The misadventures of the Gambler || Comtest

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_{Original Photo by Nathan Trampe from Unsplash}

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~"There is no calamity greater than lavish desires. There is no greater guilt than discontentment. And there is no greater disaster than greed." - Lao Tzu.~

I remember it like it was just yesterday. I was scrolling through my unread messages on my WhatsApp like I normally do when I'm bored. Just scrolling away lazily, when I saw an old group I used to be somewhat active in. The group belongs to some random guy who shares random tips on how to make money. They're a lot of people on there so he often makes his money through referrals. I was there for a while then slowly dipped when I got bored.

I was surprised to see he was still dropping messages regularly, so from then onwards I started peeping in once in a while to see what he was shilling, or what links he was dropping and whether or not people were actually earning. The group was set up such that only admins can talk so it wasn't easy knowing. At times he'd drop links to Ponzi schemes and sites where only those with huge referrals like him gain.

For whatever reason I was blind to that and often tried my luck with some of his shills. I barely made anything but I kept the faith

"Just need to refer 2000 people and maybe then I'll make some huge stacks".

Anyways, one day he came to the group chat and declared that he'd gotten another "update". He said that this one was guaranteed to fetch a lot of money and as such he's putting a price on it, 3500 naira (approximately 5 dollars).

"Nope I'm not paying"

Why couldn't he just drop it for free like he'd been doing for the previous ones? I hardened my heart to the idea. They'd be other opportunities.

He started dropping testimonies of others who have paid, and how they've made tonnes of money since they started doing what he shared with them. It was then my curiosity, and greed started to get the better of me.

I for one know he's not a scam cause I've done monetary transactions with him before, so that made me sure he wouldn't run with my money. Eventually, I decided to take the leap of faith (dumb me).

I sent him his money and after confirming that he received it he sent me 3 videos explaining what to do. I was so disappointed after watching the videos. All that was there were tips on how to make money from a virtual game on a betting site. I argued and tried getting my money back but he said there were no refunds.

I decided I might as well try it out since I paid for it. I first put in a thousand naira (1.34 dollars) to see how it works. Following their methods It was going well and I had already made half of what I put in. But then suddenly I started losing, and losing, and before I knew it all the profit was gone and I started eating into my capital. Next thing the money was gone.

For whatever reason I was strong-headed (and the game was kinda fun) so I added another 1000 naira (1.34 dollars). The goal was to make back my initial money and try again later. It was going well and I was already close to making my Initial loss back when the exact same thing repeated itself. I was so pained and angry with myself.

I watched the video one more time and I realized I was missing a very tiny detail that may or may not have been important. I decided to risk it again and this time follow every single detail. I also decided to add more money as this will guarantee I make more money quickly and also give me more depth ensuring I had greater chances of not losing.

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_{Pictorial representation of me all through this story}

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You probably won't have guessed it, but I made back most of my money back. I was just a couple of cents off everything I lost. Just need one more win and I'll rest for the day. Then I lost, I tried again, this time with double what I lost as advised cause the probability of winning would be higher. I lost again, surely I couldn't lose again, but I did. If I didn't put in my remaining balance I wouldn't make back all my money, so I did, or at least I thought I did. I checked again and realized my network cut me off at a crucial moment. When it reconnected I realized I would have won if it went through. I began to panic, what was my guarantee that I'd win the next one? I tried again and sure enough I lost.

That was it,10500 naira (14 dollars) thrown into the abyss. It may not be much to you but for a Nigerian student that money would go a long way (can do food for a week or more if you're frugal). I sat down on the spot, looking at my phone and thinking of all the things I could have done with that amount. Tears began to flow, and all of a sudden I started laughing.

This was all cause I couldn't turn a blind eye and resist the temptations. I wonder what would have happened if I'd won. Oh well, I've learned my lesson, always have a good network (Just kidding, or am I?😏).

~THANKS FOR READING~

_{This is my to the LOLZ's FUN House COMtest. There are lots of cool prizes, so be sure to participate.}