Games & Recreation Gambling

[radiojake]

First time I played pokies was about 2 months before my 18 birthday -

Was at a friend's 18th birthday at a local pub. At 11pm security started doing the rounds to kick out the minors - One of the girls there was onto it (think she'd done it before) and grabbed me and told me to hide in the toilets for a while, as she did as well...

15 mins later we re-emerge and suddenly the pub is under the assumption everyone there is 18+. I also bought my first beer that night (didn't drink it, was on my P-plates, but was able to buy the birthday boy a drink!) --

Anyway, one of my mates who was already 18 and already seemed to have an unhealthy attachment to the pokies gave me a dollar and told me to play one. So I put the dollar in, and I pressed a couple of buttons, and nothing happened. I thought that was a waste of a dollar that could've gone towards a beer (that I couldn't drink)

 

[djrossie16]

I saw the program last night on four corners and the infiltration of sports betting into tv sports coverage and the cross over with other betting like horse racing in footy coverage. Obviously Tom Waterhouse seems to be everywhere at the moment trying to get a share of the market among the more established. It seems you can't avoid it at the moment. Probably in the years to come when and if the 'betting during the game' gets going in lieu with phones it'll probably get even more dodgey. I was surprised somewhat about the relatively small percentage the sports betting is of the overall gambling market. Obviously being younger and having most of my friends who are around the same age i'm more exposed to this sort of gambling.
Know a fair few people who are close to if not hooked on sports betting and they spend a fair bit of their income on the 'slips' before each game. Friends dad is in Gamblers Anonymous and I know he lost a fair bit of money causing strain on the family.
Personally never been a gambler aside from the weekly tatts ticket and the yearly Melbourne Cup flutter. The house always wins adage probably got through to me at a young age and i've never really paid much attention to it. I do have a bit of an addictive personality and I feel if I did get on it at a younger age I might have got sucked in though who knows? It is a bit of a shame all the advertising throughout a footy coverage these days.

 

[Coolangatta]

I bet you $100 the OP is collecting information for an essay.

 

[bresker]

Went to gambler's help last year. Wasn't putting a huge amount into the pokies but enough to make me miserable every time I did it. I've been seeing a counsellor and havn't gambled since, oh, last October?

After I've got a a year up I'm going to train to go on the gambler's helpline myself.

 

[Catfish Alley]

I used to bet a little on horses through Spring and Summer and occasionally place some bets for Grand Final day. Since I've been in Canada though I don't bother at all thought because I can't use the online account I had. I don't bother with with casinos or pokies at all. You lose your money too quickly. With racing at least I can have a good day out or just have a few beers, listen to the radio and have some fun studying form and placing cheap bets.

 

[kfc1]

Only ever play Blackjack at the RSL/Casino or Poker with mates. Poker with mates is not really gambling anyway as we play for peanuts so its more like an investment in an evening's entertainment. Love blackjack cos I'm a luckbox and almost never pull out less than I put in.

Having read this thread, I am now motivated to take up the pokies, horse punting and live sportbetting.....naaaaaah

 

[DrVanNostrand]

Occasionally have a $10 buy-in game of poker at a mate's place. Peanuts really, and is especially good fun when you head home with $70 without ever having played properly before. Always get a laugh out of seeing my mates ask their GFs if they can spend $10

Only other time I gamble is when I go to the cricket, I'll usually have a $5-10 punt on top run-scorer or something like that. Turned my $5 into $35 recently, and threw it all away when I let it ride on the result of the match the next day - that $43.75 would have been sweeeet.

 

[vapid1]

Ridiculous that gambling ads will be banned because a tiny minority of gamblers can't control themselves. That's the bookmakers target market and they can't even advertise lol.

 

[Run n Spread]

For years Tattslotto seems to be society's acceptable form of gambling for some unknown reason.

Many people are quite prepared to spend 20 to 40 dollars a week on a ticket, more than many recreational sport punters do.

The %age returned in prizemoney for lotto is only about 60%. Sports betting it tends to vary between 80 and 95 percent.

FFS lotto gets its own little segment in the nightly news, is often on the inside cover of the newspaper and has been legally allowed to advertise for years.

It really has flown under the radar and got a fantastically free run.

I agree with JuddsABlue. I go to a movie, I know I won't get that $15 back, but I am entertained. I go to the track and I know I could well lose money as well, but I'm being entertained.

I think the dangerous part is if we develop a culture where we cannot be entertained by football unless we bet on it. But for a bit of amusement, I think it is fun.

I think The Whitlams said it best when it comes to the pokies though.

Tatts is more a game of chance that is seen as harmless. For example to win big on sports betting you are risking a higher stake. Same as a casino. Where in lotto theoretically a $5 ticket can win you the jackpot. Hence those who buy a ticket for the $60 million draw can separate themselves from those addicts who are out of control and pi^% their money on the pokies.

In short thou gambling is going nowhere. Governments need the revenue and punters need the dream that they may strike it lucky one day.

 

[kickazz]

Tatts is more a game of chance that is seen as harmless. For example to win big on sports betting you are risking a higher stake. Same as a casino. Where in lotto theoretically a $5 ticket can win you the jackpot. Hence those who buy a ticket for the $60 million draw can separate themselves from those addicts who are out of control and pi^% their money on the pokies.

This is a good point that I have considered as well. I punt on horses, footy and if I produced a yearly spreadsheet on my wins/losses it would come out more favourable than most lotto players. But you are right, the nature of lotto is such that the mental addiction is harder to get. Most horse punter's have a story of a great day at the track and that can suck them in, leading to bigger bets, loss chasing, etc - whereas lotto is more just a regular forfiet of money down the drain. It would be good to see stats on people who have won say $100 - $500 priaes in lotto and whether or not they are more likely to buy bigger tickets or play on more nights.

FWIW if more of the lotto money went to government projects (like the UK based model) instead of heirs of George Adams I probably wouldn't have a problem with it. At least when you lose you can say a hospital is being built or a movie being made or something.

 

[Run n Spread]

Ridiculous that gambling ads will be banned because a tiny minority of gamblers can't control themselves. That's the bookmakers target market and they can't even advertise lol.

Agree to a point but where do you draw the line? There are plenty of legal products and services whose ads are banned or restricted due to the social impact. Should we just open up the floodgates and say everything can be advertised or do restrictions need to apply? Things like tobacco, brothels and pornography are all perfectly legal yet advertising restrictions apply there. Alcohol like tobacco is a licensed drug yet no restrictions apply there. Wonder if the lotto ads will be banned as well?

 

[Run n Spread]

FWIW if more of the lotto money went to government projects (like the UK based model) instead of heirs of George Adams I probably wouldn't have a problem with it. At least when you lose you can say a hospital is being built or a movie being made or something.

The heirs are lucky as they are basically the beneficiaries of the first company off the rank. Theoretically if you had a gaming license there is nothing stopping you from establishing a lotto and offering better returns and jackpots and opening a private foundation to direct a % of profits to go into. Thus more entrepreneurs would open up lotteries and try and cash in on the market.

Kind of upsets the balance thou. With more companies involved less people play, the jackpots are less and the revenue lessens for the government. Limiting the amount of players keeps everyone happy. The heirs make a heap of profit so will continue the competition, the government keeps the revenue and punters keep the dream alive, if their life and monetary situation turns to s##$ well hey you never know they may win the lotto.

 

[kickazz]

Wonder if the lotto ads will be banned as well?

They say the best remedy for poor counsel is good counsel. We could ban lotto ads, but I think the campaign that told us the likelihood of winning (ie more likely to find buried treasure than div 1) would probably be better. Use gambling tax to pay for the ads if need be. Maintains freedom of speech to a degree.

On those ads, the best comparison I ever saw was when the news were doing a story on one of the big jackpots. They interviewed some mathematician, who said (paraphrasing):

"When you buy a ticket for this Saturday's jackpot, you are actually more likely to die before the draw than win the big one".

That kind of stuck with me.....

 

[I bleed Blue]

The quickest way to double your money is to fold it over and put it back in your pocket.

 

[I bleed Blue]

Hardly ever gamble now.

Might put on the occasional multi-bet on the footy over the weekend.

Used to play quite alot of poker at the casino (roughly 15 hours per week). Personally I see poker as more of a game of skill. Of course it is still a game of chance, but if you can calculate simple pot odds then you can pick and chose when to take your chances. This is the only form of gambling I have ever really got into. Without trying to boast I was quite handy at it aswell. Would definatly liek to start playing reguarlly again if I had the time. I didn't just play because I would make money on it, I played because I loved it aswell.

 

[JuddsABlue]

For those interested in gambling stories this is the mother of them all

Archie Karas went to Vegas with $50 in his pocket ran it to $40million (I'll give you a second to roll your eyes, but its true) and then lost it all

If you google his name you'll find articles etc detailing his story

The $50 to 4million is a bit of a loose descirption though because while he did arrive in Vegas with only $50, he managed to get a loan of a few thousand off somebody to actually start, still an incredible story

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archie_Karas

 

[Shell]

Less that zero interest in gambling. I just dont see it as "fun" and the odds are always stacked against you.

The most I've ever lost at Crown would be $50 (coz I'm like, such a high roller ) and have only gambled a handful of times ever in my life.

Pokies are the dumbest things ever. Least roulette, blackjack theres a bit of "human interaction" a bit more excitement. Pokies are just mind numbingly boring, I dont see how people can like playing them.


Another one for the gambling ads are annoying.

Someone please punch Tom Waterhouse in the head, do us all a favour..

 

[rideclutch]

I'm no fan of Tommy W and his "shit odds on not very many markets..." but please, his ads aren't any more annoying than the ones for Sportsbet/Sportingbet/Bet365/whatever. Just easier to hate on him because he's not a faceless corporation.

Generally speaking I do alright betting AFL/other sports, then just give it all back on the horses, but it's purely a hobby and the feeling of not only backing a winner, but having your assessment of an event vindicated is unique thrill which I enjoy.

As a punter, what I like to hear from non-punters is pretty much zero, but I understand everyone has their views formed differently.

Wouldn't touch Pokies/Tattslotto with a 10ft pole.

 

[Doss]

A few years ago I was a barman/waiter at Crown, and seeing some old man or woman slumped asleep with their head resting on a pokie, with half a spilt coffee in their lap, was a truly depressing sight.

 

[Shell]

You put all your money and bet against the Harlem Globetrotters?!?!?!

I thought the Generals were due!!!

He's spinnin the ball on his finger. Just take it. TAKE THE BALL.

 

[The Passenger]

i love a punt from time to time, but i wouldn't be disappointed to see the back gambling advertisement. just unnecessary imo.

agree with the general sentiment that poker machines are the absolute worst. mum gambled away about $20k on them in the 80's, and there are many who have done far worse damage than that.

 

[Kram]

About 2-3 times a year..

 

[Burzum]

Once a week or so I'll put a $5 multi on but other than punting on sports I have no interest in gambling.

I have no idea how anyone can play the pokies, I put two dollars in one time and was bored after a minute.

 

[Windy At Moorabbin]

Bet most Saturdays on the races. Set a side $100 each saturday to muck around with on Sydney and melbourne races only (Brisbane at the moment becuase of the carnival), whistle I watch the footy. Some weeks I loose the $100 other weeks I turn it in $800. I enjoy the sport more than the wagering so I think that's what helps in not allowing things to get out of control

 

[Bunk Moreland]

Bet on racing every Saturday, and sometimes on other days too, if I've been tipped in or if I think something is a good thing. I enjoy following the form so it's a natural extension I guess.

Also have a punters club with the all the blokes in my family which goes every Saturday which is good fun, we all enjoy it and you get a nice little payout at the end of the year, even if its usually slightly down on what you've up in over the year. Nice bit of forced saving.

Would bet on the footy most weekends. I scan the odds and have a go at anything I think is overs. Not big money though. Sometimes a multi. Never bet against Essendon, it messes the head and ruins the game.

That's about it... I'm very, very rarely at the casino, I play a bit of blackjack when I am. Never go near pokies, haven't got time for purely random gambling which involves no skill or research whatsoever.

I would love to be a professional punter - I really enjoy studying the racing form and markets. Unfortunately I don't have the time to put into it that you'd need to in order to have a proper crack at it.