Are you a compulsive gambler who needs help. Perhaps the link inside will shed some light.

WINNINGHAND · Feb 14, 2004

http://www.bcresponsiblegambling.ca/myths.html
I know that most of the people here have things in control, but certainly there are some points here worth considering if you know someone who may be spiraling downward. I am sure all of us here have gambled over our heads. Any good advice to prevent others from repeating this is a good thing.

TheFunkMonkey · Feb 14, 2004

"A compulsive gambler will bet on anything. (Problem gamblers generally have preferences and are not tempted by every type of gambling.)"

This one is so true for me. I *never* bet on office pools, Super Bowl squares, NCAA brackets, etc.

1) It doesn't provide the same thrill. Why bet $3 on the weekly NFL pool when I can simply bet $500 on the NFL game(s) of my choice.
2) Some of the pools/brackets are like playing the lottery. It doesn't require any skill, knowledge, etc. You pay $5 for a Super Bowl square and you get a random number. If you get a bad number, you know you're screwed before the game even starts.
3) Matter of principle, I always want the best line. If my team is +5, I'm not gonna waive the 5 points in order to make a "friendly" wager. Either give me the 5 points or give me the odds (moneyline). Doesn't matter if the bet is $10. As I said, matter of principle! If I really want to bet on the game, I'll just go to Pinnacle and get my 5 points.

Caesar · Feb 14, 2004

good post winning, the problem with the site you mentioned is it deals specifically with casino gamblers and they are a completely different animal than sports bettors in my opinion. for instance there is no such thing as a professional craps player, despite what the 10 dollar paperback books tell you. but with sports gambling you can gain an edge for one very important reason and that is your opponents are other sports bettors and not the house

people have the misconception that they are battling the linesmaker when in reality the true enemies are other bettors.

i know the psycological affects on the brain are the same and that problem gamblers need to lose as a form of self punishment are equal in both but ive always believed that people dont have a problem with sportsbetting they have a problem with losing and by eliminating sportsbetting it will only allow the behavoir to manifest itself in other areas of their life without dealing with the root cause.

so one thing i wish this site did more of is teach people how to win. by just posting picks, it feeds into the problem gamblers desire for the quick fix and easy money which is a deadly combination.

i really dont see any sites forming to truly help the sports bettor because it wouldnt be able to survive without the advertising revenue and referrals from the sportbooks unless they wanted to charge a membership fee

ask yourself why books are tripping over themselves to advertise here and other places that are supposedly trying to help the player.

it is kind of ironic that things a novice or problem gambler believe will help them the most like the consensus reports and betting forums are truly the enemy for numerous reasons too lengthy to post.

if anyone here is truly having a problem and they dont have anyone to talk to close to them, plz find support professionally. If you continue with this type of behavior it will destroy you eventually and that would be a tremendous waste of human potential.

WINNINGHAND · Feb 14, 2004

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Caesar:
good post winning, the problem with the site you mentioned is it deals specifically with casino gamblers and they are a completely different animal than sports bettors in my opinion. for instance there is no such thing as a professional craps player, despite what the 10 dollar paperback books tell you. but with sports gambling you can gain an edge for one very important reason and that is your opponents are other sports bettors and not the house

people have the misconception that they are battling the linesmaker when in reality the true enemies are other bettors.

i know the psycological affects on the brain are the same and that problem gamblers need to lose as a form of self punishment are equal in both but ive always believed that people dont have a problem with sportsbetting they have a problem with losing and by eliminating sportsbetting it will only allow the behavoir to manifest itself in other areas of their life without dealing with the root cause.

so one thing i wish this site did more of is teach people how to win. by just posting picks, it feeds into the problem gamblers desire for the quick fix and easy money which is a deadly combination.

i really dont see any sites forming to truly help the sports bettor because it wouldnt be able to survive without the advertising revenue and referrals from the sportbooks unless they wanted to charge a membership fee

ask yourself why books are tripping over themselves to advertise here and other places that are supposedly trying to help the player.

it is kind of ironic that things a novice or problem gambler believe will help them the most like the consensus reports and betting forums are truly the enemy for numerous reasons too lengthy to post.

if anyone here is truly having a problem and they dont have anyone to talk to close to them, plz find support professionally. If you continue with this type of behavior it will destroy you eventually and that would be a tremendous waste of human potential.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Very nice post.

DarrylParsons · Feb 14, 2004

Caesar,

Very nice post! Like you say, the root cause is the key here just like with excessive drinking.

I also agree that the sports forums tend to increase gambling problems by offering what looks like a quick fix, but I have to defend the Rx here and say that this site is a real gem compared to what else is out there on the internet. If you can't find the necessary info. here to be a successful sports bettor then you won't find it anywhere and should get out now while you have your shirt on.

Just like with drinking, problem gambling is sign of something deeper. It is a sign of certain character traits which may or may not be bad but are certainly counter-productive financially. And yes it's addictive and correlates with biochemical processes in the brain yada yada yada, but so does getting a hard on for a cute girl so by that logic you could call it a disease when someone feels compelled to pick up girls they get hard ons for.

A more interesting question IMO is who is responsible for any problems arising from problem gambling? Is it the bookmakers with their big ads? Is it the guys in the sports forums who cap hard and share their work for free? Is it sites like this which offer real info. combined with enticements and leave it up to the reader to decide what to get out of it!? Or is it the gambler himself?

IMO to say anyone is responsible other than the gambler himself is to say that a grown man is not responsible for his own actions. The world gives various types of feedback to men who think that way and one of them is women getting fed up and leaving them. And the cuter the woman, the faster she runs.

To fix the problem you could either try to change society or you could try to change yourself. The second one is the only realistic option IMO.