The Psychology Of Sports Gambling

Gambling and the unpredictability of the roulette wheel stand at the center of Fyodor Dostoevsky’s The Gambler. Despite the fact that it is not a very rational activity, gambling captures the enthusiasms of many in The Gambler, enthralling those characters that are intoxicated by the feelings of victory. Experienced gamblers often work out strategies to ensure success, or at least a greater chance of success. Unfortunately, these types of patterns and strategies simply do not apply in games of chance like roulette. As Jeff Love describes, there is not a “fixed constant or indubitable ground permitting a deductive determination of the results of each turn of the wheel” in the game of roulette (Love 373). Put more simply, roulette is a game of

Will Set a budget for how much you will spend in one session and in one week.Limit the time you will spend gambling. Keep a daily diary to record your gambling. Use a notebook to record the amount of time gambling, number of occasions, wins and losses.Debt or other financial problems. Relationship problems – arguments, disagreements or loss of connection with friends and family,Loss of a job or problems at work due to lack of motivation, absences, inability to concentrate on work, Mental and emotional health concerns – increased stress, depression, panic attacks. Negative impacts on family, especially children – may start getting in the way of being a good parent. Loss of control – gambling can be addictive and starts to take over, it can be hard to stop even when you know it is causing you and your family harm. It can be hard to know if your gambling is getting out of control. A common reaction is to minimise, hide or deny gambling problems and the harm it could be causing. Some people will lie to themselves and others about how much money or time is being spent on gambling. If you suspect you may be developing a gambling addiction, or if you recognise risk in someone you love, get help immediately. Spend more money and time than you intend to gambling, Feel guilty and ashamed about your gambling, Try to win back your losses, Miss important things in life such as family time,

Fantasy football is a game based on strong predictions of undetermined performances of real professional players. Some call it the game of chance and some like to term it as the game of skill, many feel enthusiasts of fantasy football label it as game of skill because, predominantly, games of chances are played for money and are thus, considered as illegal in several countries. But doesn’t majority of people consider that casino gambling and sports betting are skill based games involving strategical thoughts, mathematical calculations and myriad of probability. Moreover, betting and gambling involves great deal of money but it really isn’t necessary that fantasy football has to be played for money. Although gambling and fantasy football rallies side by side, but it would be impolite to ignore the fact that it has a game theory that is exclusively based on genuine facts and statistics.

Gambling has an adverse impact on the individual athlete's or coach's integrity. Reputation diminishes, and the athlete becomes better known for participation in gambling activities than for athletic feats and career accomplishments. Gambling scandals can ruin careers, and permanently mar the individual's ability to participate in the sport again. As Finley, Finley & Fountain (n.d.). point out, gambling also has the potential to ruin the integrity of the entire team, league, or whole sport. "Ensuring an honest and uncorrupted game has been one of the biggest challenges facing sport," (Finley, Finley & Fountain, n.d., p. 41). Baseball in particular has been plagued by gambling scandals. However, other professional sports have also revealed the prevalence of widespread corruption. Finley, Finley & Fountain (n.d.) also note that gambling on college sports has been a problem since the CCNY point-shaving scandal of the 1950s. Point shaving proved lucrative enough for high-profile black market gambling syndicates to flourish. Although most players, coaches, and teams are not corrupt, the few that are have sullied the image of all sports.

Gambling is a common practice throughout human history, one that appeals to the individual’s desire for gain and offers the thrill of risk or uncertainty. Sports gambling is the “wagering of money or other items of value on the outcome of a sporting event, dependent either wholly or in part on chance” (Thompson, 2008, p. 1). Sports gambling generates billions of dollars annually, with large events like the Super Bowl or World Series alone able to generate wagers in the billions of dollars. This research will explore the arguments of those who oppose sports gambling and those who support it in order to answer the question: Should sports gambling be legalized?

Gambling in professional sports is an ethical dilemma that needs to be examined from all angles before making a decision on whether to bet or not. Gambling has been a part our society for thousands of years, dating back to the original Olympic Games in Greece. Depending on where you live, there will be different laws regarding the rules of gambling. The story of Pete Rose shows a good example of what can happen to a sports manager that bets on his own team and others in his sport. In this case, there will be a situation where someone is faced with an ethical dilemma and they must go over all options before making a decision. Before betting on a sports team, one must look at all alternatives to betting and the consequences that come with each one. After this, a choice must be made regarding the ethical dilemma. This decision must be looked at from the legal side of things, as well as your own gut feelings towards your choice. You also must ask yourself how you would feel about it if you told the world what your decision is. The code of ethics of sports managers can also play a role in the decision making process. An ethical theory called utilitarianism will also be a way of looking at how and why the decision was made. By covering all these topics, it will assist in making the decision for an ethical dilemma.

Gambling is perceived in very different ways by its participants and affected parties. There is a stricter and no tolerance view practiced by the National Collegiate Athletics Association [NCAA] whose role is to govern college athletics. A study conducted by (Nelson, LaBrie, LaPlante, Stanton, Shaffer, & Wechsler, 2007) points out that “…the NCAA membership adopted bylaw 10.3 that prohibits athletics department staff and student-athletes from engaging in gambling activities that relate to intercollegiate or professional sport events.” As stated earlier, the individuals mentioned in The NCAA’s bylaw are not the only people participating in sports related gambling activities. Furthermore these individuals, consisting of college students (student-athletes and non participants), and fans also partake in gambling activities unrelated to sports. Their perception of gambling seems less strict than the NCAA. Previously stated, it is viewed as fun, a way to win money, for excitement or entertainment for student-athletes. This view is also shared by college students that are non participants and fans. Another perspective of a non participant or fan on sports gambling suggested by (Nelson, LaBrie, LaPlante, Stanton, Shaffer, & Wechsler, 2007) states that there are some “…sports fan who might gamble on sports as a way of “being in the game.” In addition, (Nelson, LaBrie, LaPlante, Stanton, Shaffer, & Wechsler, 2007) mentioned that this attitude may stem from there being

While playing a sport in college, athletes have other various costs as well. A survey taken in 1989 of college football players resulted in 31% of players that gambled illegally, but 48% of people knew a player that gambled. Players are giving out team information to gamblers, so they can bet more accurately on the game to win money (Porto). Athletes do not have any extra time for a job, so it is difficult for them to make money. The players are taking a risk to gamble, which is illegal by the NCAA. Furthermore, the student-athletes will do whatever it takes to make some money to help pay for other costs in college.

While playing a sport in college, athletes have other multiple costs as well. A survey taken in 1989 of college football players resulted in 31% of players that gambled illegally, but 48% of people knew a player that gambled. Players are giving out team information to gamblers, so they can bet more accurately on the game to win money (Porto). Athletes do not have any extra time for a job, so it is difficult for them to make money. A study shows that this has lead some athletes to gambling, which is illegal by the NCAA. This shows that the student-athletes will do whatever it takes to make some money to help pay for other costs.

I agree that these fantasy sports are addictive and can potentially devastate one’s life, a point that needs emphasizing since so many people believe it is just a skill based game. In his article, Whitley points out that these companies are soon going to add warnings to their product, as they believe that it may trigger the gambling addiction of a recovering individual. I am sure that the last thing these companies want to do is associate fantasy sports to gambling, because in their mind the process of winning money by betting on players is not anything like gambling. It is very easy to bet with their apps and many do not realize how much money they might have wasted until the rush of the game wears off. According to King, 50-60% of the players are under the age of 30 and that is worrisome. While it is a fact that young adults are higher risk takers, and they can easily rack up their credit debt, in addition to that some may think that they’ll just pay it off once they win it big but not everyone is a winner. These winless games could cause depression among them and it may have a terrible effect on their life. This could be an example of our addiction caused by new technology; since we did not have these problems back when fantasy sports was a season long activity that was played among family and friends. On

One reason we should not pay college athletes is they will have extra money for the temptation to gamble. Gambling by athletes is a growing social cost of big time college sports (Hearn). If we do not pay these athletes they will not have a lot of extra money to gamble. The result of a Michigan study revealed that more than 5 percent of players’ have either given information about their team, bet on games they have played, or shaved points for money (Hearn). Affecting

Sports Betting Should be Legal claims that if you become addicted to gambling, you can over gamble and gamble with money you don’t have. Although this is true, there is an easy way to stop this from happening. A person could limit their budget while at the sports stadium. They could have twenty dollars set aside for food and spend that. A person could bring maybe thirty dollars for souvenirs. Instead of spending their money on that, they want to make a profit. Betting only a little bit of money would not affect you if you lost as much as it would if you brought a lot of money. Gambling would not be a problem as long as person uses common sense and limits how much they

But what media outlets have failed to acknowledge is that not all people are problem gamblers. Its as if a study on alcoholism has been completed yet neglecting the effect of fine wines.

There are several concerns regarding the ethics of gambling whether in an online setting or in a public setting. Gambling has many benefits for both gamblers and casinos, but it’s crucial to acknowledge the psychological repercussions of gambling as it isn’t always just “harmless fun.” We can consider the negative and positive implications of gambling on non-gamblers as well. However, how would ethical theories and perspectives differ in their approach to the effects of gambling? When people think of gambling, they usually see flashing Vegas casinos and large sums of cash. The gambling arena is much larger just as the significance of the effects gambling has on the casinos and people involved. Gambling addiction is a very prevalent factor

Then there are the race tracks. They are now legal in over four fifths of all the states in America. The owners of the track take 18 to 21 percent of money wagered. The bettor has a likelihood of winning only a 0.41 to 0.44 probability of winning. That is about one half of one percent! But, it is a well-known fact that when a man wins at gambling, he is very likely to stay in for another game—and then lose his winnings! It is no wonder that it is called “gambling fever.” It is almost an insanity which grips a person.