Christina Cook’s mission: Help Women with Gambling Addiction: The Gambling Files RTFM 171

Thanks to our awesome sponsors Optimove and Clarion Gaming for helping us bring The Gambling Files Podcast to you.    This episode opens with tales of accidentally sending very personal messages to colleagues. Oops.  That silliness out of the way, Jon and Fintan get into the heart of the episode—a chat with Christina Cook, a compulsive gambling addict who is living in recovery and is three years gambling-free. In a nutshell: * Christina shares her personal story of being a gambling addict in recovery, starting with occasional visits to a nearby casino, which later became a coping mechanism during a mentally and verbally abusive relationship. * She criticizes the gambling industry's response to the harm caused by creating a Responsible Gambling Council and discusses the Gambling Recovery Investment Treatment Act (aka the GRIT Act).  * Christina started the Broke Girls Society podcast to share her story, which received positive feedback from women worldwide. * There’s a stigma surrounding gambling addiction for women that still needs to be addressed.  * There’s a need for more resources for addressing gambling harm. Choice quotes: “Gambling became a coping mechanism for me.” — Christina Cook. “I decided I'm going to have to fight for myself.” — Christina Cook.  “Domestic abuse is one of the primary drivers for women developing gambling issues, which makes perfect sense [when you think about it], but people don't necessarily join those dots.” — Jon Bruford.  “How did something [gambling] that was supposed to be fun and entertaining become so harmful? For me, the addiction was a symptom of my internal issues.” — Christina Cook.  “Gambling addiction is a comorbidity. It's a symptom of another ill.” — Jon Bruford.  “Gambling needs more safety rails.” — Fintan Costello. Thanks to Christina Cook for being on the show!  Listen to Christina’s podcast, The Broke Girl Society: https://thebrokegirlsociety.com/  Watch Christina’s show on YouTube, The Bet Free Life with Brian and Christina: https://www.youtube.com/@thebetfreelife/  This podcast is presented by Optimove, the gaming industry's CRM of choice. Don’t believe us? It’s used by a whopping 56% of the EGR Power50 to personalize player experiences. Visit Optimove for more info, not least because it helps to support independent podcasts like ours. Go on, click it! Find out! It’s awesome. The Gambling Files podcast delves into the business side of the betting world. Each week, join Jon Bruford and Fintan Costello as they discuss current hot topics with world-leading gambling experts. Website: https://www.thegamblingfiles.com/ Get our newsletter: https://thegamblingfilestldr.substack.com/ Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://spoti.fi/4cs6ReF  Subscribe on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/4cs6ReF  Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheGamblingFilesPodcast  Fintan Costello on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fintancostello/  Jon Bruford on LinkedIn:...