Week 7: A Bettor's Perspective, Not Necessarily a "Better" Perspective

 Here we go, Week 7 of my project is underway, and I cannot be more excited! This week was another informative and interesting one, as I strengthened my point of view on the topic of sports betting. As a bettor myself, I was able to broaden my perspective by researching other bettors and what it is like for them.

For the purpose of this blog post, I wanted to investigate a fellow sports bettor’s point of view. I chose to read and analyze the life of the father, David Owens, who wrote an article (2020) about how online gambling “ruined his life”. It all started with $88 in free bets, and that’s how he got hooked. This led to a downward spiral of debt and unhappiness for Owens. It became his “guilty secret”: an addiction that he kept hidden from all other, including his children and wife. After three years of this gambling behaviour spiralling out of control and Owens spending most his time isolated and devastated, he finally decided to change. It became so bad that he started sending himself emails begging himself to stop gambling! He finally gave it up, and is now much happier. He understands how fortunate he is to have gained his life back, since many people never actually do after a gambling addiction.

It is crucial that I teach my students the dangers of gambling and the low likelihood of actually ever winning. Stories like this help to facilitate this understanding in children and youth. of course, mathematics and statistics also illustrates how low one’s chances of winning actually are!

One issue that I could foresee when teaching a lesson like this in my classroom is that it could trigger certain student’s emotions. For instance, a student may have a father, or another family member, who has experienced similar gambling consequences. It is imperative that I, as the teacher, always consider the audience to whom I am teaching, and always keep conversations positive and ensure a welcoming and light learning environment.

For my next Genius Hour, I will be learning about the other side – the bookmaker’s perspective!

References

Owens, D. (2020). ‘I was existing, not living’ Dad reveals how online gambling ruined his life. Surrey Live. 'I was existing, not living' Dad reveals how online gambling ruined his life - Surrey Live (getsurrey.co.uk)