[News] Gambling

[Sussex Nomad]

Ignore it then. Be an adult. Simple.

I don't bet, but it is difficult to ignore the endless spam, advertising, shirt sponsoring, etc., etc., etc.

 

[Hastings gull]

We go again. This no mark has decided that tens of thousands of medical professionals are wrong and gambling is not an addiction. Stay away from this one people.

Yes, I am sure that it is an addiction, as is alcohol, but it is your choice to keep that addiction firmly under control. Doubtless betting firms will use all sorts of tricks to get you to gamble, but you should ensure that you are in control. It can be done and millions do it.

 

[KZNSeagull]

Can I digress on to a lighter topic and ask you a question on matched betting. Through your experience, have you found any useful techniques to prevent bookies identifying your account as one to be gubbed?

Not really, but I have yet to be gubbed on any account on which I place non-matched betting accumulators. With Bet365, for example, I place a couple a day on baseball and will start doing the same on football shortly. I have a 5 figure profit from Bet365 so far and still not been gubbed. I make up any losses and some with matched betting and other stuff.

Back to the original thread, some people have always been addicted to fruit machines. In the old days at least you had to go out and find one and then physically put money into it. At the golf club that I was a member of, one lady alone used to spend hours a day on one machine - she single-handedly kept the prices down behind the bar! (I am not joking). Now you can just do it at home whilst watching the telly with some slots allowing £500+ a spin. It is just preying on the addicted, sadly.

 

[Beach Seagull]

Cant be bothered to reply to each one. Nobody makes you gamble. It's not the bookies fault if you choose to use the service they offer. Take some personal responsibility. And yes i totally understand addiction having lost my dad to alcohol. Do i blame the pubs for his death? Did he? No. Was purely his choice. Nobody dragged him in it was his choice. I love a drink myself but I realise a few pints when at work is not a good idea, likewise I love a punt an all, I lost £700 last season on a failed win double but that was my tough s**t not the bookies fault.

 

[Hastings gull]

I’m personally lucky, as I’ve never been addicted to anything harmful. Pure luck. Sounds like you might be the same, without realising it’s lucky that you have that willpower?

Loads of other folk aren’t so fortunate. It might because of nature or nurture, it doesn’t matter why, but this is one example where a nanny state is required to intervene.

But is it really luck? Surely ,to your credit, (not meant to be condescending in any way!) at various stages you must have evaluated what you were doing, such as perhaps how many beers you should have, and thought -steady on; I have had enough.

 

[rogersix]

I enjoy the occasional punt, but even I believe that gambling should be illegal.

It offers absolutely nothing to society. It is an expensive hobby for some, but for others it can destroy lives & families.

As an industry, it contributes very little in the form of tax or employment, relatively speaking. Yet it destroys so many lives and families.

When something is so destructive, it should be banned. People can find better things to do, better things to spend their money on, that benefit both themselves and society considerably more than gambling does.

then organised criminals would step into the gap in the market and the consequences would be considerably worse

 

[Hastings gull]

Not really, but I have yet to be gubbed on any account on which I place non-matched betting accumulators. With Bet365, for example, I place a couple a day on baseball and will start doing the same on football shortly. I have a 5 figure profit from Bet365 so far and still not been gubbed. I make up any losses and some with matched betting and other stuff.

Back to the original thread, some people have always been addicted to fruit machines. In the old days at least you had to go out and find one and then physically put money into it. At the golf club that I was a member of, one lady alone used to spend hours a day on one machine - she single-handedly kept the prices down behind the bar! (I am not joking). Now you can just do it at home whilst watching the telly with some slots allowing £500+ a spin. It is just preying on the addicted, sadly.

But that lady did not spend huge amounts initially, surely. She decided to continue putting more and more in, ignoring all advice from others, and probably she must have considered also the problems she is causing herself. Yes, you are right, she is being preyed on, which is immoral by any standards, but she got herself into this situation.

 

[Wrong-Direction]

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Sent from my SM-A600FN using Tapatalk

 

[Uh_huh_him]

Cant be bothered to reply to each one. Nobody makes you gamble. It's not the bookies fault if you choose to use the service they offer. Take some personal responsibility. And yes i totally understand addiction having lost my dad to alcohol. Do i blame the pubs for his death? Did he? No. Was purely his choice. Nobody dragged him in it was his choice. I love a drink myself but I realise a few pints when at work is not a good idea, likewise I love a punt an all, I lost £700 last season on a failed win double but that was my tough s**t not the bookies fault.

But if that £700 punt had won and they had refused to payout, would you have complained to them?

 

[HalfaSeatOn]

Gambling is hard to ignore when people seem to forever share their winning bets (but never their losses)

 

[Beach Seagull]

But if that £700 punt had won and they had refused to payout, would you have complained to them?

yes.

 

[seagullsslimjim]

Be an adult and resist. Simple. If you cant it aint the bookies fault.

I guess this is a 'fishing' thread to reel people in.

 

[Stat Brother]

Yeah, I think this is one of those threads where it's just not worth bothering. He (or she, although I'm almost certain it's a he) appears to have a very simplistic view of life.

You are correct he has a Daily Mail view of life and needs to be treated accordingly, ie ignored.

 

[KZNSeagull]

But that lady did not spend huge amounts initially, surely. She decided to continue putting more and more in, ignoring all advice from others, and probably she must have considered also the problems she is causing herself. Yes, you are right, she is being preyed on, which is immoral by any standards, but she got herself into this situation.

Well yes she did, but some people cannot stop. That one machine made over 20k a year profit and most of that was from her and that was 35 years ago. You can lose that in a hour online these days. I don't necessarily blame the bookies/casinos, but they need to take more responsibility for some of their customers.

 

[Beach Seagull]

I guess this is a 'fishing' thread to reel people in.

No. So sorry I don't hold the 'right' views.

 

[Beach Seagull]

You are correct he has a Daily Mail view of life and needs to be treated accordingly, ie ignored.

But you've just replied to me? You haven't ignored me?

 

[Beach Seagull]

Well yes she did, but some people cannot stop. That one machine made over 20k a year profit and most of that was from her and that was 35 years ago. You can lose that in a hour online these days. I don't necessarily blame the bookies/casinos, but they need to take more responsibility for some of their customers.

No they don't. Customers need to be adults and take responsibility and not bleat when they lose.

 

[Hastings gull]

Well yes she did, but some people cannot stop. That one machine made over 20k a year profit and most of that was from her and that was 35 years ago. You can lose that in a hour online these days. I don't necessarily blame the bookies/casinos, but they need to take more responsibility for some of their customers.

Oh, yes, they can, at an initial stage and before it becomes all-consuming. They choose not to. Yes, you are right, that doesn't necessarily make bookies innocent.

 

[Cadiz Seagull]

Interesting programme on iPlayer https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p07hjnl6/can-you-beat-the-bookies featuring a guest appearance by one T Bloom esq.

Being an old fart and still not really got the hang of a smart phone Ive never bet on a football match (pretty much my last bet was when Red Rum won the National three times and I backed him every time) but I can definitely see how gambling can become a problem. Adverts on Sky Sports are wall to wall bookies.

I have no idea if the bookies are doing what they should but at the end of the day an individual needs to take responsibilities for their own actions.

Anyone who thinks they can beat the bookies over the long term is fooling themselves, unless they are very much one of the select few. For you to win a bet the bookie must lose; you might win in the short term but not in the long term.

How many bookies go bankrupt? The only person who went bust while running a gambling business that I ever heard of is Donald Trump!

 

[Hastings gull]

No they don't. Customers need to be adults and take responsibility and not bleat when they lose.

I am on your side, and see what you are saying about addiction and that folk have to take responsibility. But, given that some folk do get hopelessly addicted (and yes, it is THEIR fault) betting firms could surely have some sort of system, whereby they see OTT sums being invested and deny the chance in some way. Yes, I know this sounds vague, but are they even trying?