Responsible Gambling Awareness Week

Today is the start of a week long campaign from the Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation to help “raise awareness of the importance of gambling responsibly.”

This site and my success promote the idea that it is easy to win a lot of money from gambling. I have tried to show you all that this is not the case, it takes a lot of hard work, preparation, strong maths knowledge and an iron will to be a success. As someone put it on twitter to me the other day, “the hardest way to make an easy living”. I would never ever consider betting to be a reliable source of income because even I could easily lose a vast sum of money in any given year. This quote from the “The responsible gambling guide” is well written.

“Those rare individuals who have done well through sports betting do a large amount of research and are disciplined in the way they bet. They are also prepared to wait out long, unpredictable and stressful periods of losing.”

Australia is seen as a gambling nation and everyone that I know gambles in some way. From older relatives who play the lotto and head down to the local club on a weekend for dinner and then to play the pokies, to friends who like to bet on horses or sports and even younger friends who like to play poker or casino games online. We all seem to enjoy placing our money on something in the hope of gaining even more. I honestly believe that the majority of these people have no idea what the real cost (in monetary terms) is.

Sadly, most of you reading this will be long term losing punters, it’s a simple fact. You will lose money gambling. My best advice to you is to see your gambling as entertainment. As long as you can see it from this angle then you will have a good relationship with gambling.

Say you like to bet $20 on a game of AFL each week and you like to bet the line. For every $1 you bet, expect to lose 9c. So on average your $20 bet will see you lose $1.80. You will go on runs and win a lot in a short time frame and also loss a lot in a short time frame, but over years of betting that is the average amount you will lose. $1.80 is a very small price to pay for entertainment, if it gives you an extra thrill while watching a game then it is well worth it. To me this is a fantastic way to see your gambling.

Sports betting is a much cheaper alternative to something like the poker machines. If you bet just $1 a spin on the pokies you can expect to lose $3.60 per minute or over $218 an hour. I myself had a problem with poker machines when I was young and lost a massive amount of money to them. Thankfully I learnt the maths behind them and have played them once in the last few years. If you are happy to pay $218 an hour for what you consider entertainment and can afford to lose that much then play to your hearts content. But also consider what can be done with that money instead.

The stats say that less then 10% of people with a gambling problem seek help. I can understand this and when I realised I might have a problem with the pokies, I thought it would be very embarrassing to admit it and seek help. I have had friends who were much stronger then me seek help and in some cases this seemed to work. I still have a few friends and family who I feel have a problem and understand how hard it is to bring it up, even for someone like me who likes to be very direct and who has felt the same way.

If you feel you may have a problem the best thing to do is to seek help. Be stronger then I was and visit the Responsible gambling foundation (VIC) or Gambling Help (NSW) or even Gamblers Anonymous. If you’re not from Australia then just type in Gambling help and your location to find the nearest help.

I understand the impact gambling can have on your life and those around you. The emotional aspect is so big when it comes to gambling, that is why I try to be as open as possible and also try and take away as much emotion as I can from my betting. Just understand that making a profit from sports betting is very hard work with a massive learning curve. If you do decide to continue on your goal to making a profit from gambling then I wish you all the best.

I will add the following link to my site for anyone who might be struggling.