Sports are particularly targeted by the gambling industry and bookies who make a fortune from outcomes. This has become such a problem that many can no longer tune into what used to be a nice experience. Anyone with a gambling problem has to curb their interest if they want to escape the temptations and players have also been caught rigging games in order to win a stake.
Tennis is something that most people enjoy and tournaments in their own country are great to watch. In Australia, however, constantly throughout matches there are betting suggestions flashed onto the screen. The current value of each player in the stakes draws people in. Many want to show how clever they are in picking winners and so they put their money where their mouth is.
Children are also observed taking bets from each other in school playgrounds during their own matches. The question is where does it stop. With easy access to online gambling the problem has snowballed.
Already we have many who are living on the streets because they lost their home, family, and jobs because of gambling. Others are under the care of psychiatrists and doctors to try to get away from the problem. That means they must not watch any event where the bookies are advertising if they want to heal themselves of the addiction.
While this is a free country and everyone has the right to advertise surely common sense has to be shown on the part of governments who allow this situation to continue. For people like me the interest in sports that used to be there has gone. While sporting teams are looking for public support and donations their interests are not being served by the gambling trap that surrounds their professions.
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