Is It Immoral to Bet on Sports?

[Performify]

You're going to get an obvious skewed sample in Sports Betting.

I'd go ahead and post your own opinion, if you want to try to save this in to some sort of active discussion with debate on both sides...

-P

[BobJoeJim]

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I think it's immoral to bet on The Netherlands in the LLWS

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FYP

[calmB4storm]

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You're going to get an obvious skewed sample in Sports Betting.

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True.

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I'd go ahead and post your own opinion, if you want to try to save this in to some sort of active discussion with debate on both sides...

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What prompted this thread is my parents' view toward my gambling. They can tolerate me playing poker, but they are firmly opposed to me betting on sports. For some reason or another, the general public seems to hold sports betting in a much more negative light than other forms of gambling (poker, lottery, slots, etc.). I began to wonder why this was... is sports betting really more morally objectionable than other forms of gambling, or is this opinion just a result of the public's perception of sports betting? Ties to organized crime, point shaving scandals, etc. have given sports betting a bad name.

After some thought, I've come to the conclusion that sports betting is definitely not any more immoral than other forms of gambling. As Homer pointed out, when a sharp player makes money betting on sports, he is actually winning at the expense of the sportsbook, not any individual player. Thus, I would actually regard poker (where one player's winnings come directly from another player's losses) as more immoral than sports betting. True, the book's money ultimately comes from the squares, but the squares would lose money whether or not the sharps were present. In fact, sharps may actually be doing squares a favor by keeping the linesmakers at least halfway honest.

So I ultimately agree with rjp. As long as you aren't influencing the games upon which you bet, and you don't let the gambling disrupt other aspects of your life, then IMO you're doing nothing wrong.

[youtalkfunny]

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...because illegal bookmakers break the legs of their customers who can't afford to pay, the public seems to hold sports betting in a much more negative light than other forms of gambling (poker, lottery, slots, etc.).

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[youtalkfunny]

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...because there are no tv ads for sportsbooks, the public seems to hold sports betting in a much more negative light than other forms of gambling (poker, lottery, slots, etc.).

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[ECB]

Yes, especially if your doing it on the internet, then you are a really bad person that needs to go to jail - also drinking alcohol is immoral, using any type of illegal drug, smoking cigarettes, looking at porn on the internet and talking dirty.

But it is not immoral to do most of these if your betting at the race track, indian casino standing in line buying lottery tickets or in Vegas betting on sports. Then its ok so the government says.

[Performify]

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As Homer pointed out, when a sharp player makes money betting on sports, he is actually winning at the expense of the sportsbook, not any individual player. Thus, I would actually regard poker (where one player's winnings come directly from another player's losses) as more immoral than sports betting. True, the book's money ultimately comes from the squares, but the squares would lose money whether or not the sharps were present. In fact, sharps may actually be doing squares a favor by keeping the linesmakers at least halfway honest

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I don't think this is exactly what Homer was trying to say -- but if so, Homer please chime back in.

Winning money in a sportsbook is exactly like poker. Every dollar you win is a dollar that has come out of the pocket of another bettor. The sportsbook takes a rake just like poker. Occasionally your profits don't come directly from the pocket of another bettor (say the sportsbook hangs a really bad prop line which gets tremendously unbalanced action) but in that case its coming out of the "rake" which still came out of the pocket of another player.

[Thremp]

I voted Yes. Since it makes me feel like more of a degen.


Who're my compatriots?.... After some reflection. Probably those 3 guys starting those "No one makes money betting sports" threads. Frown town.

[brendanb438]

Lol Thremp. I picked yes too just so I could be positive on an answer for once in a pole.