Kerstin Ott has engaged in gambling, staking an amount of 100,000 euros.
"Her hit song 'Die immer lacht' propelled Kerstin Ott into the limelight. However, the singer reveals a darker period in her life when laughter was far from her reality. She was battling a gambling addiction and was homeless."
As she explains on the NDR talk show "deep und deutlich," her gambling addiction started around the age of 18. Over a span of seven years, she admits to losing around 100,000 euros, money she had earned working as a self-employed painter. She would work tirelessly throughout the day, only to squander her hard-earned money in the arcades in the evenings. She even resorted to gambling money meant for her work materials.
During this time, she moved cities and jobs, joining the police force. However, her new job paid less than her previous one, and the 'barracks life' took a toll on her. She realized she didn't want to continue in this job. Returning to her old job wasn't as simple as she thought. She moved back to her old city but had no place to live, and her old customer base had dwindled. They went two months without a fixed address, sleeping on friends' couches or in their car. "It wasn't great," she confesses.
Ott's unusual way of overcoming addiction
She can't fathom now why she was drawn to gambling so quickly, Ott reflects, adding, "It was like a remote control." To break free, she took drastic measures. She banned herself from entering arcades by distributing her photos with a warning in every arcade within a 50-kilometer radius. The message read, "I'm addicted to gambling, I'm Kerstin Ott, please don't let me in here anymore."
She chose this radius intentionally, as she wouldn't drive more than 50 kilometers "just to gamble." In the arcades where she distributed her photo, she couldn't have done that out of pride.
The entertainment of arcades was a constant struggle for Kerstin Ott during her gambling addiction. Despite her successful career as a self-employed painter, she often spent her earnings there, even using money meant for her work materials.
After distributing her photo with a warning in every arcade within a 50-kilometer radius, Kerstin Ott intentionally avoided the entertainment of these gaming locations, hoping to overcome her addiction.
