Have I written about gambling before? It doesn’t appear so, so here we go!
Gambling is not something I have ever been particularly interested in (unless you count the occasional lottery ticket), as I do not consider myself particularly lucky. The exception to this rule would be the bingo that we won on holiday last year, that resulted in a weekend break to a log cabin. The bingo was free to enter, but if it had required an investment on my part, with no guarantee of getting anything back… I might have hesitated.
You see, gambling is all about ‘what if’, and that powerful notion has led many people astray down the years. ‘What if the next roll of the dice is in my favour?’ It could be, but then again, it could easily not be, and if you’ve rolled it a dozen times without a favourable outcome, how many more times can you afford to roll? I have on some very rare occasions been down to a local dog-racing stadium, and had a few flutters, but I’ve never spent loads, as I never understood the appeal of sinking large amounts of money into the chance of winning more.
With casinos, it is often said the odds are weighted in favour of the house, so to win big requires either a lot of luck, or a patient understanding of the game. I am not lucky and I am not patient! With sports bets, you might be able to make a bit of money off something predictable (such as Mo Salah scoring goals in the Premier League), but to make big money you need to place a fairly steep bet on something with long odds, and that is too big a gamble for my liking!
I’m not going to tell you not to gamble. If you get a thrill from it, and you are sensible enough to do it in moderation, then you go for it. If you make a mistake from it, hopefully you’ll learn from it. It is not for me.
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I have a very negative view of gambling. A very close family member has a gambling addiction. It started innocently enough by playing video poker at one of the local casinos. At first it was betting quarters. Then it became betting the max you could bet.
Sometimes gambling gets overlooked when talking about addiction. Drugs and alcohol get far more ink. But do not underestimate the pull of gambling. Most people can handle going to a casino, spending a few bucks, and leaving. Others cannot, and it can be very detrimental to close friends and family members. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
Thank you for commenting! I agree, gambling is often ignored when it comes to addictions. UK adverts for betting services now have to legally advise people to do it in moderation, but whether or not that message is powerful enough is debatable.
Yeah, over here they always end their advertisements with a 1-800 toll free number for anyone with a gambling problem. That’s pretty weak if you ask me. But, that’s their way of covering themselves I suppose.
My ex was an addict too. To gambling and alcohol. I agree – those “disclaimers” on a shiny ad for how fantastic it is to gamble EVERYWHERE right now are disgraceful. It makes me never want to use those sites, though.
So true. Where I live, you can actually self-exclude yourself from a casino-either for life, or a certain amount of time-5 or 10 years for example. However, it’s pretty easy to go in and ask for reinstatement. So, in essence, even self-exclusion isn’t fool proof. It’s despicable how casinos operate, preying on human vulnerabilities the way they do. Now, even sports leagues like the NFL, who used to always point out the dangers of gambling, are now full-fledged participants. They could not ignore the $$$$$$ they could make. As usual, it’s always about the money.
Thanks for weighing in. I can completely empathize with you.
I’m pretty sure you can self-exclude from most casinos. But, it’s in the name – One must do it by choice. Addicts struggle with it and the constant barrage of messages must make it harder.
IDK. It’s a hard world to live in sometimes, balancing between self-control and freedom of choice. Very tough subject!
Yes. It really is a tough subject. I’m amazed at how sports leagues in America have done complete 180s from where they used to be on gambling. The $$$$$ is simply too hard to ignore.
So, I’ve had a lot going on and WordPress stopped sending me updates about your posts for about a month. I haven’t been ignoring you!
The last few times I’ve gone gambling, I’ve made money in the first few minutes and spent a few boring hours with extra money. I know myself – If I’m up, I stop. LOL
Hah, you know, I did wonder the other day ‘where has Ariel gone?’ Trust WordPress to cause chaos!
That’s remarkably touching, y’know? Having people you don’t know care about you? That’s how I realized that something was wrong – I hadn’t seen a post from you (or WordPress) for a couple of months.
However, the personal life stuff has also been BRUTAL lately. That’s probably why it took me so long to realize I was missing my regular doses of Meerkat! 🙂
Everyone needs a dose of meerkat, it should be law!