EdgarusQPFC Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 Luckily for me Gambling is something that has never caught my interested, the idea of a gambling addiction and pissing all your wages away in a hour terrifies me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ayrmad Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 Luckily for me Gambling is something that has never caught my interested, the idea of a gambling addiction and pissing all your wages away in a hour terrifies me. At 16 I used to regularly walk in and hand the bookie my wages as I'd already punted them on tick earlier in the week. Later on I regularly had to work 40 or 50 hours over a weekend just to get back what I'd lost in between hires on a Friday, my wife genuinely thought the money you made in a taxi was poor until I told her the truth after I stopped. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EdgarusQPFC Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 At 16 I used to regularly walk in and hand the bookie my wages as I'd already punted them on tick earlier in the week. Later on I regularly had to work 40 or 50 hours over a weekend just to get back what I'd lost in between hires on a Friday, my wife genuinely thought the money you made in a taxi was poor until I told her the truth after I stopped. That is honestly terrifying Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaz Posted November 11, 2013 Author Share Posted November 11, 2013 How do you work 50 hours over a weekend?! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ayrmad Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 How do you work 50 hours over a weekend?! Easily when you're a desperado. Even at uni my weekend went as follows, arrive back from Livi at 15:00 hrs on a Friday, swallow dinner, in taxi at 17:00 hrs 'til 07:00 hrs, faff about for 2 or 3 hours then hit the sack, up in time to swallow grub b4 heading back out at 17:00 Saturday 'til 17:00 Sunday, head home and try and stay awake 'til 21:00 hrs, hit the sack and crash 'til 05:00 hrs Monday, up and get ready b4 heading up to Heriot-Watt for a wee breakfast b4 hitting the 1st lecture. I used to leave the house at 11/12am on a Saturday morning and return anytime between 07:00 hours and 23:00 on Sunday depending on the finances and whether there was cash to make, this was my routine 'til I stopped owning a taxi a couple of years ago. When I used to refer to myself as a lazy b*****d I would be doing 50 to 60 hours a week. Attending Ayr's away games helped to break that sort of manic work pattern. Personally I think lots of top sports people are just people addicted to they're sport, Sir Alex's family wouldn't have been very high on his radar of importance, they just can't be when you're away b4 they get up and you're back when they're asleep, I was as dedicated to gambling as Rafa is to tennis. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Ginger Prince Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 I had to ban myself from every bookies in the South of Edinburgh about 2 years ago as these machines were slowly destroying me. I had a (really well paid) job at the age of 20 and thought it was the bollocks. I'd think nothing more of going into the bookies and wasting £20 here or there and I could afford it, safe to say I own jack shit from these machines. It really hit home though when I went to a William Hills, lost £400 in the machine and thinking I could chase my losses, went home and lost £1400 online in around 3-4 minutes. Missus asked me to go to the shops to get nappies for the wee man and all I had was 30p in my wallet, 3 days after payday. Still have the odd (small stakes) bet on an accumulator but will never ever look at one of those machines ever again, almost cost me everything before I realised what an absolute fanny I had been. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fotbawmad Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 While I don't agree banning them is the solution. I can't argue against lowering the maximum stake. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ayrmad Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 I had to ban myself from every bookies in the South of Edinburgh about 2 years ago as these machines were slowly destroying me. I had a (really well paid) job at the age of 20 and thought it was the bollocks. I'd think nothing more of going into the bookies and wasting £20 here or there and I could afford it, safe to say I own jack shit from these machines. It really hit home though when I went to a William Hills, lost £400 in the machine and thinking I could chase my losses, went home and lost £1400 online in around 3-4 minutes. Missus asked me to go to the shops to get nappies for the wee man and all I had was 30p in my wallet, 3 days after payday. Still have the odd (small stakes) bet on an accumulator but will never ever look at one of those machines ever again, almost cost me everything before I realised what an absolute fanny I had been. The wife usually didn't know I was skint 'til it came having to buy messages or give the kids their bus fare and tuck money for school, glad that 1 experience helped you see the error of your ways, I was way too selfish to learn on the 1st few hundred occasions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Ginger Prince Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 The wife usually didn't know I was skint 'til it came having to buy messages or give the kids their bus fare and tuck money for school, glad that 1 experience helped you see the error of your ways, I was way too selfish to learn on the 1st few hundred occasions. Yeah it did thankfully, I broke down in front of her having realised exactly what I had done. Took about 7 months before I was allowed my bank card again, felt like a complete child but it was the only way to stop me from completely losing myself in the bookies. I don't think people realise how easy it actually is to become addicted and how incredibly difficult it is to get away from it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AyrshireTon Posted November 12, 2013 Share Posted November 12, 2013 Not read past page 3 yet, but wanted to chip in with a couple of points. Someone mentioned needing a credit card to gamble. Bookies do not allow use of credit cards because they are not allowed to encourage debt. They are providing a service and may not do much more than show folk how a new game works (and have the odd free competition for the first week of a new thing), without encouraging them to spend money on it. I am aware that punters can leave the bookies and use a credit card in a cash machine, but anyone at that stage really ought to have officially barred themselves from entering. One reason bookies are in clusters because some train their staff better then others and their rivals open nearby and try to poach them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mid-table Posted November 12, 2013 Share Posted November 12, 2013 One reason bookies are in clusters because some train their staff better then others and their rivals open nearby and try to poach them. Yeah, we're going to invest £30,000 in this new shop so that we can pinch a couple of minimum wage cashiers from that bookies down the road. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cardinal Richelieu Posted November 12, 2013 Share Posted November 12, 2013 One reason bookies are in clusters because some train their staff better then others and their rivals open nearby and try to poach them. Even if true, the main reason is simply due to a 4 FOBT terminal limit per shop (although Ladbrokes have recently started firing up glass partitions and calling them separate shops). I'm sure if a similar "4 pumps per petrol station" limit were imposed, you might see Shell, BPs, Esso etc, fire up petrol stations next door to each other too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AyrshireTon Posted November 12, 2013 Share Posted November 12, 2013 Yeah, we're going to invest £30,000 in this new shop so that we can pinch a couple of minimum wage cashiers from that bookies down the road.My info was from the horses mouth.Look when a new place opens. Within a year or two it'll be flanked by two more. More often than not it's the same one in the middle each time. And I certainly wasn't referring to the minimum wage folk. New places need effective management pronto. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strichener Posted November 12, 2013 Share Posted November 12, 2013 My info was from the horses mouth. Look when a new place opens. Within a year or two it'll be flanked by two more. More often than not it's the same one in the middle each time. And I certainly wasn't referring to the minimum wage folk. New places need effective management pronto. I think you speaking to the wrong end of the horse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AyrshireTon Posted November 12, 2013 Share Posted November 12, 2013 I think you speaking to the wrong end of the horse. Please tell me where I'm wrong, with something to back it up too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loki Posted November 12, 2013 Share Posted November 12, 2013 My info was from the horses mouth. Look when a new place opens. Within a year or two it'll be flanked by two more. More often than not it's the same one in the middle each time. And I certainly wasn't referring to the minimum wage folk. New places need effective management pronto. You could get a monkey to effectively manage a betting shop. Yes without a doubt new places opening up will try and poach staff but if they can't poach the staff they wouldn't shelve the plans for the new shop. The new shop is getting opened anyway, if they can get experienced staff in that would be a bonus. But if they don't they will train people. The turn over in staff in a bookmakers is large. I can also tell you that the sole purpose of giving customers free spins and gos on new games on the FOBT is to try and convert them to playing FOBTs. As a previous member of staff of a bookmakers we were actively encouraged to sell new games to customers that did not play FOBTs. The reason bookies appear in clusters as once one betting shop is in a set place, it is almost impossible to stop a rival from opening up a store in the same area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaz Posted November 12, 2013 Author Share Posted November 12, 2013 Please tell me where I'm wrong, with something to back it up too.Well, you're the one who made the claim, so the onus is on you to prove it. "From the horse's mouth" doesn't really cut it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaz Posted November 12, 2013 Author Share Posted November 12, 2013 The reason bookies appear in clusters as once one betting shop is in a set place, it is almost impossible to stop a rival from opening up a store in the same area.Betting shops are (believe it or not) classed in the "financial services" category in local planning laws, instead of their own category. Another reason they will cluster together is that once one opens up, it is nigh-on impossible for a local authority to refuse permission to another because precedent has already been set. That, and they're all targeting the same market. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AyrshireTon Posted November 12, 2013 Share Posted November 12, 2013 Well, you're the one who made the claim, so the onus is on you to prove it. "From the horse's mouth" doesn't really cut it. From a bookies employee. The horses mouth bit was a pun, given that horse racing makes up a lot of what is on show. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NotThePars Posted November 12, 2013 Share Posted November 12, 2013 I know a bookies employee that said the complete opposite to what you said. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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