A lot of it around the news for the last few days – perhaps prompted by Joey Barton’s fairly hefty whack with the banhammer (maybe they have secret mods too?) for placing a few bets on his own team.

What does everybody think about it? Should it be “de-liberalised”? Or is it ultimately the responsibility of the individual if he or she racks up debts due to becoming addicted to an activity where generally, the house wins.

Apart from being a bit shocked at the amount of advertising there is for it during sporting events, and the amount of teams which now sport the logos of various bookmakers (from watching the Snooker WC, it seems that snooker is almost completely sponsored by bookmakers isn’t it?), I’m not sure how far I’d be happy to see the liberalisation reined back in – I may be a bit of a handwringer, but I’m also up for personal freedom to do a little bit of naughtiness as long as it’s not illegal. I think it has become a little too entangled with sports though, rather than be an ancillary industry surviving off results. I listen to a fair bit of sports on radio, and while it wouldn’t prompt me to complain, am I right in thinking the hosts, pundits, etc seem to use gambling talk as part of the whole conversation a lot more than they used to?

Just wondering what everybody else thinks – anybody here ever had “having a few punts” develop into a problem?

I’m consistently amazed by the endless stream of TV adverts for different online “casinos”, bingo parlours etc. To support that amount of advertising spend it must be a gigantic industry – though I don’t personally know anyone who goes in for it (or talks publically about doing so at least).

Gambling addiction can be pretty serious. Life changingly so. Doesn’t seem to be that uncommon either.

But I guess so long as the big betting companies keep donating to the Tories it should be fine.

Never had a bet in my life and never will so the adverts can’t be that enticing.

I does feel like Gambling has exploded in recent years, I’m all for civil liberties but I also know how powerful marketing can be and whilst they’re very careful to sell the fun element of having a ‘flutter’ people can an do get into real trouble over it.

My FB pages are full of people with screen shots of winning £30 on this or that, sometimes more, but I wonder how many times they lose – for most of my friends who gamble a tenner a week on the football isn’t going to make much difference to their lifestyle and if they enjoy it, good for them, but and because I’m a bit of a economics nerd I’ve noticed the escalation – the amounts wagered are increasing to get the same buzz, because if it’s just a flutter it shouldn’t matter if you bet a £1 or £100, but I’ve noticed that the £1 a week, becomes £5 a week within months, then £10 – still pocket money for people in their 30s with good jobs, but if it is increasing, when does it stop – the point when it becomes part of your monthly budget, either because you want a set amount to play with, or worse expect a certain amount of return it has to stop.

Flutter at the races, night in Vegas, decent fun.
Furtively having a “cheeky dabble” on ‘slots’ in cubicle 3 of the work bogs, less so.

Online gambling is poison.

I bought a couple of lottery tickets when that first happened, just with all the hype. Other than that, I’ve never been able to reconcile the fact that the bookmakers all make huge profits yet folk expect to come out ahead against them.

Like many things I think the State has a role to play in looking after those persuaded otherwise.

loddrik – Member

Never had a bet in my life and never will so the adverts can’t be that enticing.

You don’t have the right / wrong mental mix for it.

I’m not exactly in the same boat, I’ve probably bet on the horses 3/4 times in my life – £10 on the National or something.

I used to play cards for money with friends – £5 a game, the speed we played at you might only get 2 games in a night, so it was a cheap bit of fun compared to going to the pub.

I went to a Casino once though, put me off for life – I’m pretty good at cards, better at working out outs and probabilities etc, but the brutal mechanics of it put me right off, £10 a hand to play poker, it wasn’t fun any more it was stressful ‘real money’ when you’re talking about £100 to really get up to speed, as much as the play was tastelessly but expensively decorated, it seemed a murky, shabby night out. Not for me, but some of my mates loved it – walk in with £300, come out 6 hours later slightly pissed and walking to the ATM for taxi fair, sod that.

Online gambling is poison.

I think so. Seems to me that the link between gambling and sport is becoming looser, rather than tighter – though I understand the point DD is making. With the rise of the betting exchanges, and the loosening of the markets enabling a bet on just about anything, the line between gambling and ‘investing’ is becoming blurred.
Gambling should be on course only, imo.

“when the fun stops, stop” is a very loaded tagline.

Round my way there are betting shops with bouncers, often full to the brim with blokes spending any spare cash gambling. They don’t look like they’re having much fun, and you can bet that some of them are taking their dole money straight to the Coral. I don’t live in a wealthy area and I think it’s a massive problem round here.

It ruins lives just as much as booze can but without any of the mitigating factors – ie often a pub is also a community hub, employs a fair few people, buys from local breweries and shops, yadda yadda. Bookies just whisk money out of the hands of the poorest and into a tax haven in the Caribbean.

I don’t have a problem with people who can afford it having the occasional flutter.

But there’s a reason that the major bookmakers seem to have lots of shops in poor areas, and that’s because they are contemptible parasites.

Its just become a lot easier. And its image has changed completely

If you wanted to bet in the past, you’d have to go in a bookies. I’ve never been in one in my life. My perception is of smelly old alcoholic blokes, standing around silently with the Racing Post, staring at tellies with horse racing on, occasionally nipping out to smoke a rollie.Hardly an enticing image.

That image is now totally transformed

Now you’ve got an app on your phone, and flashy adverts on telly, using people like Ray Winstone, and logo’s all over premiership kits and grounds, promoting as a fun pastime. The opposite of mouldy old geezers smoking rollies.

They’ve pulled off a marketing masterstroke

i think alongside the fact that its become more prevalent is that its also got more complicated, at least to me anyway!

bit like when i was a teenager id be happy to chuck a few quid in a ‘snakes and ladders’ fruit machine in the pub, nowadays they seem that complicated and swallow pound coins so quickly im not interested.

so now we have online casinos, asian markets(?), ‘bet through 5X original stake to withdraw 10% within 5 working days as long as one days a wednesday in march’ type rules, im too scared to bet properly! 😀

ive dabbled in the ‘cant lose’ matched betting and bet365 offers, but i never bet properly these days cos id just end up throwing it away by mistake.

Gambling isn’t a problem for the vast majority of people. However, for a small proportion of people who have been enticed in by the relaxed rules, it’s a massive problem that is ruining lives.

But I guess so long as the big betting companies keep donating to the Tories it should be fine.

Although the Tories are probably happy with the status quo, you should probably take a glance at which colour of government was initially responsible for this mess.

Although the Tories are probably happy with the status quo, you should probably take a glance at which colour of government was initially responsible for this mess.

Indeed. Guess where a lot of the gambling firms are based?

Clue: Its a big disputed rock, that’s attached to Spain

You’d be surprised. Most of my male friends do it – personally I have never been interested but some of them have some bad habits developing.

We tend to meet up for a weekend every 4 months-ish for a night out. Now any night out is always preceded and followed by a trip to the bookies. I tend to wait outside as they are the most soul destroying places I have ever been into.

As per any gambler, you only ever hear about the wins, if I were a gambling man, I would put money on them all being at a net loss since they started, otherwise the gambling companies wouldn’t exist.

I’ve seen it destroy someone’s life, so I do get a bit uncomfortable at the way it’s marketed now and at the dizzying variety of short-term bets on offer.

It’s the new smoking, something for the big corporations to make massive profits off of by preying on the weak-willed. Surely the government will have to weigh in eventually & crack down on the advertising, at the very least.

Even the National Lottery website has online “Scratchcards” now, which is totally wrong IMO.

I’m personally for peoples freedom to mess up their life in which ever way they choose(within reason obv, long as they aren’t hurting others, self harm is fine by me.), but there’s no doubt I think that curtailing advertising and campaigns aimed at educating people would have a reducing factor on the amount of people doing a certain activities. So while I wouldn’t curtail or ban gambling, I’d be supportive of campaigns and advertising bans.

I occasionally have a wee bet now and then, just serves me as I reminder that it’s just throwing money away.

Everytime one of my mates goes on about their wins, I ask them to show me their all time profit/loss spreadsheet. funnily enough, no-one has ever shown me one…

As per any gambler, you only ever hear about the wins, if I were a gambling man, I would put money on them all being at a net loss since they started, otherwise the gambling companies wouldn’t exist.

this.

I have an online account but i only use it for football in the same way as i used to do the pools[edit – not pools, I meant fixed odds! At uni we used to get a FO coupon on a Saturday am, pick six, pool our cash and on the occasions we won it went into the kitty for the Saturday night post-match drinks], so generally ‘daft’ accumulators on a number of matches.

Started during the Euro’s (or was it the World cup) and added a bit of interest to games that otherwise I had no reason to take a favourite in.

I’ve just checked my account and over time I’ve deposited £35, and there’s currently £17 in it (pls £3 out on a Judas bet against my team at the weekend – if we win or draw we make playoffs and if we lose I’m up by a tenner) – so all told it’s cost me £15 in total and I enjoy it.

Like anything, it must be regulated and can be an issue but just because some people have an addiction should everyone not be able to enjoy it.

btw, not to paint too negative a picture, it is a hobby of sorts to people, as with everything, it’s fine in moderation, long as you can afford it. Some people are mental with it though.

Had a problem with it back in the day, not exactly life changing, but was bordering on it at times. Had a few scrapes to dig my way out of where i was avoiding people i owed money to etc… Not a nice feeling.

theotherjonv – thats like me and Mrs Binners. We’ve both got betting apps on our phones, and also started during the Euros (who said advertising doesn’t work?).

We put 25 quid in at the start of the season, and then compare and see who’s got the biggest balance at the end of the weekends footie. We never bet on horses or anything else. Just football. I’ve Just had a look at my account and I’ve 21 quid in, but I did draw 40 quid out the other week after correctly guessing that Arsenal were going to get whooped 5-1 for a second time 😀

We just put daft bets on (see Arsenal score above). only a quid or two at a time, daft accumulators, first goalscorer, Fellaini to get booked (every game), Certain sides to grind out goalless draws. That kind of thing

It does add a bit of fun to watching the results come in. But thats all it is.

Whats scary is that if you did have a problem, you could transfer your entire bank balance to your betting account, link your credit card to it, and potentially run up enormous debts by about 2 clicks on your phone. Its no wonder its becoming an increasing problem. Its just so bloody easy!

A mate of mine once lost 3 grand in one weekend.

He got some counselling, and hasn’t bet since, even went to Vegas on holiday and never bet.

Some people need protected from themselves…

Mugs game IMO .
My mother worked for many years in a betting shop.the regulars weren’t the local glitterati.
Quite a few folk at work sit up and play onlinepoker all night….some of the slot machines are as addictive as crack apparently.
I do bet on the national though, as it was a tradition with my dad.
Oh and if you go to lords and sit with some friendly Sri Lankans ,it’s hard not to join in with them on a little sporting wager.

Never been a gambler myself.

Learned my lesson quite a few years ago, when on a stag do at Chester Races, we pooled a bet on the second last race and won enough money to pay a sizeable chunk of the night out’s tab – can’t remember how much, very low three figures I think. Which I then persuaded everybody to put on the nose of a horse in the last race.

You can guess what happened next. I did get a small insight into the rush of winning and the desire to repeat that – and that whatever “personality type” I was, that I was suceptible to it. So, yeah, salutary lesson as to why gambling wasn’t for me. Apart from the odd flutter on the GN over the years, I’ve never been tempted since.

Although, my twitter timeline is filled with those “A massive 5/1 for Chelsea to beat Aldershot Town if you sign up tonight – that’s an easy £50 for a £10 bet…” It’s very tempting for some people to get drawn in – so, yeah, I guess I’m uncomfortable with the pervasiveness of the advertising.

My Mrs’ ex had a bad habit, ran up £60k (at least) in gambling debt. Anecdotally, I’m aware of 3 other people in my extended social circle with gambling debts in the £10’s of thousands – all men. I hate gambling with a passion; the way it’s portrayed as a bit of harmless fun (glamorous even) is all wrong IMO.

One of my ex-gf’s dad’s was a bit of a shrewd investor. Over drinks one night he was telling me about investing in puggies for pubs. These were a guaranteed 72% profit to the owner!

Never gambled in my life bar perhaps 6 lottery ticket and one stag do at the dogs with a £20 purse. Other vices are more enjoyable ways to blow your money.

A lot of it around the news for the last few days – perhaps prompted by Joey Barton’s fairly hefty whack with the banhammer (maybe they have secret mods too?) for placing a few bets on his own team.

It was more than “a few bets”, and he was betting on them losing – something he can clearly influence. No sympathy at all.

I don’t see it as a problem if someone’s treating it as a hobby and (to take examples from the ongoing personal/shared finance thread) they put £XX into an account every week/month and that’s all they spend. It’s no different to spending £XX on bikes/cars/whatever.

The problem is when the money for gambling is a major and unlimited proportion of your wages/salary. Sometimes I’ve an early morning dental appointment which entails walking from the train station to the surgery – I have to pass a couple of betting shops and they have a significant number of people in them at 8:30 in the morning.

My dad used to like a “flutter on the horses” and occasionally I’d accompany him to a race meeting but it and the associated betting left me cold.

As afr as fruit machines go… here’s an insight for you. I used to do the illustrations for the machine glasses. I have never worked with more unpleasant people in my life as the people who ran the company. Americans based in Vegas. They were evil! They had one intention, and one only. To separate people from all their cash in the shortest timescale imaginable.

The people who write the sequences for the machines (for that is what they are), are mathematicians. And I mean serious mathematicians!! They set the gameplay. So that you can’t win. Obviously!

Your chance of coming out on top are simply non-existent.

Having seen how they operate, I wouldn’t entertain ever putting a single penny into one of the things. And neither would anyone else who worked in the industry

It’s just so bloody easy!

^^This^^

Apart from the Notional Lattery, the last time I gambled was in Macau on a boozy night out with friends. We each took £100 in, and agreed that we’d leave at around a certain time, or when were all out, whichever happened first. I left about £20 up, through sheer luck at roulette. The rest of the evening was very messy……great night out.

Now, that was a fun, social occasion. Other people could see each other winning/losing, and we’d all agreed the escape plan.

Compare that to, as I mentioned above, someone sitting in the bogs at work. Alone. No one can see their fun, but more importantly, no one can see when they’re losing hard. And when they are losing hard, it’s so easy just to tap some more money in. I mean, it’s not like crisp notes in your pocket, so it’s hardly real, is it?

The advertising for online gambling is toxic. The image they sell…

The reality….

It was more than “a few bets”, and he was betting on them losing – something he can clearly influence. No sympathy at all.

his statement was quite interesting though – these were matches he was not in the squad for, while other players who bet on their team to lose when they would actually be on the pitch got less severely punished. It does seem inconsistent.

To tie this in with some other points from this thread, he published the spreadsheet of all the bets considered pertinent by the FA, and guess what – a substantial net loss. This is someone who averaged about 3 bets a day, I think it was.

also, this:

😐

I does feel like Gambling has exploded in recent years, I’m all for civil liberties but I also know how powerful marketing can be and whilst they’re very careful to sell the fun element of having a ‘flutter’ people can an do get into real trouble over it.

I blame a lot on the National Lottery…. it seems to me like that legitimised the whole thing… your friendly supermarket and newsagents essentially becoming bookies…

I bet once in a bookies and the horse died… was more or less peer pressured into it in the 1st place and never been back….
I have played poker or pool with friends/family but that is mainly redistributing who buys the drinks rather than someone having to sell their car…

It was more than “a few bets”

How many was it? (Apart from the total figure [on all sports] – 15,000!! 😯 )

and he was betting on them losing – something he can clearly influence.

In his statement, he says that on the occasions where he betted against his own team, he was not even in the matchday squad.

I was addicted to playing fruit machines until my early 20s :0

It certainly was an issue for me at the time.

The flashing lights, exicting noises and the possibility of a win really seduced me.

Thankfully I did not have access to a lot of cash or credit at the time, so my losses were minimised.

Did the lottery until they doubled it from £1 to £2 then jacked it. Been to the races a couple of times and always take “stake money” separate from the rest of my cash. Only gamble the stake money. Never been into a bookies and never done on-line gambling. I can get obsessive so I know that on-line gambling will not end well, I therefore avoid like the plague. As for the bookies, my dad told me when I was just a pup,
“Never get involved with the bookies. You might get the occasional win but they will always come out on top. You’ll never hear of a bookie going bust.”

Stuck with me although it’s about the only bit of good advice I did take on board. 🙂

In his statement, he says that on the occasions where he betted against his own team, he was not even in the matchday squad.

I wasn’t planning on a lets-bash-Barton, for starters I have no idea who he is! But the fact that he wasn’t on the squad doesn’t make much difference, a friendly word in his mate’s ear before the match and…

“Never get involved with the bookies. You might get the occasional win but they will always come out on top. You’ll never hear of a bookie going bust.”

Unless it’s Trump, who went bust 3 times…

But the fact that he wasn’t on the squad doesn’t make much difference, a friendly word in his mate’s ear before the match and…

You seriously reckon you could swing the outcome of a Premiership football match with ‘a word in your mates ear’ – a mate who’s enormous salary depends on it – so that you could win few quid on the bookies? 😯

I don’t think for one minute that there was any attempt at match fixing. Why would you bother when you’re already absolutely minted? Also… Its Joey Barton. He’s not the sharpest tool in the box.

I think its simply what he says it is. A gambling addiction. He simply couldn’t stop himself even though he knew the rules, and what breaking the rules would result in. Which has now happened