Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Bombarding gamblers with offers greatly increases betting and gambling harm

bristol.ac.uk

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

61–70 of 151 posts

Re: Bombarding gamblers with offers greatly increases betting and gambling harm

#61

Post by xXSLAYERXx »

mothballed wrote: post #42

When online sports gambling started in the US they were offering $500-$1000 of free bets to sign up. Very tempting to sign up, even though I don't gamble anymore than about once a decade, but I decided whoever did that offer was probably smarter than me about who would win out in the end. I've been around the block long enough to know you never take an 'easy profit' deal from someone who is in the business of making…

It was truly a wild time. All the books desperate for action in this new online gambling world (US). I went from book to book, took "advantage" of their promos, never collected a dime. When I was up, I bet more. Hit zero? Go to the next book. Their lines were better anyway ;)

Re: Bombarding gamblers with offers greatly increases betting and gambling harm

#62

Post by Terr_ »

mothballed wrote: post #42

When online sports gambling started in the US they were offering $500-$1000 of free bets to sign up. Very tempting to sign up, even though I don't gamble anymore than about once a decade, but I decided whoever did that offer was probably smarter than me about who would win out in the end. I've been around the block long enough to know you never take an 'easy profit' deal from someone who is in the business of making…

> while in their own domain

There's a certain poker quip which I like to use and apply to other contexts, such as active investing: "If you look around the table can't tell which player is the sucker, you're the sucker."

In other words, beware entering into a game where the rules ensure somebody will be victimized. This is especially true when many of the existing denizens spend much much more time and effort and finagling than you'll ever want to match.

"A strange game. The only winning move is not to play." -- W.O.P.R, War Games (1983)

Re: Bombarding gamblers with offers greatly increases betting and gambling harm

#63

Post by bluGill »

fn-mote wrote: post #48
bluGill wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They can but most non gamblers wouldn't partictpate. Many non gomblers won't particitate because they might go to vegas this year and so want the chance.

> Many non gomblers won't particitate because they might go to vegas this year I’m pretty sure you would see so many people selling their quotas that the price would be dirt cheap. At the most basic level: how many can afford to go to Vegas? This would be sure money. They’d take it when they need it.

vegas is cheap. Not free, but cheap to get to compared to most other tourist traps. There are a fair amout of free trips to vegas those hopes will keep a lot away.

and most people have ethics and so would not sell. Maybe to someone in the family, but strangers.

Re: Bombarding gamblers with offers greatly increases betting and gambling harm

#65

Post by nntwozz »

xenadu02 wrote: post #2

Super shocking (sarcasm). Gamblers are the whales of that industry. The industry is well aware of that and well aware of how much harm they can cause. But their paychecks depend on not knowing so they choose not to. Same as pay-to-win freemium games. Find the whales and milk them for all you can. For every high-spender who can afford it they know full well the other 99 cannot. They know they are ruining some people's…

> Same as pay-to-win freemium games. Find the whales and milk them for all you can.

This is what happened to EVE Online and many other MMORPGs.

Re: Bombarding gamblers with offers greatly increases betting and gambling harm

#66

Post by Terr_ »

Invictus0 wrote: post #17

why can't we have a law that just caps your gambling losses? Everyone gets a federally issued gambling license tied to your ID, if you lose more than X amount the casino is no longer legally allowed to let you play. Casual gamblers can still enjoy, problem gamblers get cut off; just like with alcohol at the bar.

I like it in principle, but the pathologically addicted already make additional accounts and pay other people to acquire them.

So it may help by stopping some people from getting to that point, but as a safety net, an important chunk of the victims will still punch right through it.

Re: Bombarding gamblers with offers greatly increases betting and gambling harm

#67

Post by Terr_ »

kelseyfrog wrote: post #35
sd9 wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you were friends with an alcoholic it would be pretty shitty to give them a bottle of vodka for their birthday. People are not machines, it’s not as simple as deciding whether to do something or not. You have stronger and weaker days. Temptation makes it harder to do what is in your best interests, even if you’ve decided on another day that you’d rather not partake. Getting concrete about gambling: lots of people…

It seems like a gambling addiction is the same as not having the capacity to choose not to. Is that a misunderstanding?

I think it becomes philosophically clearer if we view it as a fight between multiple minds--or contextual operating modes--in the same person. The practical and ethical question for outsiders is which one we want to favor in the fight with the other(s).

"I want to eat this bucket of ice cream... But I also really want to not want to."

Re: Bombarding gamblers with offers greatly increases betting and gambling harm

#68

Post by gus_massa »

fc417fc802 wrote: post #45
kelseyfrog wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Help me understand the difference between preying on gambling addicts vs preying on gullible old people to get them to buy $500 in apple store gift cards.

Both are scummy but it's not clear how to regulate the latter without huge collateral damage whereas the former is quite straightforward (because there's effectively no societal benefit to begin with).

If we totaly forbid gift cards, which is the huge colleteral damage? If you want to send $500 to John, just write a check in USA or bank transfer in the rest of the world.

Re: Bombarding gamblers with offers greatly increases betting and gambling harm

#69

Post by Forgeties79 »

anonymars wrote: post #60
Forgeties79 wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Absolutely

Ha, well, opinions sure vary here. I'm sure it has nothing to do with that Upton Sinclair quote about "understanding"

No need to be cryptic. What are you trying to say?

Re: Bombarding gamblers with offers greatly increases betting and gambling harm

#70

Post by [deleted] »

kelseyfrog wrote: post #31
cjcenizal wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I understand moral arguments but also see how others might not. I think it might be more useful to view this from a societal perspective. Is it to society's benefit to ensure gamblers don't ruin their own lives? To answer that question, what's the cost to society when a gambler ruins their life? Lost savings means an impoverished individual and potentially an impoverished family and children. These draw support resou…

Help me understand the difference between preying on gambling addicts vs preying on gullible old people to get them to buy $500 in apple store gift cards.

[deleted]
Post reply on HN