Betting is stupid
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A number of people have recently expressed their opposition to or discomfort with the frequent adverts for betting companies on TV. With that in mind, I have two questions:
1) Do any of you who are either opposed to adverts for bookmakers on TV or feel uncomfortable with them have a bet yourself on a regular basis?
2) Has anyone who does bet regularly ever used one bookmaker over another as a result of their adverts on television?
Betting is stupid
I think it's more the drip feed.
Celebrities making betting seem normal and a fun thing to do.
Doesn't matter which company is advertising if you have a problem it just places betting back in your mind.
My personal issue is less with bookmakers, more with online gambling websites (there is a difference for me and online is more dangerous). I have never used them but I will do the odd bet, perhaps 10 a year, in a bookmakers.
It’s an irresponsible message for celebrities and ex footballers to be telling people that putting a bet on the game “matters more”.
The industry needs tighter regulation but whilst the so called gambling commission are being funded by the bookmakers that’s unlikely to happen.
It needs government intervention. There are worrying levels of young problem gamblers and the number of young male suicide linked to the gambling industry should make them sit up and taken notice.
Unlike drinking where problem drinkers make up a very tiny percentage of overall drinking sales, I read that 40% of bookmakers profits come from problem gamblers. They actively target problem gamblers to exploit.
Surely it's quite alright if we are advised to bet responsibly in their ads over and over......
I do one bet every year. Just before the season starts I do a £1 each-way yankee on the four divisions. £22 total. I never win. This season my premier, L1 and L2 teams are doing well, all in the top 6 and within striking distance of a top 3 finish. Sadly my Championship pick isn't doing too well. Currently near the relegation zone after 8 defeats in a row
I can't say I ever remember it affecting my behaviour or decision making (I would definitely be defined a problem gambler). It is only going to get worse and has already become a big problem online where there is less potential for regulatory intervention.
There is quite an interesting series on youtube by a couple of channels called coffeezilla and someordinarygamers where they delve into a recent trend of some very high profile 'influencers' (sicked in my mouth even typing that word) and internet celebs with very young followings advertising gambling sites by showing themselves playing and winning at incredibly high stakes (talking 25k+ a spin)
Because these specific gambling sites are crypto based, deposits and withdrawals can be tracked via the blockchain and that is where it gets interesting, in short, most of these people weren't even gambling their own money and were being paid up to 7 figures a month on the side to play house money and get as many of their fans to sign up and lose their own money as possible.
I can't say I'm swayed much by any advertising in general, in fact I avoid some things on purpose because they annoy me!!
I can imagine it's not like that for a lot of people mind, and I myself was influenced into betting due to all my work mates betting in the works van at one time, never anything big but I eventually used the gamstop website to ban me off all major sites.
I rarely ever bet. Years ago I had a mild addiction to fruit machines where there were times when I'd spend my 'night out' money in half an hour and go home sober. Fortunately it never went beyond that. I can appreciate how addictive the lure of a win can be and the desperation of wanting to claw back losses.
A few years ago I decided to deposit a tenner with a well known bookmaker just for the World Darts Championship. Made about £400. I've done the same each year, but lost it. I don't bother otherwise.
I feel there's a glamour towards having a bet. Put your money where your mouth is. Ultimately bookies want lots of people to have a flutter and lose. Plenty of people are in control over their gambling. Lots aren't.
Smoking cigarettes used to be glamorous. It isn't any more. Gambling isn't glamorous, but it needs to be seen as such for the companies to make their huge profits. I acknowledge that bookmakers are becoming more responsible, but is that the answer? Ultimately they want regular gamblers.
I have an online account with one of the bookies, little flutter now and again nothing major, I don't think an advert would lean me towards one bookmaker over another. It's a bit of harmless entertainment for me and Julie. But an old friend of mine who i still see occasionally has had the habit since we were in the last year of high school, it was a major contribution to the loss of his 1st marriage.
From what I see of these adverts they definitely glamorise gambling. For a change I have to agree with Sludge here - the only winners are the bookies or the various on-line guys behind the adverts.
I’ve never really been swayed by the adverts personally and I am a problem gambler, a couple of years on the right path now, but I’ve lost eye watering amounts of money gambling. If ever I was feeling triggered by an advert I’d just grab the remote and switch the channel.
However, research has proven these adverts do trigger problem gamblers, and worryingly it’s at the younger end of the age scale where these adverts have an effect.
I’m fortunately now in a position where I’ve paid nearly all of the debt I built up through 15 years of problem gambling, 5 of those very serious, lost about 40k in a 5 year period, so I try and help and give advice to younger lads in work who I can see are developing gambling problems. With the 24/7 access to bet online, or on your phone, with all manner of games / sports kicking off every 15 minutes its all too easy to develop a gambling problem days.
If anyone is struggling, especially with online gambling, I recommend signing up to Gamcare as Dembe mentions in this thread. I only wish I signed up to it years ago. You literally can’t access any accounts or sign up to any new ones. It’s superb.
A little flutter is OK - as long as you remember to never bet more money than you can afford to lose.
Regular betting, chasing losses, is stupid.
1 Yes
2 No. But I bet they attract many. Ive got so many betting accounts I generally look for the best price.
Ive probably got around 10 to 12 online accounts. Did have telephone accounts as well.
Advertising did get me to open them. Free bets. Luckily my Mrs and I have joint accounts so im really disciplined. So mostly use betting offices and leave the accounts.
Mainly bet horse racing and unless its a big meeting leave it to Saturdays.
Im pretty sure if i was 20 again with money to blow id be using those accounts regularly. Im glad they werent available then.
Betting small amounts you can afford to lose is fun and makes an afternoon in the pub more enjoyable.
if a leader of Wales or the UK announced that they were going to make gambling illegal I would not have a problem with that.
Gambling is legalised robbery !!
Online gambling is worse especially when you’ve consumed alcohol and your judgement is clouded.
Fruit machines- FOB’s online gaming are all highly addictive but will never be banned because of the huge fortunes made by the companies and the government’s in taxes
Corruption is rife across ALL sports from stopping racehorses to spot fixing in cricket- throwing matches from football to snooker - darts, tennis , taking a dive in boxing the list goes on…..
The worst offender in my eyes are the National Lottery …. Scratch Cards with their built in “Heart Stoppers” where they deliberately print two high denomination numbers and place another on the card with one less zero- criminal, and so is altering the original 49 numbers adding ten extra and increasing the number of draws per week- how many on here still play?
When was the last time you even won a tenner?
You might as well stand on the cliff top in Penarth and throw your money into the wind
There’s only one winner and it “Could be You”
But its feckin not!!!!
The advertisement does make me bet more. I've found myself betting a lot lately, but always tend to be up. (Sky bet has a feature that shows your profit/loss over different time periods) so for me I don't mind losing £50 in a night because I know overall i'm up over the 12 month.
But the betting criticism is for people that don't have the self control. Just because I bet, doesn't mean I'm a hypocrite for criticising the advertisements
The betting advertising has never influenced me, but it seems obvious that the sheer volume of betting advertising must normalise the practice.
There was a tweet last night which said there were 60 ‘mentions’ of bet visible in the build up to one of the goals.
I see Bolton have made a stand to refuse any gambling money, probably a good thing if clubs can afford to have morals.
It's posts like these that I really admire. There's no better source than from people who walk the walk. Any addiction will result in debt and misery. I really congratulate you and everyone else for sharing this stuff because this means a lot and is the way to help people. A massive thank you.
A while ago there was a thread about something football (they do happen occasionally on here!) and the word luck was mentioned. I know I tend to be too academic about this stuff but I tried to convey the reasoning that there is no such thing. Everything is random in the universe and we live in a constant state of chaos. I know this stuff sounds heavy but I'm pretty sure you and others will get where I'm coming from.
You and Demb mentioned GamCare which is amazing. I randomly came across this a few seasons ago when I stupidly played the CCFC lottery thing they were pushing at the time. I don't normally do these things but I was sold on something along the lines of it helping the club. To cut a long story short, the only way I could get the f*cking thing to stop taking money out of my bank account (which I didn't even realise was going to happen - I thought I chose when to play) was to sign up to up to GamCare. I think it gave the option to stop for x number of years and I chose the highest which was 10 I think.
I know it sounds ridiculous and I felt really stupid I'd been caught (more shame actually which really didn't help my mental state at the time) but I couldn't find a way of stopping it online any other way. I'm pretty sure at the time I couldn't even get a phone number to call.
I hate the ads. They are lies, plain and simple.
Anyway Mr H, really well done fighting this stuff. If you ever need any support I'll bore you to death with equations and algorithms of how it's all a load of bollox and people should just give their money to me!
Have a great day!