Let me start by saying please don't flame me! I'm not trying to antagonize anybody, I'm merely expressing the way I'm feeling about this issue.. if you disagree, I'd love to see your responses, but please be polite!
I'm reading a lot about these DOS attacks that have crippled the books in the last few days and on the one hand, of course, the initial response is sympathy for the books. Here these guys are trying to run a business, and they're being mercilessly attacked, blackmailed and extorted (sic?) by sinister miscreants. The stone cold justice/judgement part of me says find the bad guys, lock em up, and give em their just punishment.
But in a way, in some dark corner of my heart, I'm thrilled, absolutely thrilled that the books have been attacked, and I'd expect many of the rest of you to feel the same way. What kind of businesses ARE these that are getting attacked anyway? Dishonest, cheating, heartless, scumbags -- and I say that even if the books getting nailed have never stiffed a customer, delayed a payout or fudged a line. These are people who have dedicated their lives to taking advantages of people's vices and weaknesses. These are people who have chosen to make their living by preying on man's inability to restrain his own impulses, even to the point where those impulses lead him to self-destruction. All of you customers that have been standing up for your book, or doing your part to help them out: the book is not your friend, they don't like you no matter how many times their friendly clerks call you 'sir' and wish you 'good luck'. They exist, and talk to you, for one reason and one reason alone -- to relieve you of your hard-earned cash with a system of odds and 'juice' that swallows up at least 95% of the people who think they know sports well enough to beat the system. Even that small percentage of us who win (and even among regular RX posters, I imagine it's a very small percentage) still lose because of the countless dozens, hundreds, thousands of hours that they waste sitting in front of their television screens or computer monitors, their hearts racing, their hair falling out, sitting on the edge of their seat watching West Bumblef*ck High whoop Turnip U. in Midget LaCrosse. That time can never be retrieved.
I'm not a priest or a gambling counselor or anything else of the sort. I am, like many of you, a compulsive, addicted gambler...and it's that hands-on experience, that being so deeply entrenched in the field that makes me hate gambling and people who promote and purvey it more deeply than any ascetic or righteous Puritan could ever imagine.
And it's not all about the money either -- yes, overall in my life, I have lost a bit of money gambling...maybe somewhere in the range of 15-20 dimes over the course of my 5.5 year 'career'. Not a terrible loss of capital, and mitigated all the moreso by the fact that I've done very, very well in recent weeks. It's the time spent doing, thinking, researching and obsessing over gambling..it's the degree to which gambling dominates my existence, whether I'm intoxicated with the thrill of victory or the agony of defeat which makes me revile it so much. And these people -- the operators and 'CEO's of sportsbooks are particularly disgusting individuals for taking advantage of people's weaknesses. As much as I have difficulty sleeping after losing 5K on a particularly rough Sunday afternoon, I know that I'd NEVER be at peace if I knew that my primary source of income was taking advantage of others or working to the detriment of my fellow man. I had an opportunity about 3 years ago to partner up with a friend who had an idea to go to CR and start up a book...I was disgusted with the idea and have since terminated the friendship...it's the fact that I'm so deeply esconced in gambling, and am so intimately familiar with its devilish allure, that makes me able to hate it so passionately.
So when I hear that books are going down because some precocious hacker is messing with their computers, there's a part of me that says good riddance. After exploiting others' weaknesses for so long, it's high time someone took advantage of yours. All of you clients whom the books have been thanking so profusely for standing up for them, remember -- they only have loyalty to you so long as you have funds in your account. They don't give a crap about you, on the contrary, they exist to take your money from you, and you shouldn't give a crap about them either.
Sportsbooks are *NOT* legitimate businesses, even if they're licensed and made squeaky clean by gaming commissions. They're akin in my mind to cigarette companies and drug pushers, making a profit at any cost, even at the cost of the lives and welfare of the people who butter their bread.
Now before the flaming begins, allow me to acknowledge that A) YES, I am a compulsive gambler. B) YES, I have been to many GA meetings and no, it hasn't done a thing for me. The truth is, if you searched your hearts, I think many of you would agree that you're just as twisted, and sick, and addicted as I...and recognition of that sickness should feed your rage at the people who feed your habit.
Am I blaming them for my problem? Not exactly. I'm the one who's responsible for my gambling addiction -- it's my choice to lay down the funds and research the games and place the bets...and it's with me that the vast, vast majority of the fault lies. But an enabler, an accessory, a provider -- whatever you want to call it -- is not absolved of responsiblity.
Sorry for the long-winded rant. I'd love to hear what y'all have to say.
I'm reading a lot about these DOS attacks that have crippled the books in the last few days and on the one hand, of course, the initial response is sympathy for the books. Here these guys are trying to run a business, and they're being mercilessly attacked, blackmailed and extorted (sic?) by sinister miscreants. The stone cold justice/judgement part of me says find the bad guys, lock em up, and give em their just punishment.
But in a way, in some dark corner of my heart, I'm thrilled, absolutely thrilled that the books have been attacked, and I'd expect many of the rest of you to feel the same way. What kind of businesses ARE these that are getting attacked anyway? Dishonest, cheating, heartless, scumbags -- and I say that even if the books getting nailed have never stiffed a customer, delayed a payout or fudged a line. These are people who have dedicated their lives to taking advantages of people's vices and weaknesses. These are people who have chosen to make their living by preying on man's inability to restrain his own impulses, even to the point where those impulses lead him to self-destruction. All of you customers that have been standing up for your book, or doing your part to help them out: the book is not your friend, they don't like you no matter how many times their friendly clerks call you 'sir' and wish you 'good luck'. They exist, and talk to you, for one reason and one reason alone -- to relieve you of your hard-earned cash with a system of odds and 'juice' that swallows up at least 95% of the people who think they know sports well enough to beat the system. Even that small percentage of us who win (and even among regular RX posters, I imagine it's a very small percentage) still lose because of the countless dozens, hundreds, thousands of hours that they waste sitting in front of their television screens or computer monitors, their hearts racing, their hair falling out, sitting on the edge of their seat watching West Bumblef*ck High whoop Turnip U. in Midget LaCrosse. That time can never be retrieved.
I'm not a priest or a gambling counselor or anything else of the sort. I am, like many of you, a compulsive, addicted gambler...and it's that hands-on experience, that being so deeply entrenched in the field that makes me hate gambling and people who promote and purvey it more deeply than any ascetic or righteous Puritan could ever imagine.
And it's not all about the money either -- yes, overall in my life, I have lost a bit of money gambling...maybe somewhere in the range of 15-20 dimes over the course of my 5.5 year 'career'. Not a terrible loss of capital, and mitigated all the moreso by the fact that I've done very, very well in recent weeks. It's the time spent doing, thinking, researching and obsessing over gambling..it's the degree to which gambling dominates my existence, whether I'm intoxicated with the thrill of victory or the agony of defeat which makes me revile it so much. And these people -- the operators and 'CEO's of sportsbooks are particularly disgusting individuals for taking advantage of people's weaknesses. As much as I have difficulty sleeping after losing 5K on a particularly rough Sunday afternoon, I know that I'd NEVER be at peace if I knew that my primary source of income was taking advantage of others or working to the detriment of my fellow man. I had an opportunity about 3 years ago to partner up with a friend who had an idea to go to CR and start up a book...I was disgusted with the idea and have since terminated the friendship...it's the fact that I'm so deeply esconced in gambling, and am so intimately familiar with its devilish allure, that makes me able to hate it so passionately.
So when I hear that books are going down because some precocious hacker is messing with their computers, there's a part of me that says good riddance. After exploiting others' weaknesses for so long, it's high time someone took advantage of yours. All of you clients whom the books have been thanking so profusely for standing up for them, remember -- they only have loyalty to you so long as you have funds in your account. They don't give a crap about you, on the contrary, they exist to take your money from you, and you shouldn't give a crap about them either.
Sportsbooks are *NOT* legitimate businesses, even if they're licensed and made squeaky clean by gaming commissions. They're akin in my mind to cigarette companies and drug pushers, making a profit at any cost, even at the cost of the lives and welfare of the people who butter their bread.
Now before the flaming begins, allow me to acknowledge that A) YES, I am a compulsive gambler. B) YES, I have been to many GA meetings and no, it hasn't done a thing for me. The truth is, if you searched your hearts, I think many of you would agree that you're just as twisted, and sick, and addicted as I...and recognition of that sickness should feed your rage at the people who feed your habit.
Am I blaming them for my problem? Not exactly. I'm the one who's responsible for my gambling addiction -- it's my choice to lay down the funds and research the games and place the bets...and it's with me that the vast, vast majority of the fault lies. But an enabler, an accessory, a provider -- whatever you want to call it -- is not absolved of responsiblity.
Sorry for the long-winded rant. I'd love to hear what y'all have to say.
