Gambling problem in Ireland

Handsome Bob · 22-02-2013 04:51PM

I know a bloke who took €6,000 off of the local bookies a few weeks ago and gave it all back and then some to them within a week. It's as yomamma said, if you have an addiction to it it doesn't matter what you win, you'll give it back to them in the end.

I've worked in a betting shop and it's horrible to see people lose their bollox and get more and more stressed. You know they can't afford it and you know they've fcuked themselves up, but you can't refuse them. So whoever you blame, don't blame the people working in the shops or manning the phones, they're only doing their job.

flanders1979 · 22-02-2013 04:56PM

Its a mugs game and we have loads of mugs in this country.

Celly Smunt · 22-02-2013 05:02PM

I have only gambled once (other than the grand national) and it did pay off.I was down on rent,and really really needed college fees,such horrible days.I through a large sum on black in roulette and it paid off for me and got me out of a hole.However I would never EVER do anything as reckless or stupid ever again.I put it down to panic and youthful stupidity now.

HTML5! · 22-02-2013 05:03PM

Caveman1 wrote: »

Exactly, there's only so much drink someone can have or drugs someone can take, but if a gambler has access to funds he could gamble till there's nothing left.

Only so much you can drink? You can go on one bender and end up killing yourself by drinking too much.

Alcohol kills you over time too. Gamblers don't necessarily lose all their money in a few bets. Takes a while to get to that level.

Sill argument to be honest.

Banning gambling isn't tackling the problem. Why take away something (I and many others like to do and that every right to do) because some people are addicts?

Hardly tackling the problem.

If that's the answer why not ban alcohol too?

Some people are addicted to food. Let's ban that as well.

kfallon · 22-02-2013 05:05PM

Gambling is like breathing :P

Way more disciplined in my gambling now, could go a few weeks without having a bet, would rather pick out a target to have a bet on rather than just pop into the bookies to bet for the sake of it! Prob won't have another bet now til The Cheltenham festival

HTML5! · 22-02-2013 05:08PM

kfallon wrote: »

Gambling is like breathing :P

Way more disciplined in my gambling now, could go a few weeks without having a bet, would rather pick out a target to have a bet on rather than just pop into the bookies to bet for the sake of it! Prob won't have another bet now til The Cheltenham festival

I actually prefer going to the bookies with a mate for an hour. Put a few bets on the football maybe a small reverse forecast on the dogs. Maybe spend 20 or 30e max depending.

I enjoy myself in there. And then when you leave you've hours to contemplate winning!

It can be fun.

yomamma · 22-02-2013 05:08PM

I just hope that there is more awareness from parents of the dangers of gambling addiction. Its a known fact that one in five compulsive gamblers have attempted suicide and in America Las Vegas has the highest suicide rate. When I was in school we had volunteers come in talking about dangers of drugs and alcohol but never for gambling. I have been to many GA meetings and some of the stories you hear are un believable. Its just one of those things where you have to suffer from it to understand it. I wouldnt put my worst enemy through the pain gambling has brought me. I am still young but I hate seeing 15/16 year olds gambling. Its different today than 10 years back as internet gambling is 24/7 with no limit on deposits. Its only getting worse and worse and unfortunately will only be seen as a serious problem when **** hits the fan and more and more horrible stories come out in open.

muppetkiller · 22-02-2013 05:24PM

They say that Gambling addiction is like drug addiction. It affects the same areas of the Brain so when people say it's the Gamblers fault you really have to look at them as Junkies looking for their next hit. The hit is a win , and when they get one they want another. When they lose they feel they will win on the next try etc...
Really sad and depressing addiction to have I think.

kfallon · 22-02-2013 05:26PM

HTML5! wrote: »

I actually prefer going to the bookies with a mate for an hour. Put a few bets on the football maybe a small reverse forecast on the dogs. Maybe spend 20 or 30e max depending.

I enjoy myself in there. And then when you leave you've hours to contemplate winning!

It can be fun.

For somebody who likes to bet I can't stand bookies! Don't like to be in there for any longer than 5 minutes. Pick out all my selections at home and just go in, write it down, take a price (if BOG) and get out of there. The amount of pocket-talkers, aftertimers and downright loons in these places make them unbearable. And they seem to think that just cos both of ye are having a bet it's ok to strike up a conversation with you

P_1 · 22-02-2013 05:32PM

At the end of the day its all down to personal responsibility.

Be it gambling, drinking, smoking, eating the wrong food or simply spending too much money on crap, it all falls down to each individual and their own sense of personal responsibility.

Should we legislate based on some people having no personal responsibility for their own actions? That is the main question. Personally I would say no, it's your own fcuk up. why should others be curtailed in their liberty just because you fcuked up. Others will likely disagree but that's my opinion on it.

dirtyden · 22-02-2013 05:42PM

Handsome Bob wrote: »

I know a bloke who took €6,000 off of the local bookies a few weeks ago and gave it all back and then some to them within a week. It's as yomamma said, if you have an addiction to it it doesn't matter what you win, you'll give it back to them in the end.

I've worked in a betting shop and it's horrible to see people lose their bollox and get more and more stressed. You know they can't afford it and you know they've fcuked themselves up, but you can't refuse them. So whoever you blame, don't blame the people working in the shops or manning the phones, they're only doing their job.

I would not blame the people in the shop, but i would blame the companies. They like to allude to responsible gambling but they make no effort whatsoever to enforce it or have any kind of regulation.

There probably should be some kind of reasonable limit to what a person can stake at any one time. I only deal in fiver and tenner bets myself but like most on here I know of people who can be totally wreckless in their gambling.

It is very difficult for a person behind a counter to refuse a bet to a regular customer unless there is a strict set of rules there to support them. But a problem gambler would probably find another way of getting his kick anyhow.

Slattsy · 22-02-2013 05:51PM

kfallon wrote: »

Gambling is like breathing :P

Way more disciplined in my gambling now, could go a few weeks without having a bet, would rather pick out a target to have a bet on rather than just pop into the bookies to bet for the sake of it! Prob won't have another bet now til The Cheltenham festival

Thats my plan too.
Is Ante-post classed as betting before the festival though ??

kfallon · 22-02-2013 05:57PM

Slattsy wrote: »

Thats my plan too.
Is Ante-post classed as betting before the festival though ??

No, it's classed under 'Long term investment'

Slattsy · 22-02-2013 06:02PM

kfallon wrote: »

No, it's classed under 'Long term investment'

Thank fook, cos Bet365 go NRNB tonight

lahalane · 22-02-2013 06:22PM

Caveman1 wrote: »

My main problem with all this is that its too easy to get caught up in a gambling addiction, especially when people will eventually turn to crime to feed their addiction.

Gamblers might steal money to pay for their gambling. So might somebody who is addicted to buying designer clothes. You can't just say that gamblers eventually become thieves.

There are lots of addictions out there and sure, gambling is a pretty bad one but is there really any way of combating it? What's the best suggestion?

Gummy Panda · 22-02-2013 06:55PM

I can't stand gambling.

I learned a valuable lesson as a kid when my dad let me put a bet on the grand national with pocket money. I learned I'd rather have little money then risk losing it all for the chance at more.

Handsome Bob · 22-02-2013 07:11PM

dirtyden wrote: »

I would not blame the people in the shop, but i would blame the companies. They like to allude to responsible gambling but they make no effort whatsoever to enforce it or have any kind of regulation.

There probably should be some kind of reasonable limit to what a person can stake at any one time. I only deal in fiver and tenner bets myself but like most on here I know of people who can be totally wreckless in their gambling.

It is very difficult for a person behind a counter to refuse a bet to a regular customer unless there is a strict set of rules there to support them. But a problem gambler would probably find another way of getting his kick anyhow.

The thing is though is that if someone's addicted, putting a cap on stakes won't stop them; it'll only take longer for them to lose it all. The end result will be the same unfortunately.

lahalane · 22-02-2013 07:35PM

When people who do the lottery give out about gambling, I want to slap them.

retalivity · 22-02-2013 07:51PM

i still enjoy the odd flutter, but not like when i was younger. In college used to be in bookies at lunch time, lucky 15s, friday/sat nights in a well known establishment off camden st in dublin, etc...
One of my friends from that time still gambles pretty heavily, and is 'always up'. Or so he tells me me...id have my suspicions. With gamblers, you only ever hear about the times they won, and never when they lost...

Freddy Smelly · 22-02-2013 07:55PM

Caveman1 wrote: »

Ok so I done a quick search on this and there's threads from 5 years ago so I decided to start another one.

Has anyone noticed how crazy Ireland has gone on gambling?

I gamble on a regular basis (once or twice a week) on football. When I first started gambling I would back horses, dogs, virtuals etc.

I quickly realised how dangerous it was to get caught up in so I stopped gambling on all sports except football, which I wouldn't spend more than 10e a week on.

I know people who gamble all their wages on a regular basis and borrow money just to gamble. Now thats their own business but recently i've noticed a lot of the bookmakers shops that have kids (15+) in them placing bets.

Also you can't walk 100 yards through town without walking past a bookies, arcade or a casino.

My main problem with all this is that its too easy to get caught up in a gambling addiction, especially when people will eventually turn to crime to feed their addiction.

Does anyone else think that Ireland has gone overboard with gambling?

i used to work with tony o reilly (the guy that gambled 1.75mil of an post's money) in a pub in carlow about 17 years ago.

even back then he would often run into paddy powers for a punt on the horses. he was well pissed when i won 2000 punts from a 10 punt bet on a 5 horse run at 200:1 odds, at cheltenham 97

i dont gamble very often though... last time i had a few bets on was a staff xmas party at the dogs near landsdown. the boss gave us all 100 yoyos to gamble with... i lost about 30 of it overall.

kfallon · 22-02-2013 07:57PM

Gummy Panda wrote: »

I can't stand gambling.

I learned a valuable lesson as a kid when my dad let me put a bet on the grand national with pocket money. I learned I'd rather have little money then risk losing it all for the chance at more.

I'd rather risk the euro in my pocket to get a tenner than keep the euro, I mean what in the name of Jaysus can you get for a euro these days?

Gummy Panda · 22-02-2013 08:03PM

kfallon wrote: »

I'd rather risk the euro in my pocket to get a tenner than keep the euro, I mean what in the name of Jaysus can you get for a euro these days?

Two snickers in some shops at the moment. I like snickers

Handsome Bob · 22-02-2013 08:16PM

kfallon wrote: »

I'd rather risk the euro in my pocket to get a tenner than keep the euro, I mean what in the name of Jaysus can you get for a euro these days?

The general principle is sound. Say you have €80, but you have to go out the next night. You plunder the €80 in the hope you can turn it into more for your night out but lose it all.

The €80 in itself would have provided you with a good night. Maybe not a night where you could guzzle a load of shots, but a good night all the same if you have a sensible head on your shoulders. Most addicts don't have that.

P_1 · 22-02-2013 08:42PM

Handsome Bob wrote: »

The general principle is sound. Say you have €80, but you have to go out the next night. You plunder the €80 in the hope you can turn it into more for your night out but lose it all.

The €80 in itself would have provided you with a good night. Maybe not a night where you could guzzle a load of shots, but a good night all the same if you have a sensible head on your shoulders. Most addicts don't have that.

You see that's where personal responsibility comes into it.

Some would risk the full 80
Some would risk 40 of it
Some would risk 20 of it
Some wouldn't risk a red cent of it

Handsome Bob · 22-02-2013 08:50PM

P_1 wrote: »

You see that's where personal responsibility comes into it.

Some would risk the full 80
Some would risk 40 of it
Some would risk 20 of it
Some wouldn't risk a red cent of it

I'd agree. And I think any recovering addict would agree regardless of the vice: it's up to the person to realise and act on the problem. No one else can be blamed.

Caveman1 · 22-02-2013 09:09PM

HTML5! wrote: »

Only so much you can drink? You can go on one bender and end up killing yourself by drinking too much.

Alcohol kills you over time too. Gamblers don't necessarily lose all their money in a few bets. Takes a while to get to that level.

Sill argument to be honest.

Banning gambling isn't tackling the problem. Why take away something (I and many others like to do and that every right to do) because some people are addicts?

Hardly tackling the problem.

If that's the answer why not ban alcohol too?

Some people are addicted to food. Let's ban that as well.

I never said that we should ban gambling, I actually enjoy the occasional bet myself. My biggest concern is the amount of young kids you see in bookies now, it's all well and good just doing football coupons etc but eventually it escalates.

I just think that in 10 years or so there is going to be a serious amount of people strung out on gambling. You only have to look at the amount of Casino's, bookies, slot machines in pubs etc that are around now compared to 10-15 years ago.

@Yomama sorry to hear about your problem. hopefully you straighten your life out soon, a couple of positives you can take your situation, the first one is that you've obviously recognised that you have a problem and are trying to get the necessary help, the second thing is that you're still only young and have the rest of your life ahead to make amends for the time you've missed out by letting the gambling take control of your life.

Hope it all works out for you.

bigneacy · 22-02-2013 09:24PM

I've worked at a few levels in a few different sectors within the Irish gambling industry. And I can tell you first hand that a ridiculous amount of people have gambling problems and most of them think they don't.

I don't think it's the governments job to regulate it however, I'm all for small government and personal responsibility.

In terms of underage gambling I can tell you for sure that the bigger names have very stringent age rules and there are a lot of intermediate checks on this.

As for the guy who bet €15k on a horse and lost. Tip of the iceberg. We had customers trading up to €500k a day and not breaking a sweat.

And it's true. The house always wins. Even if you think they've lost- they haven't. If you ever doubt that remember this- they employ teams of dozens of highly paid and highly skilled traders, who are much much smarter than you and know more about sport and gambling than you ever will to stop you from winning. They are very very good at their jobs.

lahalane · 22-02-2013 09:27PM

I blame teddy pickers, that's what most gamblers started on.

carly_86 · 22-02-2013 09:32PM

I admit i have a problem with gambling. I work in a bookies but i never gambling in the shop i bet online on my phone and i think that's worse. I tried to delete the account but that means having to ring someone. I see addicts all the time wouldn't ya think i would learn from there mistakes

7 7 12 · 22-02-2013 09:40PM

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/finance/2012/0830/1224323262532.html

Gambling problem in Ireland

Comments