Gambling Problems...

9/10

you've got Flagpole wrapped in your web, that gets you high marks right there...

Ngyen Wah wrote:

Flagpole Willy wrote:

They take so much from each person who walks in the door it isn't even funny.

At least be consistant, fogpole. On one hand you say every one loses, then you cite an article says consistant winners are banned. Well, which is it?

Dude, you're apparently a gambler, so go gamble. I can't save people who don't want to be saved. Point is that the vast majority of people LOSE at casinos, but if you are one of the skilled few who CAN make money, then that amount of time is short lived as you'll be out on your ass as soon as you show you can beat the house with regularity. There is NO future in it for just about everyone. Gambling ruins the lives of many people, and it is evil. Believe what you want.

1) I don't spend anywhere near the money on entertainment as gamblers do gambling. Not too many 12-step programs for people who spent too much money on movies from Netflix. Lets just say NO programs.

2) Many people do NOT leave Vegas with MUCH more money than they came with. SOME leave Vegas with a little more than they came with, and the great majority leave with way less -- less than is entertaining to them.

3) "No reputable casinos would ever ban winners and hope to stay in business very long" -- you're wrong on this brother. Completely wrong.

1) How much you spend on entertainment is irrelevant. My point is that most people who gamble see gambling as entertainment and are willing to pay for it as such. The fact that people become addicted to gambling says more about the people themselves than it does about the activity. There are twelve-step programs for for people addicted to alcohol, shopping, sex, and almost anything else you can think of. Does this mean sex is evil, of course not. You seem to be trying to conflate the problem of gambling addiction to the activity itself.

2) As with many things, I'd venture to say you could chart gambling winners and losers as a bell curve with those winning or losing a small amount being the most numerous and those winning or losing a large amount on the ends of the curve. Without getting into the semantics of the term "many," of the millions upon millions who go to Vegas the number of people who "win big" would be a fairly high number, even though the percentage would be small.

3) You need to understand that the casinos do not care about how much any individual wins or loses. Again, this is because the odds are in their favor. If 100 people sit down at a blackjack table, odds are there will be a person or two who will win a large amount. There will also be a person or two who will lose an equally large amount. The casinos know and expect this. In the long run, regardless of how any one person fares, the casinos will take their cut.

Flagpole Willy wrote:

Point is that the vast majority of people LOSE at casinos, but if you are one of the skilled few who CAN make money, then that amount of time is short lived as you'll be out on your ass as soon as you show you can beat the house with regularity.

Oh, so now you're waffling, eh? Now only most people MOST people lose. Geez, pick one track and stay on it. I'm still waiting on some data backing up your initial claims on the demographics of gamblers. Or did you just pull them out of thin air, too?

He's also waffling between not being a bible thumper and being an active member of his church, citation included. Gambling's fun. Losing sticks with me more than winning, so when i lose a few bucks, i stop. Don't see the evil.

"No reputable casinos would ever ban winners and hope to stay in business very long"

Flagpole is right on this. There have been books and TV shows about a team from MIT who were card counters and they were quickly banned from all Vegas casinos. They resorted to wearing disguises and still were kicked out.

I suppose getting back to the original poster's question is pretty much impossible.

Gambler's Anonymous, a 12-step program much like AA, is your best bet. Just letting the guy know that such an organization exists might do the trick.

http://www.gamblersanonymous.org

Vernon wrote:

He's also waffling between not being a bible thumper and being an active member of his church, citation included. Gambling's fun. Losing sticks with me more than winning, so when i lose a few bucks, i stop. Don't see the evil.

I'm a liberal Christian and scratch my head at the views of Fundamentalists. Just because something is fun doesn't mean it isn't evil. Just because you can't see the evil doesn't mean it isn't. It is.

You can force your beliefs on someone else as much as you want, but chances are 'Church' will do nothing for this man if he's that hooked.

He would need quite a rude awakening for that too happen and saying a bunch of prayers when he's thinking about rolling the dice, knocking back a few drinks, and getting back out on the floor.

The only thing that might possibly help him, is to remove him from the area completely, so he can't go back to the casino.

Gambing at this level is a dopamine inhibitor. Everytime he gambles it's inhibiting dopamine production. If and when he finally wins, the inhibited dopamine is released. You're up against powerful chemicals and need professional help/removal of all stimulus in the matter. Once again, words and a steeple will not stop the problem.

I am posting from behind my desk at the corporate headquarters of one of the tier-1 worldwide casino management companies.I've worked in a lot of different business environments and industries. I have never seen an industry that is comes anywhere close to this one. The things that this company can get away with, and the amount of money that we make, is borderline ridiculous. There is no other business model in the world as efficient as this one.I used to be the guy who would go play $500 out of my "bullshit money" account on blackjack once every month or so, just as a casual player for harmless entertainment. Never with the expectation to win anything.Knowing what I know now, I will never, ever, ever, play casino games again.

Flagpole Willy wrote:

There is NO future in it for just about everyone.

This is the most accurate statement in this thread.

(Except for people like me who own stock in the casino companies =). And the state governments (one property pays an avg 10M in taxes per month!!!).)

I'm happy for you that you are employed. Glad to see though that you also know what is really going on and that you will never waste your own money on those games.

Gambling Man wrote:

"No reputable casinos would ever ban winners and hope to stay in business very long"

Flagpole is right on this. There have been books and TV shows about a team from MIT who were card counters and they were quickly banned from all Vegas casinos. They resorted to wearing disguises and still were kicked out.

Vegas casinos consider card counting cheating and therefore ban anyone caught counting. The MIT team was well aware of this and took great measures to avoid getting caught counting cards.

The reason they were banned wasn't because they were winning, but because they were cheating.

SC Slim wrote:

Gambling Man wrote:

"No reputable casinos would ever ban winners and hope to stay in business very long"

Flagpole is right on this. There have been books and TV shows about a team from MIT who were card counters and they were quickly banned from all Vegas casinos. They resorted to wearing disguises and still were kicked out.

Vegas casinos consider card counting cheating and therefore ban anyone caught counting. The MIT team was well aware of this and took great measures to avoid getting caught counting cards.

The reason they were banned wasn't because they were winning, but because they were cheating.

WRONG! If you use an electornic card counter, then that's cheating, but if you have the ability to do it in your head, how is that cheating? You even get on a "lucky" streak that lasts too long, and you'll be cashed out and escorted out.

Ngyen Wah wrote:

Most casino games, slots excluded, require some amount of knowledge, training, and skill to be good at, lotteries are pure chance. You can learn to be a better blackjack player, you can\'t learn to be a better lottery player. If you know what you\'re doing, casino gambling is barely even gambling.

That's just retarded. Even if you play every hand of black jack perfectly, you will still lose in the long run. It\'s gambling and the odds are stacked against you over time just like the lottery.

The only time where you can make money is if you are playing against other people and not the house, like in poker. Some sports gamblers also make money, but only the best of the best. However, you are not going to make any money in the long run playing casino games unless you are breaking house rules (counting cards, etc).

Flagpole Willy.

You claim gambling is evil. But why? Because the odds are stacked against the player? You seem to think you are really smart because you play your stocks and funds. These may have a general upward trend because of economic forces, which makes them a better investment than gambling. No argument here.

But have people gone broke in the stock market? Millions have. Does this make playhing the market evil? If not, what about day trading. Is that evil? At what point does it become evil, when you decide that it is an imprudent investment?

I understand that gambling is bad for many people, and I dont play casino games either because I am risk averse. I do play poker with friends, and dont believe that I am engaging in evil. I also have been to the casinos a time or two, but nothing consistent? Am I taking down society?

I agree with your premises about the lottery and the problems associated with problem gambling, but I think that your statement that it is categorically evil proves way too much.

Flagpole Willy wrote:

WRONG! If you use an electornic card counter, then that's cheating, but if you have the ability to do it in your head, how is that cheating? You even get on a "lucky" streak that lasts too long, and you'll be cashed out and escorted out.

Card counting is cheating because it is against the rules of the game. The casinos are the ones who get to make the rules for any game they offer. One of the rules they have made is that card counting is not allowed. By playing at a casino, you are agreeing to play by their rules. If you do not agree to these rules, you are by no means required to gamble there.

And once again, no casino that kicks out people who get on a "lucky" streak, hit it big, win big, or whatever you prefer to call it would ever last long.

I never had such the gambling problems or addiction.. I always control my budget for such games and enjoy the free cash bonus no deposit casino uk on https://freshcasinobonus.com/bonuses-by-type/no-deposit-bonuses Because with the bonus you have more chances to win!

Flagpole Willy wrote:

Ngyen Wah wrote:

At least be consistant, fogpole. On one hand you say every one loses, then you cite an article says consistant winners are banned. Well, which is it?

Dude, you're apparently a gambler, so go gamble. I can't save people who don't want to be saved. Point is that the vast majority of people LOSE at casinos, but if you are one of the skilled few who CAN make money, then that amount of time is short lived as you'll be out on your ass as soon as you show you can beat the house with regularity. There is NO future in it for just about everyone. Gambling ruins the lives of many people, and it is evil. Believe what you want.

The only people banned are the ones who count cards in black jack. The casino can tell from watching the video if the amounts and timing of the bets indicate someone is counting cards. All the other games are random.