Paul Merson

[Trevor Morley's Tache]

Personally I'd just like to not have it rammed down my face in every ad break.

I know you're not in the UK anymore but it's impossible to watch sport in this country without getting subjected to dozens of adverts screaming at you to bet bet bet bet bet bet bet (responsibly).

In the same way they are taking over the high street, they're taking over advertising. You can't listen to a podcast on football without there being some dedicated section where some prick from a bookmakers takes you through the odds of each match that week, or a sponsored first goal competition.

I do wonder how this non-stop barrage of advertising is effecting people and especially kids.

Because while you say they're only marketed to adults, that's not true. @BlueMoonPodcast might be able to tell me otherwise, but podcasts running gambling ads can't determing if the listener is 18. And they still see the barrage of adverts which are ostensibly "when the fun stops, stops" messages, but really it's just a reminder to bet now during the ad break.

Yup.

All that bullshit about being able to 'set daily limits' in the App... but also being able to 'magically' unset those limits whenever you want to or just set up a new account and keep spending.

 

[eastmanc]

I was at my uncles funeral the other week and I met my cousin who I had not seen for years. He asked me how I was and asked him how he was and as we got chatting he announced that he had not had a bet for 17 months, not being a gambler, I can’t get my head around giving money to a stranger with a good chance of getting nothing back. He must have had a problem with it, he was telling me how he missed the buzz of winning. If you aren’t wired like that I suppose you will never understand, I know I don’t.

 

[M18CTID]

Ill never understand how you let a gambling addiction ruin your life. Ive been betting on sport events for over a decade now, obviously lost a hell lot more than I won , but at the end of the day Ive lost what I could afford losing without having it impact my life in a negative way. I always bet what I can afford to lose , money I would probably waste on other useless things otherwise.

Feel really sorry for that woman that lost her husband , she seems like a powerful and beautiful lady , what could have gone throught her husband's mind ? i'm sure she wouldve helped him and they couldve pull throught it all if he only open up to her instead of choosing suicide.

I guess it’s like any other addiction such as alcohol or drugs. Some people get pulled in more than others. I’ve been on some serious piss ups down the years and gotten into some right states but I’ve never become an alcoholic and been dependent on it. Takes me about 3 days to recover from a serious night out on the lash nowadays and the last thing I want when hungover is another pint, whereas it would be the first thing an alcoholic would want. Same with drugs - I had a spell during the early 90s where I was doing recreational drugs but only because I was into the rave scene. Outside of that, it never interested me.

Also done my fair share of gambling down the years and about 20 years ago there was a brief moment where I could’ve gotten sucked down the rabbit hole, but apart from that and the odd occasion where I lost my whole night’s beer money on the fruit machine down the pub, I’ve not been roped in further. Plus I luckily discovered matched betting 3 years ago where you’re guaranteed to make a profit if you follow the advice and that has turned me off mug betting almost completely.

 

[GaudinoMotors]

The new trend of "raising awareness" of things everyone's already aware of.
Sol Cambell's stinging criticisms of Sky really pricked them into all this "teaching to suck eggs" patronising flag bearing. Only 10 years behind the curve Sky.

 

[SWP's back]

You clearly didn't pay any attention to what was said.

And you obviously don’t pay attention to economics.

 

[SWP's back]

The new trend of "raising awareness" of things everyone's already aware of.
Sol Cambell's stinging criticisms of Sky really pricked them into all this "teaching to suck eggs" patronising flag bearing. Only 10 years behind the curve Sky.

It was on BBC.

 

[mat]

All gambling advertising should be banned in football. It pissed me off when teh club jumped on teh bandwagon with Marathon Bet. Wrong move for a "Holistic" club.

 

[SWP's back]

All gambling advertising should be banned in football. It pissed me off when teh club jumped on teh bandwagon with Marathon Bet. Wrong move for a "Holistic" club.

Why? Should we ban adverts for take aways and fast food or booze also? Where would you let the nanny state stop? Where’s your line? What would be morally and ideologically allowed for advertising at sporting events or in malls or on the tv and radio?

 

[GaudinoMotors]

Why? Should we ban adverts for take aways and fast food or booze also? Where would you let the nanny state stop? Where’s your line? What would be morally and ideologically allowed for advertising at sporting events or in malls or on the tv and radio?

I'd probably ban booze, yes.
You are clearly a well rounded, intelligent person, but I've seen first hand people destroyed by alcohol, gambling and tobacco addiction, plus other non-legal substances. Addiction to such things, really is a horrible thing and preys on dispositions you and (thankfully) I, don't have. You have to have some empathy and some do need protection.
As for "Nanny state", always amazes me how this gets thrown about, and yet everyone complains when the state doesn't intervene in certain things.

 

[SWP's back]

I'd probably ban booze, yes.
You are clearly a well rounded, intelligent person, but I've seen first hand people destroyed by alcohol, gambling and tobacco addiction, plus other non-legal substances. Addiction to such things, really is a horrible thing and preys on dispositions you and (thankfully) I, don't have. You have to have some empathy and some do need protection.
As for "Nanny state", always amazes me how this gets thrown about, and yet everyone complains when the state doesn't intervene in certain things.

I’ve never been one to complain about the State not intervening in certain things so not sure that can be thrown at me but I know what you mean.

I was addicted to nicotine for 26 years, aged 13 I started and despite being sporty, I continued until I realised I was 3 months off being 40 and therefore I should quit, so I did, cold turkey. I didn’t enjoy the process but I knew it was something I needed to do, so I get it but quitting smoking doesn’t mean I can’t watch Mad Men (where everyone is smoking 100% of the time).

You say “some do need protection” but where do you draw the line? And you obviously understand that your line will differ from mine and ours will be different from GDM’s whose (no doubt perverted line) will differ from Mat’s. And as we all have different lines then it’s much better to have no line at all.

Who am I to decide I’m more grown up and responsible than other adults and that I should be in charge of what they see between to 45 minutes halves of football?

It’s a slippery slope to authoritarianism.