zlacker

I believe things would improve if we raised kids explaining them that the house always wins. It's a rigged game. Most people can't predict outcomes better than picking randomly and that way they are guaranteed to lose money because of the margins the bookies have. So if you know that you can play for fun from time to time, but not get in over your head.

But then I remember that so many are counting on the fact that people will stay uneducated so they can rip them off.

>>locall+(OP)
This is a good argument against lotteries but not as good an argument against sports gambling. If you are better at sports prediction than the bookmakers, you can make money. Nobody gambles as an "average person", they gamble as themselves, and convincing an individual that they personally are bad at predicting outcomes requires more than saying "most people can't do it".

People see it as a game of skill where they win money from people who are worse at that skill than they are.

>>andrew+n9
Except if you are actually better than the bookmakers, the platforms will kick you off as soon as they detect that.

>>andrew+n9
You can't be better or beat the bookies because you don't play the same game. Their game is to get the money placed evenly on all outcomes so that their payout is the same no matter what happens. And people betting are in the business of predicting the future which is a fool's errand. You might think you're above average, but once you realize the game is setup so that the house always wins, you realize it's tough to get out of the hole.

>>locall+(OP)
addictions are not cured by teaching people that they can play for fun from time to time but not get in over their heads.

do you think heroin addicts and cigarette smokers never heard that it was bad for them?

>>fsckbo+AN1
It's only an addiction if it becomes one. If you prevent it, you've solved the problem before it became one, which is usually the most effective way of solving problems.

For instance, Portugal had a crisis 25 years ago with sky high number of drug related deaths, HIV infections etc. The solution was decriminalization and education, e.g. about sharing syringes. And it worked, they went from the worst I drug related deaths to best. Heroin is still bad for you and I guess people still use drugs, but at least the outcome is not catastrophic anymore.

So yes, I do think education cures a lot of problems.