I’ve had my small issues with gambling. Nothing catastrophic—just a bit of money that at the time would have been very useful, but in the short term I managed to get out of that bind. Still, from that day on I swore never to gamble as a way of making a living or simply for fun.
Now I only bet on very rare occasions, when I feel inspired by a very specific event that catches my attention. For example, the MLB Postseason is underway, and a couple of days ago I decided to wager a small amount of money that the two teams playing wouldn’t score more than three runs combined by the fifth inning.
I almost won the bet, but at the last moment the situation I had chosen simply collapsed. The amount I bet doesn’t even reach one dollar, according to the exchange rate, so the annoyance of losing only lasted a few minutes.
Then yesterday I was able to attend one of the games live. It had been years since I could do that. I had to walk a long way to get there. Once inside, enjoying the game, the proposals that never fail on television arrived: commercials.
And who were they promoting in those commercials at that moment? Exactly: betting houses and casinos.
Right away I asked myself: how can you not bet? They’re stimulating you during every pause to throw your money away at random. And it’s not just one or two betting houses, but several, including their apps and their super bonuses for registering.
They even have the nerve to place hashtags in the corner of the screen with phrases like “gamble aware” or “be gamble aware.” I imagine it’s like cigarette packs that also warn consumers that smoking causes cancer.
In the end, I’m somewhat glad that this kind of television isn’t practiced in my country. Of course, in exchange we get a good dose of indoctrination.
Anyway, my advice for today is: don’t get involved in gambling. Unless you know a secret that can change the results—or you simply have a DeLorean that can travel through time. In that case, bet your savings and become a millionaire.
English isn't native language. Text translated with DeepL.com