His 30-year gambling addiction cost him more than S$1 million – until a miracle set him free

The ruse was simple.

Jonathon Lim would drive to a country club, call a friend and ask for help: He was hosting business associates for lunch but had left his wallet in his car and misplaced the keys. Could they urgently lend him S$2,000 to settle the bill?

More often than not, these friends would drive down with the cash. (This was at a time when there were no digital payments.)

After all, they had no reason to doubt him. Jonathon was the owner of a mid-sized real estate agency. He was a country club member. He drove a Mercedes S300. He dressed and looked the part of a man with success.

But what they did not know was that there was no business lunch. Every dollar went straight into his gambling addiction that would consume more than 30 years of his life.

Obsessed

Jonathon, now 62, estimates he lost more than S$1 million through gambling.

“My whole adulthood was immersed in gambling,” he said. “I was so obsessed with it. It was the only thing on my mind.”

To sustain his habit, he borrowed from family and friends, banks, licensed moneylenders and more than 20 loansharks. He even convinced friends and business associates to invest in his business, promising them a 10% return within three months.

“I had no intention of using the funds for the business,” he admitted. “I just took the money to gamble.”

The spiral

Jonathon’s addiction had begun innocently.

As a secondary school student, he and his friends played cards with their Chinese New Year angpow money. But after he started work, nearly half his monthly salary went into jackpot machines at SAFRA clubs.

Soon, weekly gambling became a daily habit. He borrowed to fund it, made frequent trips to casinos in Genting Highlands and later patronised Singapore’s casinos after they opened in 2010.

The occasional win kept him chasing the next one.

“Even if you win only one or two times out of 100, you only remember the beautiful memories,” he said. “I believed that if I’m able to lose, I’m able to win it back.”

Instead, gambling cost him almost everything. His business collapsed. He lost his cars and home. Friends and family distanced themselves from him, while loansharks harassed both him and his parents.

Chained to rock bottom

Desperate, Jonathon accepted his aunt’s invitation to turn to God and entered a Christian halfway house in 2011.

But his heart remained unchanged. “I thought I was just learning formulas for how to ask for help so my prayers would be answered,” he said.

He left after four months and soon returned to gambling.

Even a 20-month prison sentence for cheating failed to break the addiction. When loansharks started harassing him again after his release in 2015, he gambled again, convinced one big win would solve everything.

By then, his life was in shambles.

“I was very stressed. I felt like maybe if there’s no way out, I may just end my life. I’m a 50-year-old man. No job, nothing. What can I do?”

The breakthrough

During this time, a close friend suggested that he seek help at Adullam Life Counselling (ALC), a Christian non-profit that supports people struggling with debt.

While gambling participation in Singapore has declined in recent years, it remains common. The National Council on Problem Gambling’s latest survey in 2024 found that 40% of Singapore residents aged 18 and above had gambled in the past year, while around 1.1% were classified as probable problem or pathological gamblers.

For those facing debt and addiction, ALC counsels them, helps negotiate with creditors to allow repayment in a more manageable capacity, and offers mediation between them and their loved ones. It also takes individuals through a course that empowers them to break unhealthy habits.

Championing Hope Together

by Adullam Life Counselling

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Jonathon agreed to seek help.

At ALC, they helped arrange a repayment plan for his legitimate debts. They advised him not to engage with loansharks.

Most importantly, they told him to turn back to God. “The Pastor told me to surrender to God, fast, kneel down and pray,” he recalled.

With nothing left to lose, Jonathon did as the Pastor said, fasting from lunch and crying out to God in desperation for two weeks.

Then a miracle happened.

“All the calls from the loansharks stopped,” he said. “Completely. Until today. It was a miracle I can never forget.

“From then on, I told God, ‘If you have done such a great miracle for me, I have to believe in You. I need to give my 100% complete surrender to You.'”

A new life

Five months later, in February 2019, Jonathon was baptised. Since then, he has remained free from gambling.

Temptation still comes. Once, while working as a Grab driver, he dropped a passenger off at the casino in Resorts World Sentosa. Instead of driving off, he found himself parking his car at the carpark.

As he was about to step out to gamble, he felt prompted to call a church brother instead. For 20 minutes, his friend reminded him of God’s Word and urged him to drive away. “That saved me,” Jonathon said.

After that incident, he reinstated his casino self-exclusion order and has kept it ever since.

Now in his eighth year of freedom, Jonathon is careful not to become complacent.

“Every night before I sleep, I thank God for giving me another gamble-free day,” he said.

He is still repaying his debts, attends church faithfully and serves in a cell group. Every Tuesday, he volunteers at ALC, helping others break unhealthy habits. He also volunteers with a prison ministry every Saturday.

He said: “To me, the most amazing thing is that God has given me – a person who has committed a lot of sins – a chance to be of service to Him.”

About Adullam Life Counselling

Adullam Life Counselling is a non-profit society that provides support and practical help for people facing debt issues.

For the past 13 years, it has supported some 500 to 700 people per year, with a 90% success rate for help-seekers who follow through. While it is a Christian-based organisation, it pledges to serve the community without any racial or religious bias.

The organisation will be holding a gala night on October 22, with the hope of Championing Hope Together. Find out more here.

Championing Hope Together

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