Gambling

[Ernest]

As much as FOBTs are clearly a mug's game, what I want to know is what sort of clown sees the appeal of betting on those virtual horse races you see going on in shops at 9 in the morning? Seriously, WTF?

They have virtual football matches on now too

 

[Ernest]

Matched betting is gambling, but at odds that are heavily stacked in the punter's favour at the expense of the bookie. There are however two issues with this:
1) Once the bookies get a sniff that you're attempting to extract the value from their offers (which are designed purely to get you gambling regularly), they'll ban you.
2) Matched betting can lead to a false sense of security. It is easy to then find yourself taking risks you shouldn't be taking and actually properly gambling.

The problem with matched betting using free bets and bonuses is like with Bet365 they can be withdrawn anytime. If you then make up second accounts for matched betting you could end up losing your balance if they think fraud is at play, it's not as risk free as it seems. Bookies know about it and like you say it just leads people onto playing the casino with their own funds as well as making bets with money they can't afford to lose thinking everything is risk free.

I watched a similar page on Facebook recently , reckoned they had computer programmes, logarithms etc, everything to make sure the punter doesn't lose and you only had to pay them £75 to know how. The first bet of course came up , last time I looked there was an 18 bet losing run and a lot of angry punters out there amid accusations that they are in fact bookies masquerading as tipsters to lure the mug punters in.

The only sure thing in betting/gambling is when Barney Curley lines a coup up and nobody knows anything about it till the job is done , anyone who has a system that guarantees free money would never sell it as they would be scared that once the secret is out the game is up. The money is made from selling tips not from the gambling advice.

 

[Stat Brother]

They have virtual football matches on now too

You are shitting me

It'll be virtual flies climbing up a window next.

 

[Simster]

The money is made from selling tips not from the gambling advice.

Even that can be trouble. I was follow a site that offers these tips, but give one free EW, nap and lay tip per day. Their results are certainly OK (about 4-5% return) but I'll never forget one time about 3 months ago where they suggested laying a horse at around 3/1. When I went to the exchange, it was out to 7.0 (6/1). I thought there was no way I was laying at those odds, but watched the race anyway. Good job too, because it won! The problem here was that their lay tips had consistently been quoted at around 3.0 - 4.0 and had lost as expected for the last 15 days. Anyone getting complacent might well have thought "even the market can see this won't win, so I'll double my lay stake", which would have been disastrous.

 

[Simster]

They have virtual football matches on now too

If I wanted that sort of experience, I'd find a live stream of Reading v Wigan.

 

[seagull_in_malaysia]

This was probably the biggest "culture-shock" I had when I moved back to the UK. I was surprised at how prevalent the advertisments were for gambling and the sheer range of things you could bet on. I was similarly surprised at the prevalence of so many compensation lawsuit companies.

 

[Official Old Man]

I don't gamble but do worry about the extent of advertising now for all the online betting sites. I recently joined a free online poker site 'to try it out' and became hooked. It kept throwing freebies at me encouraging me to 'buy' extras to earn more money. Right now I've a £million in my account but as soon as I start paying I expect to lose rather than win. I've got no cards or accounts linked to any 'play' or 'itunes' sites so I'm not tempted but can see how easy it would be to get someone in debt to lots of money.

 

[DavidinSouthampton]

The odd flutter very occasionally. I had my eyes opened many years ago when working in a gap year before going to Uni (1972). One Monday morning at tea break someone asked the foreman (John) how his betshad gone over the weekend. He was joking about the fact that he had lost everything he had bet, but the total was more than I was earning in a week. He could afford it, but..........

A couple of years ago when we were in the play-offs, on the day of the first match I went in to a local bookies to put two bets on, one for us to gain promotion, and the other for CMS to score the first goal. That went well, then. CMS didn't even play in the first leg!

I did for a laugh at an evening meeting at Goodwood a couple of years ago, having managed to break even all evening, put a few quid on a horse purely because of who the trainer was - Micky Channon. It was a rank outsider, but won at 25/1. Paid for the evening for us and the friends we went with!..... but very lucky!

 

[DavidRyder]

I like accumulator bets on the football, gives me more of an interest in other games. I like choosing about 6 games where both teams need to score, just a quid each time.

I once went in my local Corals and saw a very old man, who didn't look too well off, put an £800 bet on a horse. It lost.

 

[Bozza]

I've got a very addictive personality and gambling has featured in my life from quite a young age.

I had a Saturday job at a Worthing sports shop when I was at school and many Saturday nights were then spent at Worthing Sports Centre to watch the Bears play basketball. I'd think nothing of putting my day's wages into the fruit machine in the bar.

For my 18th birthday, my Mum took a group of us out for dinner and then to Sergent York's Casino which used to be just outside Brighton Station. I ended the night about £200 up which was amazing. I'd gone out, had a decent night and came back with more money than I started with!

When I first moved to Bristol, along with a few others from Sussex I know and also like a gamble, nights out would often end up in a casino. Where others would have a dabble with £50 on roulette playing their favourite numbers, I'd get £1000 and dump it on an evens chance bet, sometimes repeatedly. It was a nice to wake up the next morning to a stack of £50 notes on the bedside table, but that was offset by that sickening feeling of other mornings when I'd lost.

The worst times for me have come when looking to chase a loss. I took my Mum to Vegas for her 60th, which was also my first visit. I had a pot of money to play with and I was going to ration myself so I could enjoy it throughout our 5 night stay. That all went wrong when I chased a loss on a roulette table on night 1 and blew the lot!

Around 10 years ago I got the closest I probably ever have to "having a problem". Again, chasing a loss that started with a modest £5 or £10 bet, I'd just lost a 4 figure sum on a horse race that I couldn't even watch and was considering what to bet on next to get my money back. Something clicked at that moment and I all but stopped gambling there and then. I have the very occasional dabble now and again, but I'm struggling to recall if I've actually bet in 2016.

I'll add that I've never bet "what I couldn't afford to lose" but that doesn't mean the losses are any easier as you reflect on how much better the money could have been used.

I do play online poker occasionally for pretty much pennies, and I enjoy it. I don't need to go big to derive satisfaction with poker. I also don't have the requisite skills to justify larger stakes!

 

[Wrong-Direction]

You've gotta be in it to win it!

Sent from my SM-A310F using Tapatalk

 

[Swillis]

I've got a very addictive personality and gambling has featured in my life from quite a young age.

I had a Saturday job at a Worthing sports shop when I was at school and many Saturday nights were then spent at Worthing Sports Centre to watch the Bears play basketball. I'd think nothing of putting my day's wages into the fruit machine in the bar.

For my 18th birthday, my Mum took a group of us out for dinner and then to Sergent York's Casino which used to be just outside Brighton Station. I ended the night about £200 up which was amazing. I'd gone out, had a decent night and came back with more money than I started with!

When I first moved to Bristol, along with a few others from Sussex I know and also like a gamble, nights out would often end up in a casino. Where others would have a dabble with £50 on roulette playing their favourite numbers, I'd get £1000 and dump it on an evens chance bet, sometimes repeatedly. It was a nice to wake up the next morning to a stack of £50 notes on the bedside table, but that was offset by that sickening feeling of other mornings when I'd lost.

The worst times for me have come when looking to chase a loss. I took my Mum to Vegas for her 60th, which was also my first visit. I had a pot of money to play with and I was going to ration myself so I could enjoy it throughout our 5 night stay. That all went wrong when I chased a loss on a roulette table on night 1 and blew the lot!

Around 10 years ago I got the closest I probably ever have to "having a problem". Again, chasing a loss that started with a modest £5 or £10 bet, I'd just lost a 4 figure sum on a horse race that I couldn't even watch and was considering what to bet on next to get my money back. Something clicked at that moment and I all but stopped gambling there and then. I have the very occasional dabble now and again, but I'm struggling to recall if I've actually bet in 2016.

I'll add that I've never bet "what I couldn't afford to lose" but that doesn't mean the losses are any easier as you reflect on how much better the money could have been used.

I do play online poker occasionally for pretty much pennies, and I enjoy it. I don't need to go big to derive satisfaction with poker. I also don't have the requisite skills to justify larger stakes!

I have always loved that phrase 'could afford to lose it'. Most of the money I lost I could afford to lose in a way as I had a steady stream of money coming in and could always get a few grand from a couple of places. But when I look back and being honest with myself I couldn't afford to lose it, very few people can afford to lose money. Ask yourself this month how much you have spare? Now go and burn it, no I thought not as that would be stupid just throwing money away. But that is what gambling really is.
I'm not including people who bet for enjoyment though, those who bet £10/20 a week.

 

[Zawn Kellys]

I used to bet a bit on sport on Betfair. More than anything though, the correct score threads on here on Albion games, made me realise i was rubbish at it. i am virtually never right!

 

[Bozza]

I have always loved that phrase 'could afford to lose it'. Most of the money I lost I could afford to lose in a way as I had a steady stream of money coming in and could always get a few grand from a couple of places. But when I look back and being honest with myself I couldn't afford to lose it, very few people can afford to lose money. Ask yourself this month how much you have spare? Now go and burn it, no I thought not as that would be stupid just throwing money away. But that is what gambling really is.
I'm not including people who bet for enjoyment though, those who bet £10/20 a week.

What I mean by that is I wasn't spunking the mortgage payment up the wall, nor was I drawing on credit cards that I could only repay if I won. No one around me was any worse off for me having a punt. My partner was often in the same group of people when we'd end up in a Bristol casino, so it wasn't like some sordid secret I was keeping.

As above though, I won't deny that slightly sickening "I could have spent that money on X instead" feeling.

 

[Wrong-Direction]

Here's a tip, I usually only bet 50p on the correct scores of like 5 games, I've been a goal off 3 or £400,000 many times, I'm still living in hope that one day I'll hit the jackpot, anyway I'm off to put an accumulator on..

Sent from my SM-A310F using Tapatalk

 

[Stat Brother]

I've got a very addictive personality and gambling has featured in my life from quite a young age.

I had a Saturday job at a Worthing sports shop when I was at school and many Saturday nights were then spent at Worthing Sports Centre to watch the Bears play basketball. I'd think nothing of putting my day's wages into the fruit machine in the bar.

For my 18th birthday, my Mum took a group of us out for dinner and then to Sergent York's Casino which used to be just outside Brighton Station. I ended the night about £200 up which was amazing. I'd gone out, had a decent night and came back with more money than I started with!

When I first moved to Bristol, along with a few others from Sussex I know and also like a gamble, nights out would often end up in a casino. Where others would have a dabble with £50 on roulette playing their favourite numbers, I'd get £1000 and dump it on an evens chance bet, sometimes repeatedly. It was a nice to wake up the next morning to a stack of £50 notes on the bedside table, but that was offset by that sickening feeling of other mornings when I'd lost.

The worst times for me have come when looking to chase a loss. I took my Mum to Vegas for her 60th, which was also my first visit. I had a pot of money to play with and I was going to ration myself so I could enjoy it throughout our 5 night stay. That all went wrong when I chased a loss on a roulette table on night 1 and blew the lot!

Around 10 years ago I got the closest I probably ever have to "having a problem". Again, chasing a loss that started with a modest £5 or £10 bet, I'd just lost a 4 figure sum on a horse race that I couldn't even watch and was considering what to bet on next to get my money back. Something clicked at that moment and I all but stopped gambling there and then. I have the very occasional dabble now and again, but I'm struggling to recall if I've actually bet in 2016.

I'll add that I've never bet "what I couldn't afford to lose" but that doesn't mean the losses are any easier as you reflect on how much better the money could have been used.

I do play online poker occasionally for pretty much pennies, and I enjoy it. I don't need to go big to derive satisfaction with poker. I also don't have the requisite skills to justify larger stakes!

This reminds of my youth.

My father was a keen cricketer, as is customary when a game was rain delayed it wouldn't take long for the cards to come out and 3 card brag would begin.
Initially 12-13 year old me and my pocket money was usually 'entertained'.
I eventually got good enough to to play without embarrassing the game.
You can imagine the pack mentality when a child is the one staring down a small pot 'is he bluffing' 'you can't let a school boy beat you' etc, fantastic fun.

Anyhoo one game I hit the mother load.

A massive table of players, some good hands being held by a couple of serious players, and little old me.
When I ran out of money, the pot was already massive:-

"Dad what do I do now"
"let's have a look" - "ok I'll fund you"

This didn't deter the other players, even when we were down to the contents of my protesting mother's purse.

Notes were still flying in, I can remember visibly shaking.

Finally, boom, my royal flush (I think) wins a big 3 figure sum (Early '80's pre teen), my life as a professional gambler was all mapped out in front of me, except my father had other ideas.

He took his and mums money back, made me put a fiver in my pocket, then insisted I stayed at the table until I'd lost all the winners.
A painful lesson but as I still remember it now, I guess it worked.

 

[atfc village]

£4 a Week on the lottery and £2 on a 3 draw acca on a Saturday ,one win pays for the season. Don't bet anymore money than that because i'm no good at it.

 

[Deleted User X18H]

They have virtual football matches on now too

Our very own Peter Brackley is the commentator for this in Corals.

 

[sweetmods]

I had a bit of time to kill last night so popped into the bookies on Southwick Square. The roulette machines were all in use and I watched as a chap went to the counter and, using his bank card, loaded £1,000 onto one of the machines. Within about 10 minutes it had gone. He returned to the counter and loaded another £1,000 onto the same machine - and before I left a few minutes later has was well into that stash as well. Incredible. (I left the shop a fiver up but decided it was probably best not to brag about it)!

 

[Topnit]

Not sure that last time I went into a bookies. Online gambling has near enough bankrupted me though.