For fun or for the sake of addiction?

Not that long ago, a friend of mine won over SGD$2000 in a single night of soccer bettings. Recently, this same friend is over SGD$3000 in debt.

It always starts with something like "just playing for fun" but ending with "i'm in deep shit, i regret it". It's then followed by "I will quit", only to return with "aiya just a play abit only lah".

I don't understand, what do people see in gambling, especially soccer bettings. Okie I think I might have a clue thanks to my past experiences. When you watch a football match, it is often not that thrilling just watching as compared to watching with a wager or bet already placed. Which goal post the ball ends up in determines where your money goes. This is thrill to the punters.

Yes you will win, definitely. But you will lose too, and more than often the amount you lose always exceeds what you win by a big figure. The common mistake people made is that when they win, they are greedy for more, they feel great they feel high and invincible. They want more and often end up losing more. And when they lose, what do they do? They try to win back even more. You lose $50 and u want to win back $100. You lose and instead of losing $50 you have lost $150 now. It's just an example but if u change this figure to those that the 'serious punters' bet, the amount of money is incredible.

When you lose, it is always because your luck is down and that means you should take a step backwards by restraining yourself from betting. But very few people do that. Why? Because it's become an addiction. They are now addicted to it.

It is a problem when you wake up every morning and the first thing that goes through your mind is "what match tonight? bet who? bet how much? odds?" You have a serious problem if you are like this. I been all these myself. It is shit, and I realize I'm more 'accurate' when I guess or make predictions for people than when I choose who I'd place my money on. When you guess or predict you do not have pressure, when you bet, you have to contend with the knowledge that you are putting your money at risk and that is where one often makes the wrong choice and end up losing.

Gambling can really make one rich, I've won a thousand on a single game before. The feeling was fucking incredible but I have also tasted the devasting feeling of keying in zeros on the atm machine for people. There are 2 kind of gamblers: those who go with their heads and those who go with their hearts. I belong to the latter which is why I'm just not cut out to win big money by gambling. A moment of rashness, a moment of sentimental craziness often makes my money fly. Whereas for those who bet with their heads and always seem to have luck, they are better suited to gamble. But still, the chances of one becoming rich through gambling is very slim. If it is so easy to get rich by gambling everyone would be driving Ferraris on the road now.

People do not realize what adverse effects gambling could bring. Relationships could be broken, friendships too, families and many others. Above all it is an act of an irresponsible person. I hope this friend of mine see the light soon enough before he falls deeper into the well.

Euro 2008 is coming in 2 months time and I can forsee more tears than joy.