Is Gambling Theureputic?

[fishorsechess]

Years ago I was watching the news and they had this
segment about how gambling can be theureputic for
some people. e.g. showing old ladies playing the slot
machines in Vegas. It struck me because I always thought
people viewed gambling as sinful like sex,drugs,rockroll.
That news story stayed with me. After thinking about it
long and hard gambling does give HOPE for people.
The real world can be a depressing place where it is very
difficult to get POSITIVE results. Isn't that what they say
is psychological depression: a lack of positive input into
the psyche?

[Derek2U]

Good point F ... i never thought of that. Gets the old babes out
around people & hoping for a big payoff. When I use to play
slots in AC or Vegas it was ~4am and I was well oiled and kept
going too. AH the great old days of 2 years go.

[superfecta]

I don't know about all gambling being theraputic,but there was an article about solving puzzles that said it helped stave off Alzheimers,so it was mentioned that people that handicapped horses might not be afflicted by Alz or memory related disease.

[BIG RED]

Gambling is 'sinful' because it was a vice, patrolled by the law, along with drugs, even alchohol, prostitution(sex), and to answer your question, you better beleive they are theureputic!:)

But two much of a good thing.........

[dav4463]

I think gambling should be a legitimate college course. Teach students about money management, different types of gambling, learn about takeouts, learn why horseracing is better than a slot machine, learn about sports betting, field trips to the track, etc. The more the gambler learns about their game, the more educated decision they can make knowing the facts of the game. There could be a semester project. Each student must make pretend bets....play some blackjack, slot machine (you can buy one anywhere), roulette, poker, sports betting and horseracing. Each student would have to keep a separate pretend bankroll for each and study results after a semester of pretend gambling. This way they can see where their strengths are, and whether or not they have what it takes to gamble with real money. College students are going to gamble anyway.....................teach them to do it the right way !

[hurrikane]

not sure if he still does but Tom Walters use to teach Handicapping at the U of Kentucky. that is a course I would sign up for..just to spend a few hours with Tom...

[Blackgold]

Gambling is what you do at a slot machine, the lottery or any game or investment where you have no edge, you are just hoping you will be the lucky winner while almost everyone else loses.

Investing is what you do when you expect a return on your risk, whether you are risking in the stock market, the real estate market or as many on this board are- pari-mutuel fund investors.

[kenwoodallpromos]

A negative pyche can cause errant choices even on a single race where you should have an advantage, if you do not follow what you know to be a value bet.
My wife plans slots based on how much money she can lose, so she is a loser before she plays.
This past weekend in Reno at the Sands we got 2 free nights and $10 per day betting credit and we only go about twice a year.
I borrowed 3 qtrs from my wife, had her spin using my credits, won $60.75; so I gave her her 3 qtrs back and I pocketed the $60 and quit playing the rest of the trip.
That makes me a quitter.

[Tom]

Originally posted by hurrikane@HTR
not sure if he still does but Tom Walters use to teach Handicapping at the U of Kentucky. that is a course I would sign up for..just to spend a few hours with Tom...

Amen to that. PHD=Parimutual Handicapping Degree
I love the way Tom can look a race and come with, "This looks like pineapple swing box in here!" Or somethiong like that. LOL

[Hosshead]

Originally posted by dav4463
I think gambling should be a legitimate college course. .. There could be a semester project. Each student must make pretend bets.......do it the right way ! I took such a course, held in the physics dept. at a college in Los Angeles. Taught by Mark Cramer, it featured lectures by guests such as Dick Mitchell, James Quinn and others, along with Mark's twist (and a different way to look) on things. The pp's in Drf were examined for things that Mark would point out. He always had something new for us to look at every week. Final exam was handicapping a day at S.Cal track.

[fishorsechess]

Originally posted by Hosshead
I took such a course, held in the physics dept. at a college in Los Angeles. Taught by Mark Cramer, it featured lectures by guests such as Dick Mitchell, James Quinn and others, along with Mark's twist (and a different way to look) on things. The pp's in Drf were examined for things that Mark would point out. He always had something new for us to look at every week. Final exam was handicapping a day at S.Cal track.


I took the same Cramer course at los angeles
city college. He didn't pick one winner one
card we handicapped.

[Valuist]

Its therapeutic.....as long as you win. A bad day at the track isn't very therapeutic for me.

If that final exam was held at Del Mar, I know I'd be failing that course.

[kenwoodallpromos]

Even on a bad day, at least 1 horse wins every race (more with a dead heat). We have to learn to go with the flow.
On those days even a few show payoffs is theraputic to me.

[fmhealth]

Mr Superfecta, that's an excellent point that you make about ALZHEIMERS. I've done 6-7 interviews with the top ALZ Clinicians in the country. All of them agree that the "mental gymnastics" that 'cappers must continually go thru strenghtens the nueronal pathways in the brain. I think that some insurance companies should start paying us for playing the horses. Afterall, there are really only two products on the market to slow the progression of ALZ. They are ARICEPT(Pfizer) & NAMENDA(Forest labs). Both are about $3,000/year. Why not pay all 'cappers $2,000/year to play the horses & thus stay away from this costly & vicious disease?. It's WIN-WIN for everyone!!!!

We horse players may be crazy but we're not nuts!!!

[fishorsechess]

Here is something posted today on yahoo.com
news: 09/14/04

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=519&ncid=519&e=17&u=/ap/20040914/ap_on_re_us/older_gamblers