As a gambling-addicted trader I lost more than €2.5 million — along with my house, my company, my standing and, for a time, my freedom. Today I speak about it publicly, so that you recognise the warning signs earlier than I did.
How controlled trading turned into an illness that destroyed a family, a reputation and a livelihood — and why the way out of addiction begins where the silence ends. With warning signs, checklists and practical help for those affected and for the people closest to them.
The book is published in German. An English edition is in the works — write to me and I'll let you know as soon as it is available.
Michael Gruninger had everything that looks like success and security: a family business, responsibility, standing, experience with money. Behind that façade, a gambling addiction took hold that almost nobody saw. Risky trading became a vicious circle of losses, fresh stakes, shame, lies and mounting pressure. It ended in criminal offences, arrest, therapy and a prison sentence of several years.
Thousands of trades. Around €800 million in trading volume in the final three years alone. Just under €2.3 million in capital raised and staked. Some €2 million lost. At least 15 people left out of pocket.
This book shows how a person loses control step by step — often long before they grasp what is happening to them. It makes visible how addiction shifts thinking, decisions and values, how it weighs on families, destroys trust, and drives those affected ever deeper into concealment.
Mission Spielfrei is an open reckoning with a collapse. For those affected, for their families, friends and colleagues, and for anyone who wants to recognise the warning signs sooner. This book offers no easy answers. What it offers is an honest look at loss of control, self-deception and responsibility — and at why the way out of addiction begins where the silence ends.
Trading volume between 2021 and 2023
Lost in the same period — from a seven-figure portfolio to nothing
a day in front of the charts — at meals, at night, always
Prison sentence — for the offences committed during the addiction
Secrecy — for years nobody knew. Not my family, not my friends.
marriage lost — broken by lies, debt and silence
Quality of life — no day without the markets, no thought without the next trade
2023: therapy. Today: gamble-free — and a speaker on addiction prevention. The mission begins where the silence ends.
Five episodes, one open conversation: how trading turned into an addiction, what it cost, and where the way out leads. A new episode every Thursday — listen to them right here.
The podcast is in German.
A podcast by the Landesfachstelle Glücksspielsucht NRW, the gambling addiction service for North Rhine-Westphalia
ausgezockt.gluecksspielsucht-nrw.de ↗
The warning-sign checklist from “Mission Spielfrei”: 12 signs that trading or gambling has stopped being a hobby — for yourself, or for someone you are worried about. Free, as a PDF.
The talk on trading addiction: how it works, what the warning signs are, and how much responsibility platforms and banks carry.
Why high performers are especially at risk — and what managers and HR can do before it is too late.
Prevention for young people caught between trading apps, gaming and the promise of getting rich fast.
Every talk is available in German and in English. Michael speaks English to a professional, negotiation-ready standard — so an English-language audience gets the same talk, not a reduced version of it.
Further dates are added as they are confirmed. The coverage listed here is in German. Press and interview enquiries through the form.
Michael Gruninger (48) ran a family business in Freiburg — and, as a gambling-addicted trader, lost more than €2.5 million, his house, his company and, for a time, his freedom. Today he speaks publicly about trading and gambling addiction: as an author, in talks, and in the media — among them Der Spiegel, SAT.1 breakfast television and the podcast “Ausgezockt”.
For press and all other enquiries: contact form or michael@gruninger.net
Affected yourself — or worried about someone else?
Telephone counselling for gambling addiction is free of charge and anonymous. Please don’t wait — the first call is the most important step.
Both are German helplines and are answered in German.
For yourself — or for someone you are worried about. Go through the points honestly and tick whatever you recognise. By the end I had all twelve — and I had missed every single one. — Michael Gruninger
Your ticks stay on this device — nothing is stored and nothing is sent anywhere.
Nothing ticked yet. Take two quiet minutes — and be honest with yourself. This list is no substitute for a diagnosis.
Affected yourself — or worried about someone else?
Free, anonymous telephone counselling for gambling addiction. Both lines are German services, answered in German.