My name is Perry Telios, and I know firsthand that gambling harm doesn't discriminate. My experience with gambling began when I was just 16. What started as something seemingly harmless eventually became an addiction that followed me for years and had devastating consequences for my life, my family, my relationships and my future.
I've lived the lies, the secrecy, the financial damage and the shame that can come with gambling harm. I've also lived the long road back.
Today, I use my lived experience to help others understand what gambling harm really looks like, not from a textbook, but from someone who has been there.
As a lived-experience speaker, I speak to schools, sporting clubs, community organisations and workplaces, sharing my story openly while helping people recognise warning signs, understand the wider impact of gambling harm and, importantly, understand that change is possible.
My presentations aren't lectures. They're real conversations built around a real story: the mistakes, the consequences, the lessons and the rebuilding.
If sharing my story can make one young person think twice, help someone recognise a problem earlier or start a conversation that might otherwise never happen, then telling it is worthwhile.