Ed worked in sales and had a lot of free time. He began going to the dog tracks to unwind and take a break from the realities of family life. A few years later, he took an extra job working part time at the dog track on nights and weekends. That is when his problem worsened. Every spare moment he had, Ed spent at the track. He couldn’t stop gambling. He began borrowing money, lying to cover it up, and was feeling like he had no way out of his debt. He felt he had no choice but to keep gambling and, “hit that big one.”

Ed had what he thought was a terrible money management problem, a problem that took its toll on his family not only financially, but also emotionally. He was lying to cover for missing money, dodging calls from bill collectors, and in all reality… missing his daughter’s childhood. “I missed her gymnastics routines. I missed her birthdays. I was always too busy,” said Ed. He recalls both he and his wife telling their daughter “Don’t bother daddy. He’s studying for the track.”