# Gambling doesn't pay?



## AmandaJR (Dec 18, 2019)

Then again...

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-50834994

£323 million....wowza!


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## Imurg (Dec 18, 2019)

That is just obscene


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## fundy (Dec 18, 2019)

with those numbers can only be the boss of 365 lol, 365 days a year if youre a losing punter, doors shut rather quickly if youre not!


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## Stuart_C (Dec 18, 2019)

It doesn’t unless you’re related to the owner of the company you’re chief exec of.


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## 3offTheTee (Dec 18, 2019)

fundy said:



			with those numbers can only be the boss of 365 lol, 365 days a year if youre a losing punter, doors shut rather quickly if youre not!
		
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Did you manage to beat the system Fund. Seem to recall you were hot on odds/ options/ probabilities a few years’ ago although I may have the wrong person


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## fundy (Dec 18, 2019)

3offTheTee said:



			Did you manage to beat the system Fund. Seem to recall you were hot on odds/ options/ probabilities a few years’ ago although I may have the wrong person
		
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not sure about beating the system, beating the main bookies odds compilers a far easier task though


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## Liverpoolphil (Dec 18, 2019)

Fair play to her she built that online element up from scratch.


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## TheDiablo (Dec 18, 2019)

fundy said:



			not sure about beating the system, beating the main bookies odds compilers a far easier task though 

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365 were the first to shut me down back when they didn't have a clue how to price up the IPL in play. Crooks


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## SwingsitlikeHogan (Dec 19, 2019)

I’m afraid I have moral and ethical issues with companies such as this - whose radio advertising makes it very clear, and seems to make a big thing of the fact, that as a winner you are winning money other gamblers have lost.


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## HomerJSimpson (Dec 19, 2019)

SwingsitlikeHogan said:



			I’m afraid I have moral and ethical issues with companies such as this - whose radio advertising makes it very clear, and seems to make a big thing of the fact, that as a winner you are winning money other gamblers have lost.
		
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Isn't that the case with any form of gambling?


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## SwingsitlikeHogan (Dec 19, 2019)

HomerJSimpson said:



			Isn't that the case with any form of gambling?
		
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It is - but my limited understanding is that you feel you are ‘beating the bookie’ when you win - and so taking money off the bookie when you win - but these days some radio ads for some forms of gamble explicitly say that when you win you are taking another gamblers money...

But as my only gamble is the lottery...👍


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## Grant85 (Dec 19, 2019)

That is crazy. I get that if it's your business, and its successful then you are entitled to the profits. 

But I just don't get how anyone would pro-actively draw a salary at that level. You'll pay so much tax for starters and could transform the lives of a few hundred of your closest & best employees by distributing your profits a lot better.


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## SwingsitlikeHogan (Dec 19, 2019)

Grant85 said:



			That is crazy. I get that if it's your business, and its successful then you are entitled to the profits.

But I just don't get how anyone would pro-actively draw a salary at that level. You'll pay so much tax for starters and could transform the lives of a few hundred of your closest & best employees by distributing your profits a lot better.
		
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Out, damned Socialist!


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## Swinglowandslow (Dec 19, 2019)

SwingsitlikeHogan said:



			It is - but my limited understanding is that you feel you are ‘beating the bookie’ when you win - and so taking money off the bookie when you win - but these days some radio ads for some forms of gamble explicitly say that when you win you are taking another gamblers money...

But as my only gamble is the lottery...👍
		
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But when *you* win on the lottery, you are taking money which I ( and others) have lost!. It doesn't come from the magic money tree which you seem to think exists.


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## Grant85 (Dec 19, 2019)

maybe she needs the money and has a big problem at the races...


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## Grant85 (Dec 19, 2019)

SwingsitlikeHogan said:



			Out, damned Socialist! 

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No - a socialist would probably cap salary at £100 million. I'm saying she should voluntarily distribute £200 million of her income to her top staff and advisers.


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## Doon frae Troon (Dec 19, 2019)

You never see a farmer [or a bookie] on a bike.


http://www.the-snorings.co.uk/media/videos/farmer.html


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## Tashyboy (Dec 19, 2019)

Oddly enough me sister in law was on about her a month or so ago. SIL parents live in sandbach and they mentioned about the new house Ms Coates Is having built. Anyway SIL mentioned she went on holiday to Ibiza  with her and a gang of girls. Said she was a nervous wreck. Good luck to her. Stayed overnight In Peckforton castle so am just up road. Might pop in and say heyup.


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## SwingsitlikeHogan (Dec 19, 2019)

Swinglowandslow said:



			But when *you* win on the lottery, you are taking money which I ( and others) have lost!. It doesn't come from the magic money tree which you seem to think exists.
		
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I know that that is what is happening - but Lotto UK do not encourage us to take a punt on the lottery by telling us that when we win we win money someone else has lost - they tell us that the lottery pot for the next draw is £Xm.

I'm just uncomfortable with the gambling companies encouraging you to gamble as you'll take money from someone else...but I suppose that they are actually just being honest


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## Wilson (Dec 19, 2019)

The house always wins!


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## Robster59 (Dec 19, 2019)

I remember being in Las Vegas a few years ago.  I'm not a gambler at all and all I could think of when I saw places such as Caesars Palace was that it was all paid for by lots of people losing money.  Many more than they could afford.  In Sponsorship we've already seen tobacco and drink being banned, I can see the same happening to gambling.  It's far more accessible now and, with online gambling, the money you lose doesn't pass through anyone's hands so people don't appreciate the debt they're building up.


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## Lord Tyrion (Dec 19, 2019)

Grant85 said:



			No - a socialist would probably cap salary at £100 million. I'm saying she should voluntarily distribute £200 million of her income to her top staff and advisers.
		
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Wo don't know what she does with her money do we? She may be a quiet philanthropist, one that doesn't want publicity. Her family own the firm, if she doesn't take the money out it stays in the company doing what? It is hers, she has generated the profits. You would hope that she gives pretty decent bonuses out but if she gave everyone £1m then she would have no staff the next day. She pulled out a massive dividend last year as well as this so presumably morale was not damaged last time and wont be this time.

I don't bet so don't contribute to their, or any gambling company, profits but clearly they are doing something right.


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## SwingsitlikeHogan (Dec 19, 2019)

Lord Tyrion said:



			Wo don't know what she does with her money do we? She may be a quiet philanthropist, one that doesn't want publicity. Her family own the firm, if she doesn't take the money out it stays in the company doing what? It is hers, she has generated the profits. You would hope that she gives pretty decent bonuses out but if she gave everyone £1m then she would have no staff the next day. She pulled out a massive dividend last year as well as this so presumably morale was not damaged last time and wont be this time.

I don't bet so don't contribute to their, or any gambling company, profits but *clearly they are doing something right.*

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...and a lot of gamblers are doing something wrong - losing...

But you never know - she might be building a massive charitable fund...


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## Lord Tyrion (Dec 19, 2019)

SwingsitlikeHogan said:



			...and a lot of gamblers are doing something wrong - losing...

But you never know - she might be building a massive charitable fund...
		
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How many gamblers win long term? I think we all know the answer to that one.

I hope your latter point is correct, that is down to her and her conscience.


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## harpo_72 (Dec 19, 2019)

Doon frae Troon said:



			You never see a farmer [or a bookie] on a bike.


http://www.the-snorings.co.uk/media/videos/farmer.html

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regards the farmers ... you don't know what their future holds ! Small holders will go first as they are at the bottom end and will be swallowed but the big farmers are going to get some challenges ! Not sure I will shop at the farmshop given their politics, Waitrose will get my business .


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## harpo_72 (Dec 19, 2019)

Lord Tyrion said:



			How many gamblers win long term? I think we all know the answer to that one.

I hope your latter point is correct, that is down to her and her conscience.
		
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Gambling should be illegal to advertise it's no better than smoking ... just saying


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## Lord Tyrion (Dec 19, 2019)

harpo_72 said:



			Gambling should be illegal to advertise it's no better than smoking ... just saying
		
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I would not argue with that.


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## fundy (Dec 19, 2019)

SwingsitlikeHogan said:



			I’m afraid I have moral and ethical issues with companies such as this - whose radio advertising makes it very clear, and seems to make a big thing of the fact, that as a winner you are winning money other gamblers have lost.
		
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Probably best you dont understand the concept of betting exhanges


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## fundy (Dec 19, 2019)

Lord Tyrion said:



			Wo don't know what she does with her money do we? She may be a quiet philanthropist, one that doesn't want publicity. Her family own the firm, if she doesn't take the money out it stays in the company doing what? It is hers, she has generated the profits. You would hope that she gives pretty decent bonuses out but if she gave everyone £1m then she would have no staff the next day. She pulled out a massive dividend last year as well as this so presumably morale was not damaged last time and wont be this time.

I don't bet so don't contribute to their, or any gambling company, profits but clearly they are doing something right.
		
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Not so sure her philanthropy is that quiet, she has her own charitable foundation which she put £85m into this year


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## Swinglowandslow (Dec 19, 2019)

harpo_72 said:



			Gambling should be illegal to advertise it's no better than smoking ... just saying
		
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It's an interesting idea, reborn!
Years ago, before betting shops, it was illegal to bet IIRC except on the racecourse itself, on at the casino if it was a properly licensed gaming establishment. 
That's when there were illegal bets made on the street "bookies' runners" etc
Yes, it did prevent a lot ( but not all) of heartache which happens when gambling is done to excess and households are blighted when funds go irresponsibly on gambling.
So, do I prefer the situation then to the one now where you can sit with phone in hand and bet on almost any little thing?   Yes, I do.
However, I cannot deny that it removes a basic freedom. Would you ban alcohol because of alcoholism?
And ,on a basis that adults should be free to decide for themselves, how do you fault any action which is fundamentally honest, and only undesirable when done to excess.?


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## fundy (Dec 19, 2019)

Swinglowandslow said:



			It's an interesting idea, reborn!
Years ago, before betting shops, it was illegal to bet IIRC except on the racecourse itself, on at the casino if it was a properly licensed gaming establishment. 
That's when there were illegal bets made on the street "bookies' runners" etc
Yes, it did prevent a lot ( but not all) of heartache which happens when gambling is done to excess and households are blighted when funds go irresponsibly on gambling.
So, do I prefer the situation then to the one now where you can sit with phone in hand and bet on almost any little thing?   Yes, I do.
However, I cannot deny that it removes a basic freedom. Would you ban alcohol because of alcoholism?
And ,on a basis that adults should be free to decide for themselves, how do you fault any action which is fundamentally honest, and only undesirable when done to excess.?
		
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What is utterly amazing in this day and age is that bookmakers are still allowed to differentiate what they offer to different customers based on their previous success, to the point where they actively financially support losing punters to encourage them to lose more whilst shutting down or severely limiting winners punters with accounts automatically assessed and categorised. The bookmaking firms do very little actual bookmaking these days, they are run predominantly by accountants and marketeers, and they follow exchange prices almost all of the time rather than actually standing a price based on their own opinion. Thats without discussing all the real underhand stuff that goes on to stack the odds more and more against the punter


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## TheDiablo (Dec 19, 2019)

SwingsitlikeHogan said:



			I know that that is what is happening - but Lotto UK do not encourage us to take a punt on the lottery by telling us that when we win we win money someone else has lost - they tell us that the lottery pot for the next draw is £Xm.

I'm just uncomfortable with the gambling companies encouraging you to gamble as you'll take money from someone else...but I suppose that they are actually just being honest 

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Never played golf for a fiver?


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## Lord Tyrion (Dec 19, 2019)

fundy said:



			Not so sure her philanthropy is that quiet, she has her own charitable foundation which she put £85m into this year
		
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I had not bothered Googling it, don't live in the area to hear it on local news, so was not sure what she did or did not do. £85m is a pretty good chunk to give, fair play. You can do a lot of good with that.


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## SwingsitlikeHogan (Dec 19, 2019)

TheDiablo said:



			Never played golf for a fiver?
		
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Actually no - I haven't.

I am not into playing golf where there's any aspect of gambling or bigger money involved (club comps aside).  My weekly roll-up (of about 30 guys) is £1 in the pot with max winning usually about £15 (think I've won twice in 10years).  In a four ball the most I'll win or lose is likely to be about £4.


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## harpo_72 (Dec 19, 2019)

Swinglowandslow said:



			It's an interesting idea, reborn!
Years ago, before betting shops, it was illegal to bet IIRC except on the racecourse itself, on at the casino if it was a properly licensed gaming establishment.
That's when there were illegal bets made on the street "bookies' runners" etc
Yes, it did prevent a lot ( but not all) of heartache which happens when gambling is done to excess and households are blighted when funds go irresponsibly on gambling.
So, do I prefer the situation then to the one now where you can sit with phone in hand and bet on almost any little thing?   Yes, I do.
However, I cannot deny that it removes a basic freedom. Would you ban alcohol because of alcoholism?
And ,on a basis that adults should be free to decide for themselves, how do you fault any action which is fundamentally honest, and only undesirable when done to excess.?
		
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If it does become illegal it will go underground .. completely understand that but kill the advertising.
But we might as well legalise cannabis and all other drugs, better to get it into a safe environment and let the profits become taxable ... I know that was taking the argument too far


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## Bazzatron (Dec 19, 2019)

SwingsitlikeHogan said:



			...and a lot of gamblers are doing something wrong - losing...

But you never know - *she might be building a massive charitable fund...*

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Yeah, they own Stoke City.


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## Swinglowandslow (Dec 19, 2019)

SwingsitlikeHogan said:



			Actually no - I haven't.

I am not into playing golf where there's any aspect of gambling or bigger money involved (club comps aside).  My weekly roll-up (of about 30 guys) is £1 in the pot with max winning usually about £15 (think I've won twice in 10years).  In a four ball the most I'll win or lose is likely to be about £4.
		
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Of course, that's not gambling, really. That's a game of skill. Gambling is a game of chance. So you could play for a fiver with a clear conscience-😀


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## Lazkir (Aug 6, 2020)

Profits that are often built on the back of problem gamblers who have bet their houses and families away, I find it pretty disgusting tbh.
I've no objection to gambling per se, but the massive advertising and massive profits are, as one poster put earlier, just obscene!


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## SwingsitlikeHogan (Aug 6, 2020)

...lives are ruined and people die...ah yes - gambling is a lifestyle choice - a leisure choice - a bit of fun - the responsibility of the individual gambler to manage within their means...that's it - must get back on the gambling industry message.


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## Swinglowandslow (Aug 7, 2020)

SwingsitlikeHogan said:



			...lives are ruined and people die...ah yes - gambling is a lifestyle choice - a leisure choice - a bit of fun - the responsibility of the individual gambler to manage within their means...that's it - must get back on the gambling industry message.
		
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But it is in itself an honest way of making some money. It's attractive because it easy. And it is fun.
The problems arise when people do it to excess and to a point when it ruins lives.
In your post, you could be talking about alcohol, just as easily. 

I would agree to curbs on present levels of advertising on tv etc. Technology has made having a bet on such minor things too easy for the weak.

It's always a difficult thing to balance freedom to do lawful things which may harm yourself , and the nanny state.


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## Depreston (Aug 7, 2020)

Going to be a huge gambling problem increase in the next ten years 

Kids are being opened up to the world of gambling from a very young age now in video games


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## Lazkir (Aug 7, 2020)

Depreston said:



			Going to be a huge gambling problem increase in the next ten years

Kids are being opened up to the world of gambling from a very young age now in video games
		
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Loot boxes have already been made illegal in several European countries, it should be worldwide imo.
Another one is pay to play on the smartphones, that has cost quite a few parents a lot of money, don't tell me the programmers aren't doing this on purose!


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## Ethan (Aug 7, 2020)

I don't like gambling. I hate the fact that Reading FC (season ticket holder) and so many footie teams are sponsored by betting companies, and even the EFL is sponsored by one. I think they sucker people into over spending because people don't understand the power of the small margin that betting companies take. That 0 or 00 on a roulette wheel is enough to make sure the house comes out ahead, but it is much worse in sports betting. Or the way you are drawn into thinking you have a 'lucky' streak when it is just random chance which will bite back. 

You can convert odds into probability, and backwards again. Something with a 50/50 chance is evens, 33% chance is 2-1, 66% chance is 1-2 and so on. So if you take a football match, there are 3 possible outcomes, one team wins, the other wins, they draw. 

Man City play Real Madrid tonight. Paddy Power has the odds as MC win 4/6, RM win 7/2, draw 16/5. Converting these into probability gives MC 60% chance, RM 22.2%, draw 23.8%. So they have sold 106% of the possible outcomes. The England cricket match is slightly worse.


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## Doon frae Troon (Aug 7, 2020)

I dislike those 'cockeney geezer' type actors who promote gambling with a great intensity, do they have no moral backbone at all.
They are only chosen because the guff they spout will appeal to the weak/wooly minded.
I make a point of never watching any films they are in.
They look rubbish anyway so no loss.
Agree gambling should be nowhere near sports advertising, the government should ban them  [like alcoholic drinks ]

I knew a few professional gamblers in the horse racing industry, lucky if the would place 20 bets a year. Gambling junkies place 20 bets a day.


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## Kellfire (Aug 7, 2020)

Ethan said:



			I don't like gambling. I hate the fact that Reading FC (season ticket holder) and so many footie teams are sponsored by betting companies, and even the EFL is sponsored by one. I think they sucker people into over spending because people don't understand the power of the small margin that betting companies take. That 0 or 00 on a roulette wheel is enough to make sure the house comes out ahead, but it is much worse in sports betting. Or the way you are drawn into thinking you have a 'lucky' streak when it is just random chance which will bite back.

You can convert odds into probability, and backwards again. Something with a 50/50 chance is evens, 33% chance is 2-1, 66% chance is 1-2 and so on. So if you take a football match, there are 3 possible outcomes, one team wins, the other wins, they draw.

Man City play Real Madrid tonight. Paddy Power has the odds as MC win 4/6, RM win 7/2, draw 16/5. Converting these into probability gives MC 60% chance, RM 22.2%, draw 23.8%. So they have sold 106% of the possible outcomes. The England cricket match is slightly worse.
		
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If they priced it at 100%, they don’t make a profit.


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## Ethan (Aug 7, 2020)

Kellfire said:



			If they priced it at 100%, they don’t make a profit.
		
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Indeed, and that CEO Of Bet365 shows that they make a very good profit. That basic calculation doesn't take into account recycling bets. Many gamblers will win a few small bets then "reinvest" their winnings until they lose, then chase after those losses and end up losing big.


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## GB72 (Aug 7, 2020)

My biggest bugbear is Talksport. Dress it up how you like, it is one massive advert for the betting industry. Bookmakers on in every segment giving their comments, presenters constantly touting the 'glamour' of gambling, whole weeks presented from tents or boxes run by betting companies etc. It really is laughable how there can be a whole radio station that is basically one big advert for the betting industry that is barely regulated in how it promotes it.


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## need_my_wedge (Aug 9, 2020)

Seems more like the thread was resurrected to promote another bookie. 🤔🤔

(Mod Note, yes it was, spam posts now deleted👍)


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## ScienceBoy (Aug 11, 2020)

As someone who considered entering the twos sweep as too much I can’t even fathom going to a shop to gamble. 

I have nothing against a school fete level but that’s my limit!


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## Swinglowandslow (Aug 11, 2020)

ScienceBoy said:



			As someone who considered entering the twos sweep as too much I can’t even fathom going to a shop to gamble.

I have nothing against a school fete level but that’s my limit!
		
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Yes, you're right. I reckon there were some right regular Einstein mathematicians working in some of the betting shops before computers took over.
I can understand Win and even Each Way, but after that I give up.😀


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## chrisd (Aug 12, 2020)

There's quite a lot of adverts coming up on my tablet about match betting,  I understand you bet on a result of 2 possibilities eg to win and lose, and get further free bets from bookies which makes money - just intrigued to know if anyone does it, and,  if so, have they made money?


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## Rebuteo (Aug 12, 2020)

chrisd said:



			There's quite a lot of adverts coming up on my tablet about match betting,  I understand you bet on a result of 2 possibilities eg to win and lose, and get further free bets from bookies which makes money - just intrigued to know if anyone does it, and,  if so, have they made money?
		
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There's money to be made there, but as with most things the peak was before the service started to be advertised everywhere.  If you want it as an income you also need to be disciplined enough to not chuck the money in your betting accounts on bets you want yourself.  If you want it to just fund your own bets though it can be a good way.  I wouldn't pay for a service though, there's enough information about.


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## Rlburnside (Aug 12, 2020)

Doon frae Troon said:



			I dislike those 'cockeney geezer' type actors who promote gambling with a great intensity, do they have no moral backbone at all.
They are only chosen because the guff they spout will appeal to the weak/wooly minded.
I make a point of never watching any films they are in.
They look rubbish anyway so no loss.
Agree gambling should be nowhere near sports advertising, the government should ban them  [like alcoholic drinks ]

I knew a few professional gamblers in the horse racing industry, lucky if the would place 20 bets a year. Gambling junkies place 20 bets a day.
		
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You won’t have to put up with watching Spurs then😂


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## Hacker Khan (Aug 12, 2020)

GB72 said:



			My biggest bugbear is Talksport. Dress it up how you like, it is one massive advert for the betting industry. Bookmakers on in every segment giving their comments, presenters constantly touting the 'glamour' of gambling, whole weeks presented from tents or boxes run by betting companies etc. It really is laughable how there can be a whole radio station that is basically one big advert for the betting industry that is barely regulated in how it promotes it.
		
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I used to listen to James Richardson's football podcast but it was sponsored by Paddy Power. 

So you always got 5 mins of talk about the possible bets, making them sound attractive propositions, which they are not. So I have stopped listening. 

Barry Glendenning who does the Guardian football podcast is very vocal about this and how conflicted he is. He does a show on talk sport and says it is very difficult to work in sports broadcasting nowadays and not be talking the money from betting companies. Which to me is not good. 

I'm also a bit conflicted about No Laying Up as I really like their stuff. But they have jumped into bed with a US betting company and do a specific show each week talking about potential bets. 

Said it before, have no overall objection to betting as I occasionally have a bet. But am very uncomfortable with how it is portrayed at a fun activity in sport broadcasting and just how easy it is now for people to get addicted and into trouble. 

In the old days your needed to physically make an effort to go to the bookies, now you can bet on just about anything immediately from your phone.


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## GB72 (Aug 12, 2020)

Hacker Khan said:



			I used to listen to James Richardson's football podcast but it was sponsored by Paddy Power.

So you always got 5 mins of talk about the possible bets, making them sound attractive propositions, which they are not. So I have stopped listening.

Barry Glendenning who does the Guardian football podcast is very vocal about this and how conflicted he is. He does a show on talk sport and says it is very difficult to work in sports broadcasting nowadays and not be talking the money from betting companies. Which to me is not good.

I'm also a bit conflicted about No Laying Up as I really like their stuff. But they have jumped into bed with a US betting company and do a specific show each week talking about potential bets.

Said it before, have no overall objection to betting as I occasionally have a bet. But am very uncomfortable with how it is portrayed at a fun activity in sport broadcasting and just how easy it is now for people to get addicted and into trouble.

In the old days your needed to physically make an effort to go to the bookies, now you can bet on just about anything immediately from your phone.
		
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Totally agree. I am not against betting as a whole but the level of promotion that I hear on Talksport is ridiculous. It is not just the paid adds, it is the sponsored sections, it is how debates and discussions are edged towards talking about odds and bets, it is the talk of away days at the racing drinking champagne all day all expensed by the bookies. It really is one unlicensed advert now but it is nice to see that some of the presenters at least have a moral quandry about it whilst other (Alan Brazil being the main culprit) endorse it and profit from it with no obvious moral qualms.


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## tugglesf239 (Dec 29, 2020)

Scum of the earth


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## banjofred (Dec 29, 2020)

I've got a few bad habits.....gambling isn't one of them. Family member got into trouble for a gambling debt about 7 years ago and wanted us to bail him out.....we didn't. That evidently was the last time, his wife laid down the law and scared the crap out of him.


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## Captainron (Jan 30, 2021)

Gambling is hella fun though if you don’t do anything dumb. 
@davemc1 is the forum guru on this


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## USER1999 (Jan 30, 2021)

Captainron said:



			Gambling is hella fun though if you don’t do anything dumb. 
@davemc1 is the forum guru on this
		
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I think you will find #Fundy is your man.


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## davemc1 (Jan 30, 2021)

The fil won £8k the other day on a pound lucky dip on the Irish. I love stories like that

Shame I’m always on the periphery 👎🏻


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## Stuart_C (Jan 31, 2021)

davemc1 said:



			The fil won £8k the other day on a pound lucky dip on the Irish. I love stories like that

Shame I’m always on the periphery 👎🏻
		
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Some are born lucky son 👍🏻


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## AliMc (Mar 31, 2021)

HendersonClaire said:



			I don't know if you can make a living out of gambling
		
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I never been in a bookies in my life and wouldn't know how to fill in a betting slip (do such things still exist or is it electronic now) but when I first started working in 1976 I worked with a guy who was a self confessed full time gambler, rarely had less than a few grand in his pocket, he lived in a huge house in Edinburgh that he paid cash for and always drove brand new top of the range Jags, however, without knowing too much about it, i  would imagine that he was the exception rather than the norm.


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## USER1999 (Mar 31, 2021)

There is the odd one on here.


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## SwingsitlikeHogan (Apr 1, 2021)

AliMc said:



			I never been in a bookies in my life and wouldn't know how to fill in a betting slip (do such things still exist or is it electronic now) but when I first started working in 1976 I worked with a guy who was a self confessed full time gambler, rarely had less than a few grand in his pocket, he lived in a huge house in Edinburgh that he paid cash for and always drove brand new top of the range Jags, however, without knowing too much about it, i  would imagine that he was the exception rather than the norm.
		
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You and me also...though I think I once placed a bet on the Grand National.  Other than that my experience of bookies is taking the Pitlochry bookie his lunch every day when I worked in a hotel across the road from him. He never struck me as being loaded...maybe that was just a cloak hiding his riches.

My only ‘gamble‘ is a go at the lottery...gambling isn’t generally something I do.


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## oxymoron (Apr 1, 2021)

tugglesf239 said:



			Scum of the earth
		
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Been watching this with interest, a good few years ago my dad had a betting office , he knew 90% of his customers and knew 
their families and kept up with the local talk ie who is loosing, owes money to loan "providers" ,proper kept in touch with what
 was going on in the locality .I am quite happy that he frequently turned blokes away if he heard they were loosing heavily.
It was a proper old school betting office.
To call bookies scum is out of order. No one forces people in to betting offices its a choice.
Personal responsibility has to be considered , if you are unable to take control dont bet ,but if you do do not blame others when it goes pear shaped.


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## USER1999 (Apr 1, 2021)

Well, Denise Coates (bet365) earned 469m last year, so she is doing alright out of gambling, so it clearly does pay.


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## Robster59 (Apr 1, 2021)

Whenever I think of gambling, I think of an old Andy Capp cartoon.
*Andy:* Come on Pet, lend me the money. It's a certainty.
*Flo:*  Before I lend you the money, let me ask you a question.
*Andy:* OK.
*Flo:* Where did we spend our last holidays?
*Andy:* Your mothers.
*Flo:* Where did your bookie spend his last holidays?
*Andy:* Bermuda.
*Flo (walking away):* Think about it.


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## davemc1 (May 26, 2021)

davemc1 said:



			The fil won £8k the other day on a pound lucky dip on the Irish. I love stories like that

Shame I’m always on the periphery 👎🏻
		
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Well this didn’t age very well 😆 I had a bit of a touch on the slots last week 👍🏻

I used to like the roulette on the fobts, I had a good few wins that made the ‘gamble’ worth while (if I knew the actual figures maybe not so much 🤣) but I’d treat it as a source of entertainment and not a source of income. 

I reckon the forum could do with a betting thread, but it wouldn’t last. Too many you know what’s on here


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## IanM (May 26, 2021)

davemc1 said:



			I reckon the forum could do with a betting thread, but it wouldn’t last. Too many you know what’s on here
		
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I thought this was it...  and I _bet _you it does!


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## rudebhoy (May 26, 2021)

thought this was going to be about the legendary Barney Curley who sadly passed at the weekend.

His betting coup with Yellow Sam is a great story.

https://www.racingpost.com/news/yel...le-that-netted-barney-curley-a-fortune/247363


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## fundy (May 26, 2021)

rudebhoy said:



			thought this was going to be about the legendary Barney Curley who sadly passed at the weekend.

His betting coup with Yellow Sam is a great story.

https://www.racingpost.com/news/yel...le-that-netted-barney-curley-a-fortune/247363

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No or Go that was all you needed to know about a Curley runner they used to say! Easier said than done but the mkt was a reasonable guide for a while


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## chrisd (Jun 6, 2021)

I very rarely gamble and strangely find I rarely win, but when I had my business, my partner, who bet on horses on a regular but frugal basis insisted that we had a competition whenever Ascot or Cheltenham came round. We would pick one horse from each race and whoever won the most at the end of each day won a small amount of money (cant remember how much). 

I quite often won the pot and knew precisely nothing about horse racing so I figured it really was just luck!


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## Swinglowandslow (Jun 7, 2021)

Policeman I knew many years ago once went into a bookies to find the owner of the lorry outside (which had no tax ).
Turned out to be a local small time criminal ( not a nasty one though), who castigated the policeman for harassing someone trying to earn an honest living!😀
Ironically, he was right😉


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## Banchory Buddha (Aug 13, 2021)

Stuart_C said:



			It doesn’t unless you’re related to the owner of the company you’re chief exec of.
		
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It can, there are plenty professional punters in the UK (by plenty I mean a handful), Tony Bloom probably the instantly recognisable of them


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## ColchesterFC (Mar 3, 2022)

USER1999 said:



			Well, Denise Coates (bet365) earned 469m last year, so she is doing alright out of gambling, so it clearly does pay.
		
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She's going to be struggling this year with her £170m pay cut. Not sure how she'll make ends meet with her "only" earning £300m this year.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-60612165


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## Foxholer (Mar 3, 2022)

ColchesterFC said:



			She's going to be struggling this year with her £170m pay cut. Not sure how she'll make ends meet with her "only" earning £300m this year.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-60612165

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And to think the family 'only' paid £481.7 Million in tax this year - down from £573Million last year!
Somewhat ironically, the doc that showed the above figures mentioned the 'richest man in UK' Sir Len Blavatnik, a Ukranian oligarch worth £23Bn!


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## Voyager EMH (Mar 4, 2022)

Blavatnik was born in Odessa.
Family emigrated to USA as a young man. Gained a degree at Columbia and an MBA at Harvard.
He lives at 15 Kensington Palace Gardens.
The Russian Ambassador's residence is number 13.
Abramovich owns number 16.


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## SwingsitlikeHogan (Mar 4, 2022)

Voyager EMH said:



			Blavatnik was born in Odessa.
Family emigrated to USA as a young man. Gained a degree at Columbia and an MBA at Harvard.
He lives at 15 Kensington Palace Gardens.
The Russian Ambassador's residence is number 13.
Abramovich owns number 16.
		
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That road is an eye-opener to walk down...makes you wonder...though we have a good idea.


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