Beating the Odds: Overcoming Gambling Addiction tells the powerful story of Michael Mooney, whose first memory of gambling came at just 10 years old — tossing coins against a wall with classmates to win lunch money. What began as harmless fun soon grew into something much more destructive: a gambling addiction that would shadow him for years. By 17, Michael was behind bars for heroin possession. While he served his sentence, his family moved to Las Vegas — a city of bright lights, second chances, and for many, heartbreak. Given a choice between prison time and recovery, Michael chose sobriety. He quit drugs through a 12-step program in 1991 and began to rebuild. But he hadn’t yet confronted his gambling addiction — the hidden struggle still waiting to surface. On his honeymoon, a quick visit to the hotel casino turned into a devastating seven-hour spiral. Michael lost more than $10,000 — every dollar they’d received as wedding gifts — to his gambling addiction. Overcome with shame, he made a life-changing decision the next morning: on May 1, 1995, he quit gambling for good. He hasn’t made a single bet since. Fueled by the pain of his experience and a desire to help others, Michael earned a master’s in psychology and became certified in both substance use and gambling addiction counseling. Today, he leads Choices Counseling Center in Roseville, guiding others through recovery from gambling addiction. Beating the Odds: Overcoming Gambling Addiction is more than a story of addiction — it’s a story of redemption. Michael’s journey shows that even after deep loss, healing is possible, and purpose can grow from the darkest places.