![]() At least a couple of times a year, we hopped in the car and visited his girlfriends around the city. How do I know? Well, starting from when I was eight, he brought me along. My dad’s swaggering lifestyle came at a cost for our family. He always stopped at the LCBO first to stock up on booze for everyone. They were filled with friends, family and work associates. On weekends, my father hosted big parties on the lake, tying six boats together. The boat slept eight people and had its own kitchen and bathroom. He also had a 28-foot Chris-Craft boat that he docked in Westport, a village on the banks of Upper Rideau Lake. He never flinched when it came time to pay. My father always picked up the cheque, typically for up to 10 people. Everyone ordered three courses, starters, appetizers, desserts, racking up a bill of at least $1,000. People were drawn to him.ĭuring those dinners at the Keg, the wine was always flowing. ![]() ![]() He lived like a rock star, staying out late, treating his clients to dinners at Al’s Steakhouse or the Keg, driving fancy cars, walking around in tailored Harry Rosen suits. My father was the sales director at a big printing company. My mother handled most of the parenting while working full time for the government. Growing up, I lived with my parents in Lower Town, just outside of Ottawa’s downtown core. I’ve lost a hell of a lot more than money. I’ve lied to family members, compromised marriages, missed mortgage payments, contemplated suicide, all because of my addiction. I’ve experienced first-hand how sports betting can ruin a life. I know that recovering addicts like me are going to struggle with temptation. When I see the new ads around Ottawa, I get angry. I did most of it illegally, placing bets with bookies or foreign sports gambling sites. I’ve laid down wagers on hockey, football, horse racing, even cricket, even though I don’t know a damn thing about cricket. Of that total, more than $600,000 went to sports gambling. Over the past few decades, I’ve played through more than $1 million, betting on games like house poker and virtual blackjack-even gas station scratcher cards. I’m a recovering gambling addict, abstinent since 2018. During my shifts, I hear teens and twentysomethings discuss their bets as they board the bus. On posters plastered to the sides of buildings. Ever since the federal government legalized single-game sports betting in 2021, flashy advertisements for gambling sites have popped up everywhere. To me, though, the biggest change has been the rise of sports betting ads. I’ve seen a lot of change during that time: new highrises in the downtown core, big-box stores dotting the suburbs, rail transit emerging above and below ground. For the past 20 years, I’ve been a public bus driver in Ottawa.
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