I just heard on the radio that this year’s Superbowl has the highest amount of bets placed of all time.
But…It amazes me that I constantly hear people & the media saying how bad the economy is: more layoffs, can’t find a job, still looking for a job, more cutbacks, etc.
So where the fuck are these morons getting the dough to bet on the Superbowl?!?!?!?
Sorry, my hub and I are not gamblers. To me, it’s literally throwing money away. We like to “gamble” in mutual funds for retirement.
I mean no offense to those who can afford to gamble/place bets on the Superbowl of horseracing, etc.
BUT, in my opinion, most of the people I see gambling/ placing bets cannot afford it.
I put aside about $85 every year to play fantasy football, as does my husband. It’s $85 that we’d spend on movies or beer or other entertainment anyway, and it’s a fun game to follow for 17 weeks, with the added incentive of winning money to make it competitive.
Combined, we won $1300 this year and it was a blast. We consider it an entertainment expense in our budget and it bought us a new living room chair and coffee table.
Undoubtedly a large portion of that is compulsive gambling, but for some people, it is one of the few wagers they make yearly. I wonder how the total amount wagered compares to the amount spent on 'N Sync paraphenalia (to say nothing of Marshmallow Peeps…)
You know, just as an aside, I really think there ought to be a rule against spending one’s entire fantasy football winnings on furniture. I finally won this year, and my winnings were confiscated before I could even savor the victory in order to finance the purchase of a couch and loveseat. A couch!
That said, I’m not sure Fantasy Football really qualifies as gambling, per se, because, at least for me, the potential to win money is not why I play - it’s just fun.
The Superbowl is about the only thing I ever bet on, and even so it’s just pocket money (less than $20). It makes the game more exciting, and it’s all in good fun. I don’t think it’s a problem unless you bet money you can’t afford to lose.
Where do they get the money?Mostly from jobs,businesses,etc.just like their nongambling brethren.A portion of the money to ,be sure,is from the betonaroachrace crowd.But the lion’s share,esp.on SB is from the weekend warrior.
Most regular gamblers are compulsive in the same way that Star Trek fans are.I couldn’t imagine shelling out good money for a Klingon mug or whatever it is they buy,but I understand it’s an attraction for some,and as long as they’re not using the rent money,I see no problem with it.
Everyone has some discretionary income that is “pissed away” to others because they don’t share the fascination.Like the OP who doesn’t share the bettor’s passion.
I’d like to assure you that the book doesn’t keep every dollar the bettor bets.The avg.football hold is around 4-5% mostly,about the same odds you get at the popular slots,and a lot better than I got from the stock market since '01.
If you need a cite for these figures,I ran a book for abt.20 yrs.and have had a brokerage account for close to that
You need to start with a good amount of money saved… that is the only way to do it… somewhere between 2,000 and 5,000 saved that you could live with losing…
set your goal… and understand that if that money runs out… you stop… game over you are done… going beyond that threshhold is when you get get into trouble…
Start out with BIG bets…
It is very risky… but if you can eventually double your money…
You Put away 50% of profit only… and raise the amount you can lose…
eventually if you do well… you can make a crap load of money…
if you do poorly… you lose the money you are ok with losing…
The Super Bowl of horseracing? That would be the Breeders’ Cup races that are held every fall.
Seriously, I would imagine that not all monies wagered on the Super Bowl are bet with legitimate books, or any other books for that matter. There are so many office pools, pub and bar pools, and other friendly wagers (“Hey, buddy, I’ve got $5 that says Tampa Bay will score first in the game!”) that people who wouldn’t normally gamble anything can easily, and in many cases, inexpensively, buy a chance of some kind.
There are, of course, those who cannot afford to wager any amount on anything, be it cards or dice or horses or football games. But somehow, some of them do. Still, I would think that the reason for the largest handle of all time to be on the Super Bowl is not because of these folks who cannot afford it, but because of the opportunity many non-regular-gamblers (who can afford it) take to participate in a pool or friendly wager of some sort.
as an aside, it doesn’t seem like fantasy football(and other fantasy sports) is really considered gambling. why is that? I play myself, and it’s really just betting on players rather than teams. How are fantasy sports catagorized from a legal standpoint?
Whoever’s booking the action better be licensed in the state of Nevada-the only state in the US. where its legal to bet on sports-and they can’t take bets from out of state.
Guessing your fantasy league is on the internet,where US gambling laws are ignored,since the action is being booked in foreign countries.
But with the Nevada lobbies,and a possible push in concert with Mcain-who wants to outlaw the college betting in Nevada-the day may be getting closer where you could be in some seriously deep shit using the internet for gambling at unauthorized sites.
