Question by Jack P: Where do gamblers lose more money: Online casinos? Real casinos? Lotteries?
I see a lot of evangelizing in favor of online games in answers here, suggesting a person ‘can’ win. I see other answers by self-proclaimed experts claiming poker, blackjack, roulette, craps, etc, online or realtime, can be beaten or [at least] offer the best odds for winning.

Universally it’s agreed the lousiest odds of winning in gambling are found in lottery bets and buying lottery tickets. Gamblers who prefer other games and methods of play are often strongly opposed to lotteries and proclaim those who buy tickets to be stupid, to be losers, to be lacking in judgement.

My question is, does the average player or participant lose more money on lottery tickets as compared to how much the average player loses playing poker, blackjack, roulette, craps, or sports betting?

What form of gambling offers the real-life percentage of players ruining their lives attempting to win against them?

Are the odds against losing the groceries and half the rent higher with other forms of gambling, or are they higher buying lottery tickets?

Do more people become pathetic ‘career’ or ‘professional’ lottery players, or is there a greater chance if they participate at all of them becoming pathetic ‘career’ or ‘professional’ poker or blackjack players?

Over the average lifetime of participants which type of gambling offers the highest odds of losing the least money?
FAH: Thanks for the reply, though it doesn’t answer the question, which seems to me to be a worthy one and worth pondering for a person such as yourself [as opposed to obfuscating].
Good answer Maquis. I expect it approaches the truth, though it doesn’t mention the subgroup “Professional gambler – self-delusional” comprising a huge percentage of self proclaimed professional gamblers [personal observation – mine] who either lie or delude themselves they’re winners while manifesting overwhelming outward appearances of losing big long-term.

Best answer:

Answer by FAH-Q
wow , jack p actually has an intelligent and original thought…..no..none..other forms..nice try but you can’t become a professional lottery player…the lottery…odds against 200 million to one…buy a ticket on a tuesday lose a buck….72 hours later buy another ticket and lose another buck….would you pay 2 dollars for a palm size piece of lettuce, a half dollop of thousand island dressing and a piece of bread? the answer is yes…can you figure it out?….why is the answer yes? why is it relevant? PDQ wouldn’t even try…

Answer by Maquis47
Hmm, I don’t know which form of gambling sucks in the most victims, but I suppose it would be whichever form is readily available to the gambler.

I see gamblers as falling into 3 categories.

1. The Professional Gambler – This is a person who actually makes a living by gambling. These are people that know the odds of whatever game they are playing and play to win. Usually they are highly intelligent. They’ll be found playing poker, card counting in Blackjack or researching sports teams. They won’t be playing any sucker games like the lottery or roulette with an overwhelming house advantage.

2. The casual gambler. This covers the vast majority of gamblers. These are the folks that go to Vegas once or twice a year to have fun at the tables. They buy lottery tickets for the dream of striking it rich. They log on to poker sites and spend an hour or two playing tourneys. They probably aren’t making any money doing this, but they’re having fun losing money and so they continue to gamble. They may go to Vegas and come home $ 600 richer on one trip but lose $ 700 on the next trip.

3. The addicts. These are the poor folks that are addicted to gambling. They spend every last dime they have on lottery tickets, poker sites, casino trips, bingo parlors. They must constantly have “action”. They can’t sit and enjoy a football game unless they have some “action” on the game. They are in deep financial trouble. They’re hopelessly behind on the bills and the only way they see to get out of their mess is to finally win the “big score”. For them, gambling isn’t fun. It’s a compulsion. They’ve like to quit, but only after they hit the jackpot!

I think for the professionals, most of the money goes to poker tournaments. Online tourneys or special events worldwide hosted by the WSOP.

For the casual gambler, the money probably goes to the resorts. Vegas, Atlantic City, Carnival Cruise lines. They may spend a little on lottery tickets and online play, but these are sensible folks that will save up and splurge on the vacation.

The addicts spend their gambling dollar wherever they can. If a state lottery is the only “action” readily available then the state lottery gets their money. If they have an internet connection then they likely pour a lot of funds into the websites. If they live near Vegas or another casino town then that’s where it goes.

I don’t know if any professional studies have been done on this. You might try a google search for any research studies for a better answer.

What do you think? Answer below!

 

 

The Domino Effect: Brandon’s Story, Part I – The “Domino Effect” tells the stories of Brandon, Terry, and Sarah, three individuals whose gambling addiction affected not only their lives, but the lives of those closest to them. The stories chronicle the devastating effects this addiction has on them and their families, and the struggles faced by the main characters and their loved ones. This is the first part of Brandon’s story. Brandon is a caring husband and father who works two jobs in order to provide for his family. However, as he sinks into the depths of an online poker addiction, he struggles with the challenges associated with hiding his “second life”.

 

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