When it comes to scratch cards, even the smallest taste can be enough to hook someone.

One retail worker watched as one curious shopper gave gambling a try, only to turn his beginner’s luck into an upsetting losing streak.

Read on for the full story!

Scratch Cards

A group of workers from another company came by my till today.

The first guy in the line is a scratch card addict who will come in regularly throughout any given day to purchase £5 tickets and will of course spend any winnings on more tickets.

They’re pretty much regulars around the place.

There are many such cases.

On this particular day, he has already been in a couple of times.

He and the second guy both buy a couple of £5 tickets and go to wait outside for the 3rd man.

But one of the men was skeptical.

The 3rd man comes up to my till:

Him: “My colleagues convinced me to buy one of these, but do people actually win?”

Me: “Um… sometimes.”

Him: “But not often?”

The worker gives it to him straight.

Me: “No, not often.”

Him: “It’s a waste of money then? That’s what I thought?”

Me: “Basically, yes. Don’t make it a habit.”

So he purchased one ticket and then left.

But he wasn’t ready to walk away quite yet.

Later in the shift, he comes back to redeem the card, having won £25. This was the worst possible outcome.

He predictably came back throughout the day to purchase more tickets, eventually negating his winnings and losing a further £15 to boot.

I hope he learned his lesson, but I honestly doubt it.

All this to say, I hate scratch cards with a passion.

If only this guy had listened to this wise retail worker.

What did Reddit have to say?

Gambling can get you in trouble in more ways than one.

Turns out there’s an etiquette to these things.

Some people know how to quit while they’re ahead.

Turns out, the guy in the story isn’t even in that deep yet according to this commenter.

Let’s just hope either his luck turns around or he kicks the habit for good!

If you liked that post, check out this one about an employee that got revenge on HR when they refused to reimburse his travel.