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OT: Legalizing Sports Gambling Was a Huge Mistake (Atlantic)

NUCat320

Well-Known Member
Dec 4, 2005
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We all agree that there are too many d*mn sports gambling ads, but also, the evidence is pretty clear that legalized gambling decreases savings, increases bankruptcies, and even increases domestic violence.

I’ve got several former colleagues who now work to make payments at one of the major online sports sites more frictionless; to me, it’s as bad as if they were working for Phillip Morris in the 90s.

Gross.

 
We all agree that there are too many d*mn sports gambling ads, but also, the evidence is pretty clear that legalized gambling decreases savings, increases bankruptcies, and even increases domestic violence.

I’ve got several former colleagues who now work to make payments at one of the major online sports sites more frictionless; to me, it’s as bad as if they were working for Phillip Morris in the 90s.

Gross.

It's disgusting. What I hate seeing too is the teams getting so involved in it. When I can bear it, I watch Cincinnati Reds games and every night they have some game parlay thing they do with one of the gambling companies. It's part of the broadcast and it makes me ill.

It's also so easy to gamble on these sites with your phone, so it's like social media on crack for young kids. It is soooo easy to get addicted. I just hate that our sports leagues are celebrating this.
 
We all agree that there are too many d*mn sports gambling ads, but also, the evidence is pretty clear that legalized gambling decreases savings, increases bankruptcies, and even increases domestic violence.

I’ve got several former colleagues who now work to make payments at one of the major online sports sites more frictionless; to me, it’s as bad as if they were working for Phillip Morris in the 90s.

Gross.

I gamble every single day and my savings haven’t decreased, I never filed BK, and have never committed any type of domestic violence.

You can’t put a full body condom over every element to society. People spend too much and get in serious debt without gambling. There are too many d*amn guns, yet they are prevalent in school shootings, people drink themselves to death, yet there is a liquor store around every corner, obese people die from heart failure because of poor eating habits, yet there is fast food chain on nearly every block. There is evidence that recreational pot leads some to harder drugs which lead to addiction.
 
Disappointed to find out that IL went back to prohibiting action on state schools at brick & mortar locations effective 7/1. I was at Wrigley book room last Friday and wanted to pound the under on the Cats game.
 
It's disgusting. What I hate seeing too is the teams getting so involved in it. When I can bear it, I watch Cincinnati Reds games and every night they have some game parlay thing they do with one of the gambling companies. It's part of the broadcast and it makes me ill.

It's also so easy to gamble on these sites with your phone, so it's like social media on crack for young kids. It is soooo easy to get addicted. I just hate that our sports leagues are celebrating this.

This was written back before the Tigers were the hottest team in baseball, but refers to exactly what you’re talking about.

Don’t gamble kids.

 
This was written back before the Tigers were the hottest team in baseball, but refers to exactly what you’re talking about.

Don’t gamble kids.

Don’t drink, don’t smoke, lay off the drugs, don’t spend money you don’t have, don’t shot your enemy, don’t eat too much fatty meats, wear your helmet when riding your bicycle, wear your seatbelt, don’t play football it causes CTE, don’t swim with the sharks, don’t vape, don’t bully, kids.
 
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Don’t drink, don’t smoke, lay off the drugs, don’t spend money you don’t have, don’t shot your enemy, don’t eat too much fatty meats, wear your helmet when riding your bicycle, wear your seatbelt, don’t play football it causes CTE, don’t swim with the sharks, don’t vape, don’t bully, kids.
Don’t post about hazing scandals 🤣
 
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We all agree that there are too many d*mn sports gambling ads, but also, the evidence is pretty clear that legalized gambling decreases savings, increases bankruptcies, and even increases domestic violence.

I’ve got several former colleagues who now work to make payments at one of the major online sports sites more frictionless; to me, it’s as bad as if they were working for Phillip Morris in the 90s.

Gross.

Some people are problem gamblers. Some people are problem drinkers. Many many people are problem spenders.

This doesn’t mean I shouldn’t have the right to do any of those things responsibly and accept the consequences of doing so.
 
Some people are problem gamblers. Some people are problem drinkers. Many many people are problem spenders.

This doesn’t mean I shouldn’t have the right to do any of those things responsibly and accept the consequences of doing so.
I think gambling is stupid. I think guns are incredibly stupid. I think smoking is stupid, whether it's tobacco or marijuana. However, I recognize not everyone agrees, so I am not a proponent for making everything illegal. What I do think is a reasonable compromise is to limit the marketing in the same way that we limit marketing of some of these other items. We allow our government to restrict tobacco and alcohol marketing, especially when we think it might target minors. Not sure why we can't limit the obscene marketing of gambling that we are seeing.
 
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What about the integrity of the games? Since it will be almost impossible to monitor every referee/umpire, player, manager/coach betting will be effecting the outcomes of the games. Just a matter of time if it hasn’t happened already.

We NU fans had a taste of gambling changing outcomes in the ‘90’s. Dennis Lundy was caught up in that affair.

He even admitted in 1993 after the Ohio State game at Dyche Stadium to running to the wrong hole on the two point conversion that would have tied the game with almost no time left.

Was that a mistake or intentional so as to keep his legs from getting broken?
 
I gamble every single day and my savings haven’t decreased, I never filed BK, and have never committed any type of domestic violence.

You can’t put a full body condom over every element to society. People spend too much and get in serious debt without gambling. There are too many d*amn guns, yet they are prevalent in school shootings, people drink themselves to death, yet there is a liquor store around every corner, obese people die from heart failure because of poor eating habits, yet there is fast food chain on nearly every block. There is evidence that recreational pot leads some to harder drugs which lead to addiction.
Yup.

In other words, some people do a good job of f*cking up their lives.
 
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What about the integrity of the games? Since it will be almost impossible to monitor every referee/umpire, player, manager/coach betting will be effecting the outcomes of the games. Just a matter of time if it hasn’t happened already.

We NU fans had a taste of gambling changing outcomes in the ‘90’s. Dennis Lundy was caught up in that affair.

He even admitted in 1993 after the Ohio State game at Dyche Stadium to running to the wrong hole on the two point conversion that would have tied the game with almost no time left.

Was that a mistake or intentional so as to keep his legs from getting broken?
This is actually the biggest piece, in my opinion.

There will be a growing divide between college football players who make millions, and other members of the team who make nothing - they are sitting ducks. I know prohibiting bets on in-state college programs in Illinois may seem silly to some, but otherwise every Northwestern football player can be found in the directory, invited to Hecky's for a nice lunch and offered a seductive amount of money to shave points in a game.

Another side to restricting in-state betting - it, for the most part, protects our players from getting ruthlessly antagonized by some idiot in downtown Evanston who is mad he lost $20 on the game...or 50 idiots who think betting $5 gives them the right to sh*t on a 19 year old who misses a 47 yard field goal.
 
We all agree that there are too many d*mn sports gambling ads, but also, the evidence is pretty clear that legalized gambling decreases savings, increases.
 
Don’t drink, don’t smoke, lay off the drugs, don’t spend money you don’t have, don’t shot your enemy, don’t eat too much fatty meats, wear your helmet when riding your bicycle, wear your seatbelt, don’t play football it causes CTE, don’t swim with the sharks, don’t vape, don’t bully, kids.

I read your list of vices with interest, just to see how I'm doing.
Thank you for leaving "neighbor's wife" out of it.
 
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Gambling was fine when it was something you go to Vegas or Atlantic City to do. I remember how special it seemed when they legalized gambling in Deadwood. When it was something special then people would plan better for it.
 
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@AdamOnFirst , @Purple Pile Driver , were you avid gamblers prior to the launch of free, legal, online outlets?

I’ve had friends who regularly gambled through ‘their guy’ (I never investigated further), but it was mostly football Saturdays and Sundays, considered decisions, never spur of the moment. It was, say, part of the Friday afternoon routine. Weird, not my bag, but not particularly destructive or risky.


The primary problem with ‘the apps’ is that they’re so good at separating you from cash. Changing in-game odds, low-odd parlays, all built to make you feel good for making the bet, whether you win or not. So different from what it looked like ‘traditionally’.

I tend to come from the same place as @TheC*, where limitations on advertising, perhaps allowable bets per day, perhaps types of bets allowed on apps, would probably be good things.





*On most issues, I think I have a similar viewpoint to TheC, except that I don’t call for the OC, the DC, the Head Coach, the PA announcer, and the entire training and equipment management staff to be fired by the end of the first half. When the Cats are bad, it’s gallows humor for me only.
 
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Not against sports gambling, but I am against online gambling. It should be limited to in person only.

Also can't stand how betting has over taken sports media. I think there needs to be better public education about how these gambling companies are using predatory marketing to attract new customers including minors.
 
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What about the integrity of the games? Since it will be almost impossible to monitor every referee/umpire, player, manager/coach betting will be effecting the outcomes of the games. Just a matter of time if it hasn’t happened already.

We NU fans had a taste of gambling changing outcomes in the ‘90’s. Dennis Lundy was caught up in that affair.

He even admitted in 1993 after the Ohio State game at Dyche Stadium to running to the wrong hole on the two point conversion that would have tied the game with almost no time left.

Was that a mistake or intentional so as to keep his legs from getting broken?
Yes, there will be another scandal. Has been fixing going on for over a century.
@AdamOnFirst , @Purple Pile Driver , were you avid gamblers prior to the launch of free, legal, online outlets?

I’ve had friends who regularly gambled through ‘their guy’ (I never investigated further), but it was mostly football Saturdays and Sundays, considered decisions, never spur of the moment. It was, say, part of the Friday afternoon routine. Weird, not my bag, but not particularly destructive or risky.


The primary problem with ‘the apps’ is that they’re so good at separating you from cash. Changing in-game odds, low-odd parlays, all built to make you feel good for making the bet, whether you win or not. So different from what it looked like ‘traditionally’.

I tend to come from the same place as @TheC*, where limitations on advertising, perhaps allowable bets per day, perhaps types of bets allowed on apps, would probably be good things.





*On most issues, I think I have a similar viewpoint to TheC, except that I don’t call for the OC, the DC, the Head Coach, the PA announcer, and the entire training and equipment management staff to be fired by the end of the first half. When the Cats are bad, it’s gallows humor for me only.
The vast majority of my current sports gambling consists of fantasy sports betting not actual game play. I am also far more likely to bet player props than individual games. The lines are too good to make money consistenly. However, I believe if you are good at analyzing individual player performance coupled with some basic knowledge of team trends you can win at fantasy and player props.

The key is I NEVER bet more than I can afford to lose and I NEVER chase a losing bet with some in game non sense. It’s a hobby to me not a ways to wealth.
 
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