Ask Lemmy

I hate it.

I think gambling has tainted sports and is the epitome of corruption to the core. It's very ironic that a baseball player by the name of Pete Rose, got a lifetime MLB ban for gambling, yet give it 20 some odd years later and Draft Kings is promoted which is gambling.

It fuels addiction, it makes people throw away anything they could that they could bet with, on the off chance, which is narrow, of winning it big.

It's why I hate Las Vegas entirely, I hated it when poker games were nationally broadcast for a while at one point and so on.

I don't do it because it feels like I'm throwing my money away.

Gambling as an industry should not exist. It's just predatory.

Like most things in life, in moderation it can be fun. Adding some stakes to an activity can make it more exciting.

It becomes a problem when people don't have the self-control to self-regulate, and when it's designed to prey upon those people specifically, or to prey on desperate people who feel like it's the only chance they have to get ahead, or who don't have a good understanding of the risks or chances of winning.

Humans as a whole are bad at understanding probability, and our brains are wired such that the happy chemicals we get from winning are more impactful than the unhappy chemicals we get from losing. As such, someone can be losing money overall, but still feel like they're winning, or at least, still get the rush from winning even though they're way down overall. That's dangerous, and gambling companies are designed to specifically target those people and exploit those destructive behaviors. It's like the experiment with the rat that was given a button to give itself happy drugs, and it just sat there pressing the button constantly. Basically, the regulations are necessary because of capitalism, and because without them, those people would very quickly ruin their lives given the chance while the companies running the operation give zero fucks about it.

Then there's the fraud. Look at prediction markets. They're rife with fraud and bet fixing and it's not only politicians and policymakers doing it. John Oliver had a piece on this recently where he goes into some detail, but there've also been articles about journalists getting harassed and threatened because they report on something that would cause a Polymarket loss.

In conclusion, some humans are shitty and we need regulations to keep shitty people from doing shitty things.

Gambling destroys lives. Making gambling illegal may be controversial, but I can't see any reason to allow gambling ads.

If you want to gamble, then it's your own life to ruin. If you advertise gambling, then you are ruining other people's lives.

Ban gambling ads.

You're technically always losing because it's in embedded in the programs and the host/casino/whatever cannot lose money. You have to be an idiot to be gambling.

Im a victimless crime guy (I use the term loosely and am aware for anyone seeing the term that you can say the user is a victim or knock on effects) so like all this stuff being legal and have felt that way forever. I do want it highly regulated to minimize harm and I think it should be taxed higher than less harmful things. One thing I did not realize until legalization occured that advertising is really problematic with all these type of "adult" activities. So now I am a bit modified in my stance that I don't think advertising should be allowed outside of the establishments themselves. So no roadside signs about a casino at the next exit and such. To see cigarette, alcohol, drug, prostitution, gambling ads you should have to be in one of those establishments to begin with which should not allow minors. So like kids should not be allowed in liquor stores or bars even with a parent. Things like casinos can have hotels where kids are allowed but no advertising for it there. It should be treated as a seperate business that just so happens to have a path to the casino.

Just remember that it doesn't matter if you have an addiction or not, the reason gambling establishments are as affordable or attractive as they are is because there are people feeding their entire life savings/retirement into them right now destroying their lives. They can afford for you to get that fun occasional win as long as the addicted keep them propped up.

It's like alcohol. Kids should not use it. Most adults are able to use it in moderation and are fine. It's stupid but they are free to spend their money however they like. Some people can't handle it.

It should be regulated by limiting access to it, limiting advertising and protecting people that can't handle it.

Alex Trebek put it this way. "If I win $100.00 I don't feel that wonderful, but if I lose $100.00 I'm very angry."

My sentiments.

Like all things, fine in moderation. Nothing wrong with friendly wagers among friends or spending some money playing casino games. The gambling industry doesn’t exist off the back of these players though and that’s the problem with it

Absolutely should be illegal. People will do it anyway, but there will necessarily be restraints on the way it fucks up peoples' lives. Same as underage drinking.

I can't necessarily find justification to ban it but it should come with warning labels and not be glamorized and advertised everywhere like it is. Casinos hurt communities. Gambling in general does. It just sucks money out of the lower classes. Lots of inheritances have been pissed away, lots of college funds too. It's not a net positive, and that gives society a voice in regulating the shit out of it. Now that the internet is here IDK what they can really do anyway though, at least before there was a trip to the casino required to lose a bunch of money.

Personally, I think it's a total waste of money and addicting for some people. I don't think it should be illegal, but I do think that corpo gambling should be. Sportsbooks and their ilk are cancer, and gambling should not be something you can easily blow all of your money on from the comfort of your toilet.

It's pretty stupid. Definitely among top 10 stupidest things humans have invented.

I don't enjoy it. I think it's sad when people get addicted to it.

I don't even like big random factors in games. One of the things I like about the dark souls franchise is there's very little randomness. You never win or lose because "lol critical hit", like you might in something closer to D&D

My friends and I occasionally have poker nights, and its a lot of fun. Its funny how stakes of $5 or $20 - just a few dollars or cents at most for most hands - make a game much more exciting.

The problem is the casinos and sports betting apps...

I worked in a casino in the late 90's. I dealt with supplying the coins and payouts for all the slot machines. When a machine would have a jackpot I could have the payout and paperwork printed and waiting before the techs could get to the machine. Everything would show up on my computer screen, including when there was a machine fill done.

Now ask yourself what prevents the machines from being "tighter" or "looser" at the push of a button or click of a mouse.

Every single game is designed to make the house a profit. The only way to truly win at gambling is to own the casino or not play.

I have no interest in gambling. I like watching sports, but I think gambling on it would ruin it for me since the outcome of the game would have a material effect on me.

It's not my thing, I do have a small basket of stocks I call gambling (they break even) and husband spends $2 a week on a lottery ticket.

Other than those I abstain, it's not really fun to me.

Sports gambling is based casino gambling is slop.

John Ralston Saul's The Doubter's Companion - The Dictionary Of Aggressive Common Sense sums it up pretty well:

GAMBLING, STATE - RUN When governments raise money by acting as croupiers, the systems they manage are degenerate and are closer to their end than to their beginning.

The Burmese, for example, could always tell when a dynasty was close to falling; it would set up a state lottery. Early in the 1970s, Western governments turned to licensed gambling to provide the funds which TAXATION no longer seemed able to raise. This initiative has been blamed on many specifics: the financial crisis, tax reform which drastically reduced the contribution of the large corporations, the cost of social programs. The combined result was a lack of money which turned into DEBT and that debt into chronic restraint.

From the moment a government encourages its citizenry to finance the state by gambling — which means by idle dreaming — instead of through creativity, work and productivity, that state is in an unacknowledged crisis.

The only nation to have prospered via gambling is Monaco, which is not a nation. It is a corporation specializing in tax avoidance presided over by a croupier prince.

Personally, I think it's a mug's game.

It's fun but dangerous. My father's gambling addiction derailed my college career, though admittedly it was already on shaky ground. I've forgiven him for that but his addiction and the damage it causes is ongoing.

So: not a fan of casinos.

I bet small amounts on NFL games when the season is active. $10-$20 a week.

I go to the casino a couple times a year with a set amount of money (usually $500), and if I lose that money, I leave.

I'm glad it's legal. Some folks get addicted, and that sucks, but the same can be said about booze, prescription drugs, and even food. We don't need a nanny state banning things because some people go overboard.

I did it a few times at local horse races that i went to watch. I bet only small amounts for the fun of it, and i think it contributed a little to the whole atmosphere of the event. So, nothing serious. The most I won was, when i made a mistake and bet on a complete outsider by error. Then that outsider won, and from the proceeds i could go and buy me a new pair of jeans.

if you're not first... you're last

It's just a bad idea in general that doesn't actually bring any benefit whatsoever to our society.

People will always go on about "do what you enjoy" etc etc. I have no issues with people for the sample playing fantasy sports, which is gambling but for the sake of competition not for the sake of money (usually).

As soon as you start wagering things of value, or taking on bets with consequences which aren't part of the fun, then it's just a shit thing that will always result in someone being unhappy.

I guess that's my real issue with it, by design if it's something for enjoyment, why does it require someone else to be hurt? (even losing a small amount of money is by definition a meaningful "injury" to the person).

There was a time that I actually had a bit of a gambling problem. Came into some money and decided to just not work for a couple years and live like Caligula. Casinos took care of a good bit of that money before I managed to stop.

And to me that’s the real issue. If you’ve got cash, don’t mind/care if you lose it playing some games, and can walk away without feeling any need to go back, hey, have at it. But if you’re like me and easily get hooked on shit and it makes you irresponsible, well, the casinos and the gambling apps will be just as happy to take your money anyhow, and pretend that showing you an 800 number to call about it is being responsible.

Gambling is (mostly) a poison. I don't condone sports gambling, I don't go to casinos. I do like to play some poker and fantasy football, but there's a large element of skill to those. It's not as bad as playing slots or betting on the ponies IMO.