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Thread: Gambling - do you indulge?

  1. #1
    Master
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    Gambling - do you indulge?

    Not one of my vices. I did the lottery on its first day many years ago but didn’t win unsurprisingly and haven’t done it since. Must have saved several grand. The closest I’ve come is when I was a kid spending pennies in the seaside ‘amusements’ until I decided there wasn’t much amusing in losing money. Horses - no, dogs-no, betting shops- no. Blimey I’m sounding like a boring old fart. I guess I just don’t socialise in this way. Do you?

  2. #2
    Master -Ally-'s Avatar
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    A mug’s game

    Nope.

  3. #3
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    NO

    I need the money for watch spending, still an addiction

  4. #4
    Grand Master number2's Avatar
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    Nope, all my money goes on booze and women.

    n2
    "Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. The third time it's enemy action."

    'Populism, the last refuge of a Tory scoundrel'.

  5. #5
    Grand Master Saint-Just's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by number2 View Post
    Nope, all my money goes on booze and women.

    n2
    The rest is just wasted?
    'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.

  6. #6
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    I dabbled with a bit of matched betting in the past but never mug bets.

  7. #7
    Only the national, watched my old man chuck thousands over the bookies counter as a boy and realised there's generally only one winner.

  8. #8
    Grand Master number2's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Saint-Just View Post
    The rest is just wasted?
    George Best, the one and only.
    "Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. The third time it's enemy action."

    'Populism, the last refuge of a Tory scoundrel'.

  9. #9
    Grand Master Saint-Just's Avatar
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    Indeed
    'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.

  10. #10
    Grand Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by -Ally- View Post
    Nope.
    One of those rare occasions when I agree 100% with Ally, it really is a mugs game and it needs to be controlled far more stringently. We've gone from strict control to a total free-for-all, people do become addicted and like all addictions it can wreck lives.

    Whenever anyone places a bet, think of this: there's only one winner in this game and it isn`t me. Years ago I worked in a bar and watches people throw money away into the fruit machine, then come to the bar for change and do the same again. Madness.

  11. #11
    Master inspector gadget's Avatar
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    Well someone in Boston has won the 76 million and not claimed it yet.....

  12. #12
    I enjoy having a flutter Cheltenham week and watch it on the
    Box Noting major. Fiver a race

  13. #13
    Craftsman
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    They don't build casinos, betting shops and create betting apps for you to win money on.

  14. #14
    I only gamble occasionally,if I go to the dogs or horses I’ll bet but otherwise don’t bother.
    Sometimes go to casino for a change,not very often though.


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  15. #15
    Master inspector gadget's Avatar
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    A friend of mine tells me that if you win consistently they have to close your account, also big winners struggle to place bets in the market.

  16. #16
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    99% of gamblers lose in the long term ,very difficult to make consistent profits .If you show any signs of shrewdness bookies close accounts and restrict bets. At least the Fobt machines are going to be restricted from £100 to £2 ,the bookies with have to start being bookmakers again rather than casinos and might even lay decent bets






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  17. #17
    Quote Originally Posted by misterzero View Post
    99% of gamblers lose in the long term ,very difficult to make consistent profits .If you show any signs of shrewdness bookies close accounts and restrict bets. At least the Fobt machines are going to be restricted from £100 to £2 ,the bookies with have to start being bookmakers again rather than casinos and might even lay decent bets






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  18. #18
    No. Apart from the odd euro millions ticket if I happen to see there is a huge roll-over and I’m walking past the shop. Having looked in the window of betting shops they look dispiriting places full of lost souls.

    I know people can make money online if they move accounts around/free bets on those in game scores/scorers betting but life is too short (personally) to get involved in that, memorable moments never happen looking at a screen.

    I’ll stop short of saying it’s a tax on the stupid but I know a few people who think that way.

  19. #19
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    I only play the lottery now. Use to have the odd gamble on the grand national and other major sporting events but I just hate losing money, be it £10 or a £100. I just hate it!

  20. #20
    Grand Master Andyg's Avatar
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    Games of chance - boring and the house always wins.

    However having a few quid on a round of golf is a different matter.

    I was once in the Mohegan Sun in the US and found it the most depressing space in the world. Come midnight it was as if the punters turned in to Zombie as they queued up outside Crusty Creme for their next fix. Very sad, but the casino enable you to spend your "winnings" in their supermarket and petrol station. Win win for them.

    Whoever does not know how to hit the nail on the head should be asked not to hit it at all.
    Friedrich Nietzsche


  21. #21
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    Yes. Lottery, euro millions, casino, roulette, cards, poker, william hill online for motorsport and in play betting, F1 world cup , bike racing. Enjoy it, costs a few bob but all within my means and no impact on other areas of my life.

  22. #22
    Craftsman
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    A fool and their money are easily parted. Nope.

  23. #23
    Master Skier's Avatar
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    No, I don't gamble. Whilst at university our house backed onto the car park of a casino and we decided to pay a visit. Two of us watched a group of guys playing poker for around 20 minutes. One chap, in two hands lost over £20,000 and was distraught; this was in 1984. That put me off for life. I've been into a betting shop once to borrow a pen!

  24. #24
    Craftsman
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    Apart from the lottery,which I am defo out of pocket on I don't.


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  25. #25
    Master Alansmithee's Avatar
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    I paid the lottery once when it first started - I won a decent sum of money - I took that as a sign and never played again.

    I don't gamble generally.

  26. #26
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    Oh yes.

    I have a very long and mostly unhappy relationship with gambling.
    If anyone wants to know more on the thread just ask - I have discussed it here in the past and given talks locally about it (GA groups and "at risk" teenagers).
    For now I won't take over the thread with a negative outlook because for a good majority of people gambling is a fun pastime which either wins or loses them a few quid while not really impacting their lives.

    I gambled from the age of 16, and gradually it consumed my life for a good decade. It can be lots of fun, it can be utterly euphoric, and it can drive you to the very brink of suicide.

    Gambling is the "hidden addiction". There are no outward signs (other than being skint) that you have an addiction, no physical detrimental signs - it's all internal.
    There is an excellent documentary by Alexis Conran (from The Real Hustle) which delves into the psychology - showing the brain pattern of an addict v's a casual, recreational gambler. People say it's not an addiction, trust me, it is.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=auK_MteZ8Rg



    Ironically at the height of my gambling I discovered a passion for poker and became pretty good at it. Again it's an argument which none-gamblers won't agree with but poker is not a game of chance, it's a game of maths and the ability to read your opponent. For a while it got me on the straight and narrow, but not for long, and everything I won playing poker I lost elsewhere.

    I won a huge tournament years back on Ladbrokes Poker, first place paid £16k and it took around ten hours of play to get to the final table and another couple of hours to take first place.
    Now sadly Ladbrokes had a £2000 per day withdrawal limit. By the time I had withdrawn £4000 (48 hours) I had waxed the other £12,000 on the roulette table.

    Gambling can be destructive beyond belief and should be much, much more heavily regulated. Changes at the bookmakers could be implemented by the end of the week, but they have dug in their heels and the government have caved, giving them over 2 years to make the necessary changes - cowards.
    If the limits were going up instead of down, it would have been programmed into the FOBT's the same day!

  27. #27
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    I only ever gamble on my own skill as I have an inherent mistrust of the establishments involved. Because I only gamble on my own ability, I know my limits and therefore never gamble!

  28. #28
    Grand Master snowman's Avatar
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    I do the lottery now and then, but that's it, except on the handful of occasions I've been to horse racing events, where I'll gamble away a tenner over the day.

    I heed the saying "you never meet a poor bookie"

    M

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  29. #29
    Journeyman
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    Tend not too - but occasionally, after a pint or six, it can add a little extra interest to sporting events. Especially otherwise boring ones. I mean, would anyone watch Horse Racing without the gambling? Or football? ;-)

    There is certainly too much readily available gambling nowadays.

  30. #30
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    One of my best friends (now sadly deceased) owned a bookies shop or Turf Accountant as he preferred to be called. He often commented that he could not understand why people could be so thick as to walk into his shop and place a bet. There was ever only one winner and that was him.

    He smiled at them, chatted to them and they continued to fund his very opulent lifestyle. That was enough to convince me that betting was a mugs game and I thank my late friend for the lesson he gave me.

  31. #31
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    I only buy the odd lottery ticket these days.
    In the past I've had issues with gambling, it started at 16 with fruit machines which I now haven't played for 9 year's.
    Then there was online betting where I'd bet on all sorts of things.
    Win big lose bigger seemed to be the story of my life.
    Yes I had some great days like turning £20 in to a deposit for my first month's rent and deposit at uni.
    And the day I turned loose change in to an engagement ring.
    But then there's the lows, some of those days were really low and not just due to the losses.

  32. #32
    I’m in the no camp - although on the odd occasion I have been to the Races, maybe 3 times in 10 years, I’ve fluttered maybe £20 - a couple of quid on the odd race - and usually won back what I’ve put in, maybe covered the cost of a couple of pints and a burger. Just part of the experience imho as part of the ‘day’ - But I’ve never set foot in a betting shop, don’t do the lottery or the national. Clearly a mugs game, but I’m lucky I guess as it doesn’t set my heart racing, just doesn’t interest me. I don’t t really understand the lure of it tbh, when the down side is so inevitable!


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  33. #33
    Weekly lottery ticket, and maybe the Grand National when I remember - but that’s about it.

    Ive probably forgot to add some decisions, which might be considered as gambling, like -

    Bitcoin
    Buying relatively large quantities of watches that I rarely wear
    I’m sure there are other things too...
    Last edited by Omegamanic; 21st November 2018 at 04:45.
    It's just a matter of time...

  34. #34
    Grand Master Chris_in_the_UK's Avatar
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    Not really, had a dabble in Bitcoin which netted £660 profit before the dive plus a lottery syndicate.
    When you look long into an abyss, the abyss looks long into you.........

  35. #35
    Grand Master GraniteQuarry's Avatar
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    Lottery, if you don’t play you can’t win the millions. Admittedly, loses me a couple hundred a year.

    Other than that occasional flutters on things I can make reasonable guesses on e.g. F1, footie, TV shows. Tend to come out well on them, enough to cover the above.

  36. #36
    Grand Master TheFlyingBanana's Avatar
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    Nope - I don't do gambling as the only real certainty is that you will lose over time.

    However, when younger I did used to regularly play pool for money - sometimes quite substantial sums, but that was me betting on my skill, so I don't really consider it gambling.
    So clever my foot fell off.

  37. #37
    Grand Master oldoakknives's Avatar
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    Have the occasional flutter on the racehorses, mainly on tips from the brother in law who owns some and it's just a bit of fun. Had £700 back the other week which should cover us for a few years! Do the lottery and postcode lottery few quid a week.

  38. #38
    Craftsman
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    I tend to think that the only way to win a small fortune gambling is to start with a large one.

  39. #39
    Another tax on those already in poverty mainly.

  40. #40
    Yes I do, I only bet on football a mix of value betting and in play trading. I keep a record of all bets/trades and I can honestly say I make a profit. The key to making a profit is discipline and only getting involved when the opportunity is right and not just because you want to have a bet. Contrary to what everyone says the bookies do not always get it right.

  41. #41
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    I do. I know all too well that the house always wins but it’s just a bit of fun.
    Wouldn’t encourage others to do the same.

  42. #42
    Grand Master Velorum's Avatar
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    No.

    About 30 years ago I spent an afternoon in a bookmakers with a friend from work whom I had bumped into in the pub. He was on his way there and I tagged along out of curiosity. I set myself a £20 limit and viewed the money as a kind of payment for an afternoons 'entertainment' - I certainly knew that it would all be gone by the time I went home.

    It was a highly entertaining afternoon and there was rather interesting characters in there to watch. We bet on loads of things including at one point 'live' camel racing. Some minor wins eked out my money long enough for my to spend about 4 hours in there. It all went eventually and Ive never been in one since.

    From a behavioural perspective the way it works is an excellent example of the power of intermittent reinforcement, with marginal wins keeping people coming back for more and overall loosing for more than they put in. As any behavioural therapist will tell you this kind of reinforcement is the strongest that there is and maintains all manner of maladaptive and unhelpful behaviour in everyday life.

  43. #43
    I don't bother, the clue is the odds are against you.

  44. #44
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    Yep and have for a long time. Started with blackjack when I was a younger lad and that and poker now. Don’t play so much blackjack nowadays but in the past have lost a fair amount of cash. Used to go to Vegas a fair bit and that never ended well.

    Never gambled with what I can’t afford to lose and only play tournament poker now so all kept reasonably in check. Always enjoyed playing cards but have never bet on anything else. Only like to do things that I have some involvement in.


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  45. #45
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    The odd lottery ticket when the pot has rolled over to a silly sum. Plus an annual bet on the National and perhaps a couple at Cheltenham some years if someone in the office has a "tip"😉

  46. #46
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    No, i can't stand losing

  47. #47
    Grand Master GraniteQuarry's Avatar
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    Just checked my bet history for the last three months - 15 flutters costing £82, with payout of £232.

    Who says the house always wins?

  48. #48
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    Used to have the odd football bet, maybe £10 once a month. And generally £20 on the National.

    Packet it in after I won £100 on a football bet and stuck it on a Champions League game.

    That came in at 45/1, so a £4500 win.

    The fence and electric gates at home are still referred to as Paddy Power's gates.

    Will do the Euromillions if the jackpot is over £50m, (not sure what relevance that has, but I'm no interested if it's *only* £30m??)
    Last edited by demonloop; 21st November 2018 at 12:07.

  49. #49
    Master mondie's Avatar
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    No, not because I will lose in the long run, not because I understand the odds, but simply because I could not think of anything more boring. It just holds no allure for me.

  50. #50
    Master steptoe's Avatar
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    My dad was a professional gambler in the 1960's when i was a child.
    It was either a feast or a famine on the money front. One week carrier bags of money, the next hiding from the rent man.

    He always told me never to gamble as it's a mugs game. Although he did alright out of it in the end, he only gambled on the Horses.
    Local bookies refused to take his bets so he had to travel further afield in the end to get his bets placed.

    Me, i never gamble, i couldn't even fill in a betting slip if asked.
    Only gambling i ever do is social, on a fun night out at the dogs, £2 on the dog who walks without a limp. Can't even do that anymore since they've closed Wimbledon dog track.

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