I feel like sports betting ruins sports

[BlueLine7045]

So maybe it's just me, but I feel like spirts betting kind of ruins sports, or the thrill of just watching sports. Allow me to elaborate.

I have never really betting on sports before in my life. I rarely gamble or bet and do so very infrequently, despite living near three or four large casinos. Anyway, I always asked my brother and cousin to help me place some bets or explain it to me because they always end up winning a ton of money, which would be nice. But they never do. They tell me to avoid sports betting.

So I will skip the whole story I was going to tell and just get to the point. I won a bunch of money then lost most of it due to the Chiefs being blown out during the superbowl. I'm not salty about losing the money though.

The thing I realized is, when I place money on games for certain things to happen, all I focus on is those things happening. Not the game itself. I bet money on the Chiefs getting touchdowns despite the Eagles being my favorite team, and the whole game I found myself slightly annoyed that the Chiefs were not scoring at all when I should have been happy.

So case in point, risking bets or money on a sports game whether it be NFL, NBA, MLB, Soccer, etc. makes watching the games that much more stressful. You can't just sit back, drink a beer, and watch the game. You're thinking about what you need to happen and the money you're risking. Kinda sucks. Not saying I hate sports betting. Just that I'd rather watch the games without having to worry about this or that happening.

 

[milagros317]

I am a lifelong fan of the Dodgers, going back to the time when they were the Brooklyn Dodgers.

The only type of sports betting that I have ever done is to bet on Dodgers to win a particular game or to win the World Series.
That type of bet in no way interferes with enjoying the game (or not, if they are losing), and results in me not being distracted at all.

I can see how proposition bets (for example, that Betts will steal at least one base, or that Freeman will get at least one extra base hit) would distract me from the game itself and, in part, ruin the joy of watching a Dodger victory. That's why I only bet for the Dodgers to win.

 

[Mr. Nimbus]

Fantasy sports has made fans feel like GMs, to the point that they root for their teams to tank for draft position.

 

[kurchatovium]

I never bet on sports or anything really. Got enough vices already lol.

 

[Barbershopman]

Fantasy sports has made fans feel like GMs, to the point that they root for their teams to tank for draft position.

Fantasy sports makes you fans of individual players, rather than rooting for teams IMO.

Barbershopman

 

[wolfman40]

I used to gamble to much, now I bet 'shrapnel ' or what you guys would call cents or bits.

Say you go to a store a you have budgeted 10 bucks for groceries and end up spending 9.95, I would put the odd 5 pence in my betting account on a boxing match, soccer game or horse racing, so if my team were to lose, it doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things.

I kinda keep betting fun, for pleasure, not to win serious big bucks

 

[SirTristran]

I'm the opposite, I like to have a spin on the UFC just to add a bit of something to each fight. Not for profit, just a muck about. Tenner a bout or whatever.

 

[Cave In]

I enjoy putting on an accumulator for the football(soccer) on a Saturday. I dont put on big amounts though because it's just a bit of fun.

My golden rule is that I never put a bet on or against my team.

 

[Mitchell]

I vaguely remember my father betting on a baseball game for me when I was 16 and we were in Las Vegas.

The only "Vice" I have is horse racing.

The thing is, I control it completely by betting things like 3 dollar trifectas, 2 dollar exacta, and going there for no more than 90 minutes or 2 hours.

I try to read the forms Sometimes the races come in, other times, it is close, and I narrowly lose, and feel frustrated.

My cardinal rule for any betting.

Bet only what I can afford to lose. I take a small amount of money in my pocket, and if that goes, so do I. I never go to the ATM or chase it.

I dont play slots anymore, because, one can get a cold slot, and start putting one $20 bill after the next into it, and pretty soon can be down $80, 100, or more.

Playing/betting is for fun. If one wins, great, take the money and leave. If there's a loss, accept it, leave, and dont go back for a while.

Such is the advice that all people who gamble should follow, in my view