Gambling

[kah22]

Watching a piece the other night on the box and it was saying that it's not Las Vegas that is the slot machine capital of the world but somewhere in your beautiful country.



The report was also saying that all round you guys are pretty big into gambling down there, that some of you would bet on two flies going up a wall. What other bad habits have you?



So tell me if you are that big of gamblers what's the most unusual bet you've ever heard off. Or better still what is the best bet you've even been involved with.



For myself I feel as though I couldn't call heads or tails on a one sided coin. I'm a complete tea-toatler (just personal choice) and many years ago I was over in Scotland for the New Year. There was a big strike on at that time and the local working mens clubs were busy raising funds for the strikers. Well to cut a long story short I bought a few tickets for a raffle and ended up winning a bottle of whiskey.



Strange though over here in Ireland if there was a draw in a pub for a bottle of whiskey etc and you won it would be frowned upon by management if you opened it there and then. In Scotland you'd be frowned upon if you didn't!! Needless to say the whiskey wasn't long in disapearing. <img src='http://www.melbournechat.org/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' /> How would the like of that work with you guys?



On a lighter not though a third cousin of mine, who was born in Melburn, sent my mother over a calandar yesterday - she's in financial services in case anyone is interested and I suppose that's another type of gambling. <img src='http://www.melbournechat.org/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' />



Talk to you soon

Kevin

Armagh City

Ireland

[glen]

hi kevin,



we do have a bit of a gambling problem over here. though the government has become dependent on gambling dollars to run the state so its a bit of a vicious circle. they need the gambling money to provide services but some of those services now include gambling counselling!



check it out: [url="http://www.problemgambling.vic.gov.au/"]http://www.problemgambling.vic.gov.au/[/url]



the most popular forum of gambling is the "pokies". or slot machines as they call them in the USA. every second pub has some of these machines and they run non-stop! i personally don't get into it but i know a lot of people love it!...well though love it and hate it (depending on if they win on a particular day or not!).



also we have the TAB where people bet on all sorts of stuff including football matches, horse racing, grey hound racing, tennis, cricket etc. you can even bet on the best actor at the oscars! its just nuts!



here is a link to all the sports betting - [url="http://www.tab.com.au/Sports/Information/DisplayOddsIndexCompetition.aspx?State=1&Competition=302&LocationCode=1&MeetingType=1"]http://www.tab.com.au/Sports/Information/D...p;MeetingType=1[/url]



and here is a link to the horse race betting etc - [url="http://www.tab.com.au/racing/default.aspx?State=1"]http://www.tab.com.au/racing/default.aspx?State=1[/url]



I rather save my money to buy some nice beer instead <img src='http://www.melbournechat.org/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tongue.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' />



<img src='http://www.melbournechat.org/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' /> cheers, glen

[Wabuf]

I've gambled once, and won $42.07 on a penny machine putting in a dollar. That was the only time I gambled (since I'm underaged)

[glen]

hi wabuf! you had some nice beginners luck there! well done!

[Tearstone]

I've been to a Casino once or two but I'm not really a gambler. Although I do love the strip at Las Vegas, lots to do and see there.

[CDarklock]

Pokies! That rocks! Are you pokin' your coins in the slot... or getting poked by the owner? LOL!



I know better than to go to casinos. I like them a lot, but unfortunately I can do math and I understand probability. I know that in the long run, the house takes almost 5% no matter what. If I had more self control, I could go into a casino here and there and it wouldn't matter. But I don't, so I'd end up another broke loser wandering down the street mumbling "If I could just get a little more credit".

[glen]

well here is melbourne we have lots of problem gamblers that lose control. there are counseling facilities all over the place. and there are posters in the bathrooms of all the pokies places warning people to go home! plus we have a gambling hotline too. the government sort of wants to remove them but they depend heavily on the tax that pokies generate so they are sort of stuck!

[MsMixte]

My husband and I usually go to visit his mum once a year, and she lives not far from Reno, Nevada. We collect all our pocket change for the year, and use that for gambling. It gets rid of the urge, it's not a lot of money (perhaps a couple of hundred dollars at most), and once we have gone through it all, we quit. We don't bother to change the coins into any larger denominations, as I could spend all day at a 'penny' machine <img src='http://www.melbournechat.org/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' /> .



MisMixte

[glen]

well the "penny" or 1 cent pokie machines over here actually eat money very quickly because they allow you to bet multiple "lines". so if you bet 30 lines, then that is 30 cents per push of the button! <img src='http://www.melbournechat.org/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' />

[MsMixte]

[quote name='glen' post='2737' date='Mar 21 2007, 09:26 PM']well the "penny" or 1 cent pokie machines over here actually eat money very quickly because they allow you to bet multiple "lines". so if you bet 30 lines, then that is 30 cents per push of the button! <img src='http://www.melbournechat.org/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' />[/quote]



Aye, I believe that the machines can be played that way here as well, I just refuse to do so <img src='http://www.melbournechat.org/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' /> .



MisMixte

[Mel-Visitor]

I've never been to a casino. They always look great places in films, but I guess their not so much fun in real life!

[glen]

speaking of casinos, that reminds me that I was going to watch Casino Royale on dvd. its the latest Bond film.



it is supposed to be very good! <img src='http://www.melbournechat.org/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' />



cheers, glen