You can bet on anything

I’M not really a gambler – although many would disagree with me.

I might have 20 euros on the Grand National, but that’s it.

When I was working I used to go to Las Vegas twice a year, which I did for over 20 years. I never played the tables or the slots.

Now the reason many would say I am a gambler is because I play poker everyday either online or live.

Sometimes I win and, of course, sometimes I lose, but I feel I’m in control.

Sure there is an element of luck but there is also a lot of skill involved.

I can win by convincing someone my hand is better than theirs by bluffing. I know when it’s time to get up and quit whether I’m winning or losing.

This brings me to the point of this week’s grump.

I think it’s disgusting the amount of advertising there is on TV for gambling offering free money and making it look glamorous.

 They show Champagne corks popping and they show everyone winning and at the bottom they put a little note saying something like ‘when it stops being fun quit.’

What a lot of nonsense! Gambling ads should be treated the same as cigarette and alcohol advertising.

 It’s a ‘drug’ and it’s addictive and should be treated as such. I actually think the advertising should be banned.

What the adverts don’t show is the damage that gambling can do.

 In the UK there are machines in betting shops called Fixed Odds Betting Terminals (FOBT).

These machines are the crack cocaine of the gambling world!

You can put your credit or debit card in and play up to a £100 every few seconds.

You should look on YouTube and watch people smashing up places when they have been financially wiped out.

 You can now bet on anything. You can even bet on things losing and this opened up a whole new can of worms.

It’s all about greed. These multi-million pound betting companies just never have enough.

They won’t limit what you can lose but have a few winning bets and see how quick they decline your business.

I remember years ago being given this tip about playing the slot machines in Vegas.

I was asked where I thought the best place was to win. I guessed it would be at one of smaller hotels, only to be told the best pay outs were in the Arrivals part of Las Vegas airport.

This, of course, makes sense as it gives you the winning flavour and you experience how much fun it’s going to be.

Of course, the worst pay outs are in the departure area! You are leaving so jog on and thanks for your last few dollars!

Email me mikesenker@gmail.com