The Dean

Perhaps, but share buyers have a reasonable chance of not losing all of their investment..............

UKCityGent

Difference between a gambler and a speculator and investor. An investment gives you a regular cashflow from an asset (think of bonds), a speculate gives you unexpected upside (or downside) using an intelligent methodology (think stocks), gambling lies on a random and unexpected event (think roulette) where the house has a greater winning advantage.

weasel decentral

An intelligent methodology like a system a horse racing punter might use?

I agree with BB shares are just gambling

Bahtatboy

I was specific about shares. Most people have little or no knowledge of who runs a company or the dynamics of the industry in which it operates.

Its not difficult to know precisely the odds of any roulette or blackjack game, the credibility of the casino, and the software they use. Typically the casino has only about 0.5% edge for blackjack, and 2.7% for European roulette.

The Dean

The point I was making was that if I bet on a horse, and it comes in last, I lose all my stake........... but if I buy shares in XYZ Corporation at five pounds a share, and the price falls to four pounds a share, I have only lost 20 pct of my 'stake'............. and only then if I sell at that price - you can lose 20 pct in such circumstances, but still come out ahead later........... not quite the same as sports betting.

britexpat76

But then the returns are not as lucrative as sports betting either.

britexpat76

Though thinking about this a little more, You could back every horse in the race ensuring you get something back? If a long odds nag wins you get a healthy return, if the favourite wins you at least return some of your stake money?

scot47

Camellot and other Lottery Companies are in the market of selling dreams. I quite often buy one myself and then daydream about what to with my millions when I win them.

The previous State Lottery in Britain was BANNED oin the 1820s becasue of its deleterious affects on the mental health of the nation.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:18...ery_Ticket.jpg

UKCityGent

You have have to make up 25% to get back to your original investment

scrubbedexpat141

It's all about the risk management.

10 quid on United to win at home to a shit team is a worthwhile bet..if you're happy to make about 2 quid profit.

If you've got no money though, you can't justify even the most secure looking bet. If you're skint, £10 is more than you can afford to lose.

Well, that's my rule anyway, I can afford to lose £100 for example but I can't justify sticking £100 on a bet.

scot47

In the last few months I have taken to betting on the Horesracing on Channel 4. Fiver double. Brightens up a gloomy day. Line came up today at 1-5 and 13-2, so I get £45 to spend on goodies.

LET THE BIG TIMES ROLL !

UKCityGent

Risk Management/common sense states that if you have no money you shouldnt be betting

britexpat76

I lost £20 yesterday, though had Notts ****ing forest managed a single ****ing goal yesterday I would of won £1600............

jam25mack

I bet near enough every weekend. Football mostly, although sometimes I do play in the live casino. Sometimes I am up, sometimes I am down. Generally I make more from the casino than from betting.

When I was a student I used to frequent the casino 3/4 times a week. I used to go in with a set budget and very rarely did I walk out with less. I once totted up I had made an additional £4k one year, which when you're a student buys a lot of beer!

The key issue, however, is only bet what you can afford. Have a set budget and stop / walk away when you reach it. Then take a break of a week or whatever. Done.

QPR and Norwich screwed me yesterday on 2 smallish accumulator, however, thankfully a different one came in and I won more than I had staked all day with still some bets pending. Happy days!

Watching a game with a few punts on is what make a weekend for me. They don't need to be mega bets, just a few quid here and there.

britexpat76

Exactly the same as me. Only by gambling can I make the worst football game I have ever seen (Algeria v Tunisia) even remotely interesting last week (Tunisia scored a last minute goal to win)....... I have friends who earn an eye watering amount here and go absolutely mental because they won $50 for a $5 bet