Is Gambling Good For Professional Sports Or Bad?

[PerreaultForever]

I personally think there should be a separation between the league (the broadcasts) and gambling ads/promotions the same way you don't advertise cigarettes or alcohol on kids programs. Sports is an all ages event after all and gambling is an addiction. 

Aside from that, free choice and everything so toss your money away if you want to. personally I have no use for fantasy sports or betting. I might make a bet with a friend or something but more for fun. I own a Flyers jersey I never wear from one of those, but that's harmless fun. Gambling is for fools (but then again my stocks and investments this year make me a bigger fool so maybe I'm wrong...........)

[SwampD]

5 minutes ago, PerreaultForever said:

I personally think there should be a separation between the league (the broadcasts) and gambling ads/promotions the same way you don't advertise cigarettes or alcohol on kids programs. Sports is an all ages event after all and gambling is an addiction. 

Aside from that, free choice and everything so toss your money away if you want to. personally I have no use for fantasy sports or betting. I might make a bet with a friend or something but more for fun. I own a Flyers jersey I never wear from one of those, but that's harmless fun. Gambling is for fools (but then again my stocks and investments this year make me a bigger fool so maybe I'm wrong...........)

Since when is having to own a Flyers jersey “harmless fun”?

[SDS]

3 minutes ago, SwampD said:

Since when is having to own a Flyers jersey “harmless fun”?

It came with the ball gag. 

[bob_sauve28]

10 minutes ago, PerreaultForever said:

I personally think there should be a separation between the league (the broadcasts) and gambling ads/promotions the same way you don't advertise cigarettes or alcohol on kids programs. Sports is an all ages event after all and gambling is an addiction. 

Aside from that, free choice and everything so toss your money away if you want to. personally I have no use for fantasy sports or betting. I might make a bet with a friend or something but more for fun. I own a Flyers jersey I never wear from one of those, but that's harmless fun. Gambling is for fools (but then again my stocks and investments this year make me a bigger fool so maybe I'm wrong...........)

The stocks will bounce back eventually 

[Sabres Fan in NS]

1 hour ago, SwampD said:

Since when is having to own a Flyers jersey “harmless fun”?

Dastardly!!

And why would he keep it.

I think I remember that @PerreaultForever said that the Flyers are his second team.

Alarming !!  Really !!

[RangerDave]

2 hours ago, SwampD said:

This, not so much. Like, at all.

Yep, I am sure I am in the minority with this nowadays.  I know many people enjoy these things.  I also know some people's lives are hurt by these things.

[Sabres Fan in NS]

4 minutes ago, RangerDave said:

Yep, I am sure I am in the minority with this nowadays.  I know many people enjoy these things.  I also know some people's lives are hurt by these things.

I tend to agree with you that many of these things are bad for society.

I don't want to drag religion into this so all I will say is that my Holy Book says clearly that while there are some advantages in these things the disadvantages outweigh them and therefore they are forbidden.

[ddaryl]

Betting on Sports will eventually lead to us to more Pete Rose situations. Some may never get caught and we might never ever know. Conspiracy theories will fly. 

Adding betting parlors inside Stadiums and Arenas will create more gambling addicts.

I have friends that gamble, or gambled at one time.

1 of them had to go to Gambling anonymous.

The other friend, after a night of playing cards and watching the pot build to a few grand, he sat there with a potential winning hand.  When the cards were shown another player had a better hand. My friend cursed a little but calmly got up from the table grabbed a beer went outside leaned on his car took a sip then proceeded to grab a baseball bat and literally destroyed his own car in a rage. All the windows the head and taillights major dents everywhere.

He didn't have much money and the loss was unbearable... Now he needed a new car with no money. This was 25+ years ago but he was a 25 year old man living with mom. Drinking and Gambling.

[SwampD]

15 minutes ago, RangerDave said:

Yep, I am sure I am in the minority with this nowadays.  I know many people enjoy these things.  I also know some people's lives are hurt by these things.

Same could be said for pizza and wings. To say nothing of beer/booze.

 

And for the life of me, I just can't figure out why people lump marijuana in with things that are "immoral."

[Curt]

4 hours ago, bob_sauve28 said:

Seriously! He told me that when he wins the lottery, he plans on sharing it with me...

What a relief that must have been to you!

[Taro T]

1 minute ago, SwampD said:

Same could be said for pizza and wings. To say nothing of beer/booze.

 

And for the life of me, I just can't figure out why people lump marijuana in with things that are "immoral."

Pretty sure, just about anything that wasted time historically would get labeled as "immoral."  And, when pretty much everybody in a society is living day to day worrying about whether there'll be enough grain to survive the winter or whether the Dutchy just down the river will try to steal it & the women folk, can kind of see a point to it.

Some of the activities that were considered immoral have gotten a better rap through the years.  Others, not so much.  Pretty sure a lot of what's gone from taboo to OK depended highly upon which vice has had the best lobbyists.

[SwampD]

15 minutes ago, Taro T said:

Pretty sure, just about anything that wasted time historically would get labeled as "immoral."  And, when pretty much everybody in a society is living day to day worrying about whether there'll be enough grain to survive the winter or whether the Dutchy just down the river will try to steal it & the women folk, can kind of see a point to it.

Some of the activities that were considered immoral have gotten a better rap through the years.  Others, not so much.  Pretty sure a lot of what's gone from taboo to OK depended highly upon which vice has had the best lobbyists.

Okay, we know why it may have been viewed as immoral 200 years ago, but why now?

FTR, I don't know a single person who wastes time when they are high.

Everyone's metabolism is different. Big Pharma has many different drugs that treat the same thing, because what works for some with no side effect doesn't work for others or has terrible side effects. Why do people assume MJ would be any different?

And yes, I'm triggered. Having studied it as much as I have for my daughter's situation, while I was using MJ (still illegal at the time) to keep her seizures at bay for over 2 and a half years and keep her from hitting herself in the head over a thousand times a day, I had to listen to all these ridiculous, closed minded, uninformed, borderline offensive "moral" statements, usually based in religion (ya know, something that has never been the cause of harm to anyone).

Did I mention I was triggered?

Oh, and I can't stand the gambling segments during the intermissions, almost as much as I can't stand the fantasy segments before NFL games.

[Buffalonill]

5 hours ago, inkman said:

I doubt it 

I win about 400$ every other day and get  Greedy and go all in and get zero.

It's still fun 

[Doohicksie]

8 hours ago, bob_sauve28 said:

I'm just so amazed at how quickly sports gambling as become a major part of sports reporting, media focus and advertising. 

It's all advertising.  Duffer and Marty talking about the gambling line is totally paid for by Draft Kings or whoever.

8 hours ago, Eleven said:

I don't think it's good or bad for sports, and I don't think it's good or bad for most people, but the advertising is out of control and annoying.

Yes, this is it in a nutshell for me.

[Marvin]

The over-exposure of fantasy sports and gambling during games have detracted from my enjoyment of games.  My lessened interest over the past decade or so is in part due to these trends.  I wonder how many are like me.

[Carmel Corn]

I'd rather see good beer commercials come back rather than all the stupid betting ones.  Maybe Phil Mickelson should do a commercial on what NOT to do.

[PerreaultForever]

7 hours ago, SwampD said:

Since when is having to own a Flyers jersey “harmless fun”?

lol, fair enough, but it gave me something to paint and clean in. It has some good stains on it. 

7 hours ago, bob_sauve28 said:

The stocks will bounce back eventually 

so they say...........................

[Claude Balls]

I don't mind the whole gambling thing, as I've bet on sports in the past. But the way they are shoving it down our throats is pretty pathetic. While all these games are being played, they feel the need to give us the updated odds throughout the game. It's stupid and annoying. They are just begging for action, which they have absolutely no need to do. They are always gonna have their customers. It's like all the booze commercials. This country does nothing for people with serious addictions. I'm surprised how far we've come with squashing the tobacco companies.

[gilbert11]

15 hours ago, K-9 said:

Can’t stand the non-stop advertising, especially the disingenuous concern for gambling addicts. Who are they kidding? Gambling addicts are their best customers.

Yeah, I subscribed to the NBA League Pass and during timeouts they kept running this ad, which sounded like Ian Eagle talking, about “If you’re going to gamble, do it responsibly.  If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, please seek help”

I thought ‘WTF?’   I don’t know if this is  one you had heard, but this was disingenuous with a capital ‘D’.   Does somebody really think they were doing good with this?

[gilbert11]

16 hours ago, klos1963 said:

I think that there's always been a concern about fixing games or spreads. I think legalized gambling increases the likelihood of this occurring more often.  I do enjoy light betting on some games, but it's not a big deal for me.

There might not be as many Guidos out there as in the old days but I think they may just have been replaced by Borises, Serges and representatives of other ethnic groups.  
 

It would be naive to think that there won’t be any issues with games now or in the future.  

[nucci]

16 hours ago, RangerDave said:

I have always disliked the attention that fantasy football gets.  I want to see the scores of the other games, but they always spend so much time on individual player stats to please the fantasy football players.

I see gambling the same way.  Any attention on that means less attention to the game.

I also see legalized gambling, legalized marijuana, legalized other things as the "slippery slope" that will lead to a bad period of history.  Some may think the government should not be involved in banning "immoral" things.  That may be so.  However, there are reasons these types of things have been illegal.  I believe they eventually contribute to the decay of society.  🐴 (This is my high horse which I am now dismounting.  Now, get off of my lawn!)

why are you against legal marijuana? Are you ok with alcohol and cigarettes being legal?

[steveoath]

Warning - stream of consciousness rambling ahead.

It's interesting to watch from afar. We get betting ads during intermission over here, but not the presenters being part of it. I find now, when I listen to hockey podcasts or watch the NHL through my subscription it is constant. I don't need Mendes, McIndoe or duff and biron telling me who their betting partners are tbh. But I think it is symptomatic from the advertising standards in NA sports in general. Anything is for sale.

The interesting part for me is how over the top advertising in NA is compared to Europe. Powerplay sponsored by whomever, Penalty kill brought to you by this thing etc etc. Ads all over the stadia, ice, boards. Yet whenever the discussion turns to ads on helmets/jerseys the same ole rhetoric appears "we don't want to look like the euro jerseys" as if somehow this pathetic line in the sand is too much. Even though Baker, ccm, true, reebok have had ads on there for years! 

Back to betting. I usually use a once a month free £1 from my online bookie to make a bet and spend from the pot that I generate. If I am watching a game with friends and its 2 teams I don't give a shove about then I'll maybe have a flutter. 

For me the way betting targets those who, for whatever reason, are in need of support is sickening. Over in Scotland you will see some of our poorest areas with 4,5 different bricks and mortar bookmakers. These will usually be between pubs, and charity (thrift) stores. 

TLDR: Don't blame you. Haha.

[RangerDave]

1 hour ago, nucci said:

why are you against legal marijuana? Are you ok with alcohol and cigarettes being legal?

First, I don't drink or smoke cigarettes, so I'd be fine if they were both gone.

Second, a person drinking, in moderation, next to me does not affect my enjoyment of life.  A person smoking skunkweed next to me adversely affects my enjoyment of life.  Smoking cigarettes is banned in many places for that same reason.  If people only smoked dope in their own homes, I would not care.  However, they do not.

I do believe that the federal government made a mistake in classifying marijuana as a Schedule I drug, meaning it could not have any possible medical use.  This prohibited researchers from determining the legitimate ways that THC may be beneficial to people who are ill.

[Wyldnwoody44]

I downloaded draftkings during the super bowl, mostly because my friends were all using it and I got a lot of free bets. I used free money and won actual money. Since then I've been betting using house money and getting lucky. The house hates bettors like me. I am the same in the casino, I have a win and loss limit I preset in my brain and once those thresholds are passed, I'm out. 

Sadly, this is not the way most people are wired, I'm against all the stuff I'm seeing, I don't need Dan Dunleavy telling me the Sabres are +450 against the leafs and that money can be made there. Hell, I you can't go anywhere without seeing a kiosk or a ticker or something. I hope it gets reeled back a little bit for the sake of society. 

[klos1963]

4 hours ago, RangerDave said:

First, I don't drink or smoke cigarettes, so I'd be fine if they were both gone.

Second, a person drinking, in moderation, next to me does not affect my enjoyment of life.  A person smoking skunkweed next to me adversely affects my enjoyment of life.  Smoking cigarettes is banned in many places for that same reason.  If people only smoked dope in their own homes, I would not care.  However, they do not.

I do believe that the federal government made a mistake in classifying marijuana as a Schedule I drug, meaning it could not have any possible medical use.  This prohibited researchers from determining the legitimate ways that THC may be beneficial to people who are ill.

Are you allowed to smoke weed in public places? You can't here in AZ, just in your home, or hopefully in my car before the concert i'm going to next week.