Comparing Sports Betting To Other Gambling Types

There are many types of gambling available to the avid gambler on the internet. Some have a better probability of a winning outcome than others. I reckon that sports betting offers a better chance of winning than most other forms of gambling. Let’s have a look at some of those others before we compare it to sports betting.

  • Lotteries: The probability of winning any given lottery all depends on how many numbers are in the draw and how many winning numbers you need to to win the lottery. Take our Saturday XLotto as an example. You need to get 6 numbers right out of 45 numbers. Your chances of winning that lottery is 1 in 8,145,060! You can work out the chanced of winning any given lottery at WebMath. Yet millions of people buy lottery tickets every day. Why? Because the initial investment is minimal and because you never know if the next ticket you buy will be the winning one.
  • Slot Machines: The odds in winning the jackpot in slot machines, or pokies as they’re known over here, is even worse. According to this article it’s one in 17 million! There’s also this rumour where the payout is just around the corner. So if you can get on one that hasn’t had a win in a while you have more chance in winning. Well, according to this site that is utter bullshit. I don’t know what it is, perhaps its the lights and sounds, but some players get quite addicted to playing the pokies losing all their money on them.  :no-no:
  • Poker (Texas Hold’Em): Not as bad as the lotteries or the pokies but poker doesn’t offer the best odds for the casual punter.

Sports Betting And The Probability Of Winning

Sports Betting Probability

When talking about sports betting I’m referring to those sports where there are only two teams playing. Like soccer, AFL, NFL, hockey, tennis and the like. Even if you know absolutely nothing about any particular sport you have a 50/50 chance of winning. I have found in soccer though that there are times when you think you’ve won but you actually lost. I wrote about it in the post When A Win Is Not A Win. Soccer is weird that way. In soccer you can even increase your chances of winning by taking advantage of the double chance bet.

Usually though in sports betting either one team wins or the other one does. That is unless of course they draw in which case everyone loses except for the bookies. Kind of like flipping a coin and it lands on its edge.

The good thing about sports betting is that knowing the all the ins and outs of the game, the teams and the venues etc give the smart punter even more of a winning chance. So that 50/50 probability can be tipped in the punters favour. Unfortunately in gambling nothing is 100%. That is why there’s always a chance of an upset when sports betting. This is why you need to be a responsible gambler and never bet more than you can lose.

Dealing With Problem Gamblers

Do you know anyone is a problem gambler. If you’re not sure what a problem gambler is you should read my post on Responsible Gambling. I actually work with someone who is a problem gambler. He tells me he has spent thousand on the pokies. He even said it had cost him his relationship with his almost bride to be. I told him he had to take control of his life and not let the pokies take control of him. Unfortunately for many it is not as easy as that and they should really seek professional help. Many can not deal with problem gambling on their own. That post on responsible gambling also has some links to helpful problem gambling sites.

I’ve also found this article on problem gambling by the Salvation Army to be very informative. I pulled that image from the article because it shows just how emotionally drained problem gamblers can be.

problem gamblers

 

As the article explains a problem gambler does not want to be lectured to. Doing so only raises their defences. That does not meant that you can’t approach them to tell them you are there if they need someone to talk to.

  • Something you should not do  is to feed their need to gamble. Don’t  put them in situations where they can feed their urge to gamble. If they’re heading towards the pokies in  the pub try to lead them in another direction. Better still, don’t got to an establishment where you know they have pokies.
  • Never ever bring up any type of gambling topic. Don’t brag about some bet that came good for you or how you’re going to place a bet on any sort of sporting event.
  • What you should do is to let them know how important they are to you and how their gambling problem is negatively affecting that relationship.
  • You have to let them deal with the resulting problems that their gambling has gotten them into. Do not lend them money to pay off their debts. They’ll probably gamble it away. Do not lie to protect them as it will have the opposite effect.
  • Do not turn your backs on a problem gambler as this will only exasperate the problem. Spending time with them, away from temping situations, may help them to steer away from their need to gamble, especially if their gambling started out of boredom or a way to relieve stress.
  • Talking to someone with a gambling problem, without lecturing them, may help them to see why they turned to gambling in the first place.

I found this video on gambling addiction.

Problem Gamblers  Overcoming The Urge To Gamble

The video is brilliant. You actually see problem gamblers talking about what turned them into problem gamblers. Knowing the cause can help to resolve the problem. It also dispels a lot of the gambling myths. Knowledge is power.

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