Betting has long tempted the imagination of sports and risk enthusiasts. They contain not only emotions related to winning or losing, but also subtle mechanisms that can seduce even the most prudent players. You may have seen many advertisements for bookmakers, but they almost never talk about the mechanisms that will make you addicted to this system - especially people who advertise this business try to avoid this topic.
According to Yale Medicine, a gambling clinic, as many as 1% of Americans are struggling with the problem of complete addiction to gambling, including bookmaking.
First of all, let's analyze the character of Jim Bennet - the main character of the 2014 film "The Player". In his case, gambling and subsequent loss of money on casino games lead to self-destruction. He borrowed so much that his total debt grew to exorbitant proportions, and the desire to play with the main character did not stop. This triggered a rollercoaster of increasingly worse situations - increasing debt, payday loans, a desire to get back at them, and problems with local gangsters. As it turns out, the mechanisms of playing in a casino and playing in bookmaker are very similar. Let's find out what really makes a person addicted to such entertainment.
THE CLOSE-TO-WIN PHENOMENON
Bookmaker bets are characterized by the possibility of betting on several events on one coupon, which is won only when all of them are successful. This means that the total price of the ticket increases dramatically, but as you can guess, the probability of winning decreases significantly. To illustrate this with an example, we bet that at least two goals will be scored during each of 10 football matches. There may be a situation where this will actually happen in nine of them, but the last match will end with a score of 1-0 for one of the teams. This generates the feeling in the punter that he was very close to winning and his thoughts were accurate, but in the end he still lost. Such a coupon makes the player come back to the bookmaker to bet on subsequent matches because recently he "was on the verge of winning".
ILLUSION OF SKILL
The basic difference between playing in a casino and betting is that you can bet on real sports events according to your own preferences and independent analysis. With each spin of the roulette wheel, there is the same probability of drawing black, red and green, but in bookmaking these chances vary. When playing with a bookmaker, we seemingly have the impression that our analysis will increase the chances of winning, but in reality, predicting the outcome of a football match, for example, is not that easy. This result may be influenced by many random factors, such as a sudden injury to the team's best player or even unfavorable weather conditions. There is an element of randomness in every gambling game, which is why we are always one step behind those who created them. Therefore, it is better to invest in yourself - the return on such an investment is much more likely, as evidenced by our guide to getting your dream job.
LOYALTY CARDS
Very often, when playing at stationary points of many bookmakers in Poland, you can come across so-called loyalty cards. Depending on the company, they provide different benefits, but their general idea is to promote players who play very often for quite high stakes. For example, if we play for the appropriate number of days in a row with coupons worth £15 in total, after a few days we will receive a bonus on the card, for which we can bet on subsequent events without our own contribution. At first glance, it looks interesting because we get free funds to play, but it is associated with many dangers. It just becomes addictive because we have to show up every day, we have to lose money every day, and we have to spend some time analyzing matches every day to get an unquantifiable return. In this way, bookmakers are able to keep customers for longer.
EASY ACCESS – EASY EMOTIONS
In addition to the possibility of playing at stationary points, bookmakers also offer us their websites, which are available to customers 24/7. This means that anywhere on Earth and at any time of the day or night you can allocate funds to bet on sports events. As you may have guessed, this gives players access to easy thrills as they can even put their monthly paycheck on the line from their bed. In this case, punters become addicted to emotions and adrenaline when betting, which makes them want to keep playing.
VIRTUAL SPORTS AND LIVE BETTING
The vast majority of bookmakers in Poland offer virtual sports and live betting. The former are simply simulated and computer-generated sports events that can be bet on. They are characterized by the fact that a few minutes after placing the bet, we receive the result of the event, which, if we win, may result in a quick profit. Live bets are settled just as quickly. Thanks to this, players have access to quick cash turnover and do not have to wait long for a given event to end. As it turns out, punters can fall into the trap of such games and it is difficult for them to stop betting, because we have a chance to win every 5 minutes.
DID YOU WIN? WIN EVEN MORE
There is an old Polish saying that "appetite grows with eating" and it is no different in the case of bookmakers. It is natural that most people who bet on coupons do it to add a few zlotys to their monthly budget. When they finally manage to hit the desired winnings, these people start to believe that they can actually make money on these bets. They are looking for another win, betting on new events, and they fall into a vicious circle from which it is very difficult to get out.
PROMOTIONS AND SPECIAL BETS
Bookmakers often launch promotional campaigns in which they attract players with increased odds, promise additional funds in the event of winning coupons, and also offer the so-called “risk-free” bets, which unfortunately may turn out to be a trap. In the case of the latter, if the player misses the ticket, he or she receives a refund of the entire stake or a certain percentage as a bonus on the loyalty card. However, it is important to understand that the term "risk-free" does not guarantee its complete absence, as there is still a significant probability of losing both your own funds and those that have been returned.
Another way to attract players is to introduce "safe" bets. The idea is to bet on a larger number of matches at a higher overall price on the so-called ribbon. In this case, if there is one error on the coupon, the winnings will be ten times the invested stake. Bookmakers are perfectly aware of how probability works, so they encourage players to add more events to the coupon, realizing that in this way the chances of winning it drastically decrease.
POSSIBILITY OF BETTING FOR LOW STAKES
When someone decides to visit a casino, they usually do not plan to bet small amounts such as £5 or £10. The atmosphere and culture in casinos are different from those that can be seen at a bookmaker, where you can play for just one zloty. Many addicted people started innocently, betting on a few bets for small amounts. It happens that new players experience a moment when they are one match short of winning (the previously mentioned closeness phenomenon). When they miss only one or two hits out of ten events, the thought may arise that it is worth increasing the amount, while reducing the number of bets on matches, giving in to the desire to win. If a punter manages to win a larger amount, he will subconsciously stop feeling the same satisfaction from smaller wins, and this in turn may lead to a constant increase in the stakes for which he will play.
SOCIAL ACCEPTANCE
Society has a completely different approach to playing in a casino than with a bookmaker - these are often two separate categories that are assessed in different ways. Playing in a casino is often perceived as riskier, which can result in a negative outlook due to the high risk of losing money. In turn, playing with a bookmaker is perceived as a form of fun and exciting competition. One of the key factors that influences this differentiation is the fact that match betting is associated with sporting events that are popular and widely watched. This makes the public see it as a way to have additional entertainment while watching their favorite teams or players. Players often compare their coupons or boast about their picks on social media (e.g. rapper Drake does this). He posts a screenshot of a bet worth hundreds of thousands of dollars on Twitter. Thanks to this type of promotional activity, an ordinary person can feel a connection or similarity with the star because he made the same bet.
ESCAPE FROM PROBLEMS
People often treat betting as an escape from everyday problems. The first reason is the desire to emotionally relieve yourself. Typing can provide a temporary respite from the stresses and problems of everyday life. The next reason is a break from monotony. Gambling can provide intense emotions that are a different state from everyday life. Winning is associated with excitement and reward, and playing with a bookmaker can be a way to achieve something that may be more difficult to achieve in other areas of life. Even though gambling provides short-term relief, it can actually make problems worse. Seeking an escape from betting can complicate your life and lead to serious financial, emotional and social consequences.
Gambling is a dangerous pastime that can ensnare many people, even the most attentive ones. Betting is an area where emotions, hope for an easy victory and apparent influence on the outcome of events can lead to addiction, which is why it is so important to understand these mechanisms and make conscious decisions in the context of the risk they entail. If you feel that the problem of addiction affects you or your loved ones contact your doctor for help also there are many places offering help, also, you can visit: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/404355684767 https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/354918374835
Sources:
Gambling Disorder (online), access: https://www.yalemedicine.org/conditions/gambling-disorder [access date: November 28, 2023].
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