. Finances are ruined, families are torn apart and people become trapped in ways that are almost impossible to understand unless you’ve been there yourself.

The Bet is honest stories, real journeys. Each story is of someone's life in their own words, and reveals how gambling almost destroyed them – and how they found a way out.

Ty is a student who has navigated both drug and gambling addiction, and her conclusion is startling: gambling was harder to overcome. In this episode, Ty shares how the dopamine hit from online pokies became more powerful than the drugs she had previously battled. She tells the story of how a casual $20 bet escalated into secretly depositing thousands from her life savings while lying next to her partner in the middle of the night.

For Sally, a woman overwhelmed by the "black noise" and pressures of life, an online casino offered a silent escape. What began as a peaceful refuge on the couch quickly became an all-consuming obsession. This episode explores the psychological pull of gambling, telling the story of how one woman's search for a quiet space of her own led to the "complete destruction" of her life.

In front of over 200 guests at her glamorous 60th birthday party, Mele stood up to share a secret she had carried for most of her life. In this episode, Mele tells the full story behind that courageous moment. She speaks about her long and complicated relationship with gambling, the shame that kept it hidden, and the powerful decision to finally "keep it real". It's a deeply moving account of breaking down a façade to find healing in honesty.

Andy's journey with gambling harm is a story of repeated relapses and hard-won recovery. After his wife discovered his betting, a separation forced him into a "real reality check". He worked tirelessly to win back her trust, attending regular counselling sessions at PGF. However, a setback in his business triggered another, more severe two-year relapse. This is a candid account of the triggers for gambling, the immense difficulty of breaking the cycle, and the fight to reclaim one's life.

For 30 years, Angela's life was caught in a destructive cycle where methamphetamine and gambling "went hand in hand". This episode is her story of that decades-long journey, which started with her father teaching her to bet on horses at age four. She describes how the two addictions fuelled each other, leading to a life of crime, working in the sex industry, and losing tens of thousands of dollars in a single day.

Ivan describes a childhood spent constantly on the move, hiding in the dark from landlords and living in the unpredictable wake of his father’s actions. One moment his father was a superhero who would gift him a musical instrument, the next he was a destructive "tornado" who would sell it to pay off a gambling debt. This is a compelling story about the instability of growing up with a parent’s gambling harm and the search for solid ground.