A Country of Gamblers

We have always been taught that in the world, there is nothing for free; until now! The belief that is spreading says that to become rich, one has to either steal or win the lottery. Gambling is no longer a hobby carried out on the side with surplus time and money. It is a full time career with an actual budgetary allocation. Consultations on what to bet on are not carried out during break time. They are conducted in the hours between 9 and 5 using office phones and internet. The compulsive gambler is not an exception. He is at home among many others like him (or her!).

Sport Pesa

There is a new craze in town in the name of sport pesa. It is a gambling platform that allows people to bet on teams they expect to win in various sports. A lot of money is placed in bets but I have only heard of a few winning anything. Most of those who actually win consider the money to be free and hence they have usually wasted it on merrymaking or placing further bets. There is also a new platform which I think is called BetUs and functions in more or less the same way as Sport Pesa.

Endless Raffles

If you listen to any of the FM radio stations, you will most likely hear of some kind of raffle where you send a message (on premium payment) in order to get a chance to win. What many people don’t realise is that the money they win is their own (from all the participants pooled together).

Binary Options

I know I sound puritan and one who has never had a gambling problem. This is not the case. At one time, I found myself deep in gambling even without realising it. It happened at a time when I was in a financial fix. I decided to find something to supplement my income. The ‘solution’ came in the form of Binary Options. I know you are wondering what those are. They are advertised as a form of investment in the stock market; only they are not. They are actually a form of gambling where you pick a particular stock or currency and predict whether its price will go up or down within a predetermined time, either 1 minute, 1 hour, 1 month, or 6 months. You place money with your bet and if you are successful, you multiply it.

Needless to say, I didn’t get rich. I lost all the money I had put in the venture. Now am glad I didn’t win anything because by now I would have been struggling to kick the habit.

The Rules of Gambling

“Every gambler knows, that the secret to surviving; is knowing what to throw away, and knowing what to keep. ‘Coz every gambler knows, that every hand’s a winner, and every hand’s a loser……….” These words are extracted from Kenny Roger’s hit song, ‘Gambler’. This wisdom, coming from a ‘professional gambler’ does not give much hope to a career in gambling. In an ideal situation, the chances of winning and losing are equal at 50%. Industry insiders will however tell you that the house always wins because it is skewed to do so at 55%. So now you know that whatever you do, you will never break-even from gambling.

Gambling in All Areas of Life

Our gambling habits would be bearable if they were only restricted to casinos and TV shows. It is however obvious that we are gambling in all areas of life. We have left even the most critical decisions to chance. We are literary betting our lives away.

Abortion and HIV Prevalence

In an era when there is ready access to contraception, it is surprising to note that there is a high number of unwanted pregnancies. Educated and presumably well-informed adults are leaving everything to chance as they engage in sex. The high reported cases of abortions points to people who gamble with their reproductive health.

Parenting

Parenting is supposed to be the wholesome impartation of needs and wants on a child. Feeding, clothing, sheltering, and educating a child forms an important part of parenting. The other equally (if not more) important aspect of parenting is discipline. This is where a child is guided and rebuked to ensure that he or she grows up to be respectable and able to coexist well with other people. In a gambling era, parenting has been left to chance. People hope that their children will turn out well behaviour-wise even without their constant input. We are gambling with our children’s futures.