Why do people gamble? It certainly is an interesting question, one that we don’t often think about when we do actually gamble. Gambling as an art has been around since the early days of the human race. Chugging around slowly during the ice ages, it pulsed with the hearts of the Romans during the days of the gladiator’s. Today, it can be found in every single game known to man. And a few relatively unknown ones —like the good ole game of “Is he or is he not going to fall over that chair?”
Gambling, in the long run, is mostly an expensive sport which brings attention to the question of why people do it. There are too many forms by which gambling is practiced but various forms have established themselves as methods of choice.
Card games are an especially common medium for gambling. It’s almost unheard of to actually be involved in a simply friendly game of poker. Overnight poker has become the media icon for gamblers as far as card games go. Poker tournaments are broadcasted monthly on TV. Back when I was a kid, my mum used to frown so much every time she saw me with a deck of cards that I had to learn a couple of card tricks overnight to prove that I really was interested in becoming a Magician.
Betting on sports is also very common. People wager on matches to be played, gambling on their selected team winning the game. Horses suffer a similar fate. Every week they launch themselves into the race pitch, knowing that far more than the weight of their jockeys is hanging on their backs. Gambling is extremely risky. In the end, most people end up losing their wagers, but this doesn’t stop them from returning and again repeating the process.
Why do people gamble? What is it about the act that draws millions daily? The reasons aren’t really that hard to see. People long for a medium to escape or forget about their problems. During poker nights, the worries of the office are happily chucked aside for the game. Another reason behind the urge is the fun and excitement involved. Like it or not Gambling is exciting. Losing one’s money might not be much fun in the end, but the thrill behind the idea that you could make some money is not that hard to understand.
Some people gamble for a good cause, charity being the top most good cause. If a person wins the bet or gamble, all proceeds are donated to the charity. If they lose, they are satisfied by the fact, that it was all for a worthwhile cause.
There are some people that gamble as a means of unwinding and letting lose. When they gamble, they are able to relax and forget about everything else.
Some people gamble because of the challenge behind the act. Being able to play a game and come out victorious over your friends. The old Alpha male complex! With the abolishment of hunting and jousting there are very few mediums left in which true challenge can be experienced. Gambling remains one of them.
With the plethora of websites on the Internet that cater to various forms of betting and gambles, it’s no wonder that people are drawn into gambling. Online gambling has made become increasingly competitive with each website offering people exciting and tempting offers. This draws people to such sites, and is extremely hard to resist. In fact, online poker and is the latest craze on the Internet.
In the end, perhaps the most recurring reason behind gambling is the need to make something out of nothing. People gamble because they see it as good chance to make some money out of a night’s fun. This is perhaps the most worrying of reasons. When one’s livelihood rests on the roll of a dice, the fun and act of the game can quickly get overshadowed by the depression that comes with frequent losses.
Whatever the reasons might be, we all gamble. And given the history of its resilient existence, I believe we will all still be gambling in some time to come.
Skyler
