The Payout That Pulled Me In. How I Got Hooked on Numbers | by E.D. Gibson | Aug, 2025

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How I Got Hooked on Numbers

I ever tell you how I got into gambling? Well… here goes.

Two things I grew up around: drugs and gambling.

Drugs? I saw both sides — the big money and the ugly addiction. The addiction part was terrifying as a kid, so I never touched it. Gambling, though? I didn’t even realize how much it was around me until later.

It started small — shooting marbles for keeps, pitching coins in the schoolyard like we saw in those old VHS movies from the States. At the time, I didn’t think of it as gambling. But looking back, that’s exactly what it was.

Back then, I used to see older folks buying “numbers” — our Bahamian version of the U.S. Pick 3 and Pick 4 lottery. You pick a 3-digit or 4-digit number, and if it matches the official draw, you get a cash payout. It was small-time stuff compared to the drug money I saw moving around, but it was steady.

The real turn for me came when one of my coworkers — a guy who grew up like me — hit a win from a Haitian fella who had a tailor shop in Englerston, not far from the Grove where I grew up. The thing was… the tailor didn’t seem too eager to pay.

So my coworker came to me. He knew how I used to move back in the day. Back then, my nickname was “Big Nasty” — and let’s just say, when we stepped into that tailor shop, the air got tense. The fellas inside took one look at me and started shaking like leaves.

Ole boy didn’t waste no time. Paid my coworker right there. Because if he didn’t… well, let’s just say it was going to be a problem. And back then, I knew how to make it a problem.

When my coworker collected and broke me off a share, my eyes nearly popped out. 💵💵

That’s when I learned the old “balls in a bag” system had been replaced with payouts based on the American lottery draws. Bigger plays, bigger wins. And that hooked me.

I started playing with that same Haitian fella… and I won. Then I found out, through my street runnings, about “Sweet Lips” — a spot right at Kemp Road and Wulff Road.

That’s where I really hit big — well, big for those days. And from there… it was on and popping.

But the “Sweet Lips” story? Oh, that’s a whole other chapter. If you want to hear it, just drop “WIN” in the comments and I’ll tell you. Trust me — that one’s worth it.

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