Gambling

[Moshe Gariani]

What are people's experiences of, and views about, gambling?

Should be all sorts of variations from people very positive about it - either as an affordable bit of fun or as a reliable source of income - to people very negative about it based on personal experience, family experience, professional involvement with problem gamblers or just a sense that it is essentially, on balance, a bad thing in modern day life.

My view is that it is essentially, on balance, a bad thing in modern day life.

The crack cocaine of Internet button pushing, combined with easy credit, has massively increased the number of people with catastrophic gambling problems and, under an avalanche of promotion by the online bookies/casinos, it seems set to get worse.

 

[Biscuit Barrel]

It worries me the amount of money people seem to spend on scratch cards as I queue to pay for my shopping. It seems you can gamble on anything and everything these days and it is so accessible with mobile phone apps.

I do not gamble as I am worried that it could become a problem.

 

[super-seagulls]

It's like any vice.
Self control is necessary and important, without it you can get into trouble.

People have a choice, which is a good thing.
Unfortunately some people make bad choices.

Should fast food places by banned, because it makes people fat if they make bad choices and eat too much?

 

[gjh1971]

Horrible addiction - had an issue with this about ten years ago as it was so easy and instant to gamble online. One day i realised enough was enough and havent gambled since, and have no intention to.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Raleigh Chopper]

I am not a gambler.
But about 10 years ago gambling was going to be trounced by the then government, they said no to super casinos (Blackpool & Manchester, i think)
Since then gambling has boomed beyond all recognition, you can gamble on anything and everything.
The days of the bookies being the domain of middle aged and old men putting their £5 on the ITV 7 has long gone.
Its an amazing transistion from a few years ago.
I went to our local Grosvenor Casino a few years ago with work colleagues for a bit of fun on a Friday night, it was full of blokes in early twenties gambling away their wages they had just got because they did not earn enough.
I did really well at pontoon, the other guys keopt touching me for luck, i made about £300 and walked out, never been back.

 

[AmexRuislip]

Don't gamble, never have, call me boring, but I've never been tempted.

 

[studio150]

My gambling is restricted to the office sweep stakes for the Grand National, Football Tournaments etc.

Outside of this I don't gamble

 

[Driver8]

I am truly sick of the gambling adverts on Sky Sports channels. They seem to advertise nothing else.

 

[turienzo's lovechild]

i've purposefully chosen to avoid it as I know I have a very compulsive personality and it wouldn't be very wise so I've never placed a single bet or anything like that in my life...I've played a few games of (very) low stakes poker with mates and that is it.

 

[MF'84]

As long as you have the willpower to only bet what you can afford to lose there's no problems but for those without said willpower I can appreciate that the temptations of today and the ease of doing it online it must be hard to resist.

Pretty much every advert break has a form of gambling advertisement (all with 'tempting' offers to sign up), the majority of sporting events and competitions are sponsored by a gambling firm and a whole host of sports teams have gambling sites adorned on their shirts; there's no escaping it and it does seem out of control.

 

[Beach Hut]

When I were a lad betting shops were never on the High Street these days they are regularly in prime shopping areas so gambling must be far more popular now given the higher rent costs on the High Street.

 

[Ernest]

When I were a lad betting shops were never on the High Street these days they are regularly in prime shopping areas so gambling must be far more popular now given the higher rent costs on the High Street.

FOBT's are what's popular not having a bet on the horses and the 4 a shop restriction means you have clusters of bookies now all over the place.

 

[Justice]

Lifes a gamble my friends you just never know when your luck will run out.

 

[Frutos]

You've got to know when to hold 'em, and know when to fold 'em.

 

[Gwylan]

I went to our local Grosvenor Casino a few years ago with work colleagues for a bit of fun on a Friday night, it was full of blokes in early twenties gambling away their wages they had just got because they did not earn enough.

My old man used to work in a bookies - Victor Chandler's at the top of Viaduct Rd. He said that a few times a year, he would shut up shop and see blokes crying because they'd blown all their week's wages. It was a salutary lesson to me, I've not been a big gambler. I was the school bookie instead. As my dad said, you never see a poor bookie.

 

[Raleigh Chopper]

My old man used to work in a bookies - Victor Chandler's at the top of Viaduct Rd. He said that a few times a year, he would shut up shop and see blokes crying because they'd blown all their week's wages. It was a salutary lesson to me, I've not been a big gambler. I was the school bookie instead. As my dad said, you never see a poor bookie.

That is very true, but i do wonder how independant bookies at racecourses manage when they get absolutely clobbered, i suppose they must always have enough to cover it, but it only takes a bad day at Royal Ascot when all the outsiders romp home and the stakes laid can be huge by the rich racegoers at Ascot and BOOM, thousands lost.
Not that i know **** all about it.

 

[Mackenzie]

That is very true, but i do wonder how independant bookies at racecourses manage when they get absolutely clobbered, i suppose they must always have enough to cover it, but it only takes a bad day at Royal Ascot when all the outsiders romp home and the stakes laid can be huge by the rich racegoers at Ascot and BOOM, thousands lost.
Not that i know **** all about it.

Most of the bookies will cover themselves by laying off the bets with other course bookies and betdaq/betfair. Outsiders winning usually means bookies winning.

 

[bigcabboy]

well I gamble for a living so guess I'm in favour of it but the gaming machines in betting shops are a real addiction for people and if u play them every day u will quickly go skint!

 

[Return of the Rev]

What are people's experiences of, and views about, gambling?

Should be all sorts of variations from people very positive about it - either as an affordable bit of fun or as a reliable source of income - to people very negative about it based on personal experience, family experience, professional involvement with problem gamblers or just a sense that it is essentially, on balance, a bad thing in modern day life.

My view is that it is essentially, on balance, a bad thing in modern day life.

The crack cocaine of Internet button pushing, combined with easy credit, has massively increased the number of people with catastrophic gambling problems and, under an avalanche of promotion by the online bookies/casinos, it seems set to get worse.

Too fricking easy to gamble bloomin hate it!

 

[Stat Brother]

I'm very lucky, I'm an unlucky gambler, so I don't gamble.

I am the ultimate 'it'll win next time' or 'it'll win when I say it will, but don't bet'.
That's basically how the Tour thread works.

I do like gambling and if I had even a glimmer of good fortune I would be broke now.
So I'm grateful I have learned there's no pot of gold.