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I have only ever bet on sports once (a fantasy football thing at work that I was required to join), and I was very lucky because I lost and had zero fun in the

I have only ever bet on sports once (a fantasy football thing at work that I was required to join), and I was very lucky because I lost and had zero fun in the process. I don't like sports anyway, so the odds were never very high, but the fact that I didn't enjoy losing $50 made it so I've never had the temptation to do it again. I think about the alternate universe where I won and started betting more a lot; sort of a "there but for the grace of god go I" situation.

arlcode 1y ago
I'm the same. I am very very careful around activities and substances which could become addictive, because I know from benign life experiences that I sometimes lack the self control to stop. It would probably be fine but there are no upsides risking it. That and ever since my undergrad statistics class I hate the thought of playing games which are staked against me from the beginning. The thought of betting or gambling feels like voluntarily signing up to be swindeled.
topkai22 1y ago
I don’t like gambling, but I love sports. I will very occasionally engage in “emotional hedging”, where I bet AGAINST the team I want to win. If my beloved team wins, I’m ecstatic and don’t really care I lost $50. If they lose, well, at least I have $50.
- renewiltord 1y ago
  I tried this but I'm also hopelessly superstitious so I could only do it once. But I think it was I who ruined Arsenal's chance to win the prem when Leicester took it
oliwarner 1y ago
In the UK I've seen lots of "first bet: win or your money back", or "make another bet free" sign-up deals. They're poorly disguised dopamine sharks. Well aside the organised criminal element that goes hand-in-hand with legal gambling, it destroys people's ability to make rational choices. But yes, I'm also lucky enough to have never won.
- goosejuice 1y ago
  I won nearly a grand on one of these. Pretty blindly. I came out on top after a year of using the platform but not by much. It's definitely predatory. I'm fine with it being legal as with drugs it's going to happen either way but the promotions should go.
  - oliwarner 1y ago
    I think —as with drugs— if we are going to allow it, it should be taxed enough to provide cessation services, counselling, rehab to anyone who needs it. Even then it's hard to ignore that both these things destroy people with precious little informed consent. If you're the sort of person who gets hooked, you're stuffed.
matwood 1y ago
Was it a fantasy league? I guess it’s gambling, but not what most people would consider sports betting. I know lots of people who play in a fantasy league with friends every season and do no other gambling. Drafting players and then fielding a team every week for a season can be fun if you like the sport.
- tombert 1y ago
  It was a fantasy league, and yes I am sure if you liked football it could be fun to figure out players and the like and having a small amount of money on the line might even make it a bit more exciting. The problem for me is that I had no idea with regards to anything about football, so my picks weren't radically different than a random number generator, and unsurprisingly I lost. I had absolutely no fun in the process and I would have rather spent that $50 on a video game or something.
  - matwood 1y ago
    It’s unfortunate you didn’t have fun. We often do leagues at work and it’s great team building. People have won who just used the auto draft feature and a woman won one year who picked all her players based on uniform colors. You don’t have to know much about football, and it gives some common ground for small talk.
    - tombert 1y ago
      I think a large part of it was the fact that it was mandatory, and I didn’t like my coworkers very much, but I don’t have fun with the selection process.
jliptzin 1y ago
I signed up for one of those first time deposit offers and made a bet on the Super Bowl once, as I was going to a watch party and find it to be unbearably boring, so I figured this would make it somewhat interesting. I ended up winning, I think I tripled my money when including the bonus. Even though I won, I had zero interest in ever betting again. I got so much spam texts and emails from that Sportsbook over the next few years trying to get me to bet again it was insane. My brother jokes and says I am in the top 1% of sports bettors now

arlcode 1y ago

I'm the same. I am very very careful around activities and substances which could become addictive, because I know from benign life experiences that I sometimes lack the self control to stop. It would probably be fine but there are no upsides risking it. That and ever since my undergrad statistics class I hate the thought of playing games which are staked against me from the beginning. The thought of betting or gambling feels like voluntarily signing up to be swindeled.

topkai22 1y ago

I don’t like gambling, but I love sports. I will very occasionally engage in “emotional hedging”, where I bet AGAINST the team I want to win. If my beloved team wins, I’m ecstatic and don’t really care I lost $50. If they lose, well, at least I have $50.

renewiltord 1y ago
I tried this but I'm also hopelessly superstitious so I could only do it once. But I think it was I who ruined Arsenal's chance to win the prem when Leicester took it

oliwarner 1y ago

In the UK I've seen lots of "first bet: win or your money back", or "make another bet free" sign-up deals. They're poorly disguised dopamine sharks. Well aside the organised criminal element that goes hand-in-hand with legal gambling, it destroys people's ability to make rational choices. But yes, I'm also lucky enough to have never won.

goosejuice 1y ago
I won nearly a grand on one of these. Pretty blindly. I came out on top after a year of using the platform but not by much. It's definitely predatory. I'm fine with it being legal as with drugs it's going to happen either way but the promotions should go.
- oliwarner 1y ago
  I think —as with drugs— if we are going to allow it, it should be taxed enough to provide cessation services, counselling, rehab to anyone who needs it. Even then it's hard to ignore that both these things destroy people with precious little informed consent. If you're the sort of person who gets hooked, you're stuffed.

matwood 1y ago

Was it a fantasy league? I guess it’s gambling, but not what most people would consider sports betting. I know lots of people who play in a fantasy league with friends every season and do no other gambling. Drafting players and then fielding a team every week for a season can be fun if you like the sport.

tombert 1y ago
It was a fantasy league, and yes I am sure if you liked football it could be fun to figure out players and the like and having a small amount of money on the line might even make it a bit more exciting. The problem for me is that I had no idea with regards to anything about football, so my picks weren't radically different than a random number generator, and unsurprisingly I lost. I had absolutely no fun in the process and I would have rather spent that $50 on a video game or something.
- matwood 1y ago
  It’s unfortunate you didn’t have fun. We often do leagues at work and it’s great team building. People have won who just used the auto draft feature and a woman won one year who picked all her players based on uniform colors. You don’t have to know much about football, and it gives some common ground for small talk.
  - tombert 1y ago
    I think a large part of it was the fact that it was mandatory, and I didn’t like my coworkers very much, but I don’t have fun with the selection process.

jliptzin 1y ago

I signed up for one of those first time deposit offers and made a bet on the Super Bowl once, as I was going to a watch party and find it to be unbearably boring, so I figured this would make it somewhat interesting. I ended up winning, I think I tripled my money when including the bonus. Even though I won, I had zero interest in ever betting again. I got so much spam texts and emails from that Sportsbook over the next few years trying to get me to bet again it was insane. My brother jokes and says I am in the top 1% of sports bettors now