GAMBLING ADDICTION AMONG ATHLETES: WHY ARE THEY SUSCEPTIBLE?

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Gambling addiction is a significant issue in the 21st century. Even though less than 1% of people get addicted to gambling, the consequences of this particular addiction can be quite nasty. This especially concerns many athletes or people who are, in one way or another, connected with adrenaline. Even though casinos are good places for those who need profit and entertainment, you always need to exercise caution. At least you have to find the safety first and the easiest platform with proper bonuses and fair math. It is also something that other athletes should do. Nevertheless, today we will discuss gambling addiction among athletes and why it is more common than among others.

Choosing the Best Casino

The first thing we will discuss is how to choose the best casino in order to avoid negative consequences associated with illegal businesses. First and foremost, you have to find a licensed and legal platform. This legality is crucial not only due to legal purposes. It will allow you to enjoy your experience and get the money you win. Otherwise, there are no guarantees that your chosen casino will return your deposit or the payout. Besides, professional gamblers prefer the no deposit bonus Canada since there you can get started with free spins and nice bonuses before depositing your own money. After all, gambling is both about profit and fun. If you choose the best online casino, you will maximize your experience as much as possible. 

Adrenaline

One of the first reasons why so many athletes are addicted to gambling is adrenaline. Athletes always reach for adrenaline when the opportunity arises. The explanation is relatively simple. They get adrenaline every time they compete or even practice their craft. This is where the adrenaline junkies also appear. If they taste adrenaline at least once, they will want to get it more and more often. It’s not only their fault but a normal body reaction that some people can develop. Therefore, gambling addiction is easily connected with adrenaline. Online casinos also provide a dose of this particular chemical and make acids feel like they are competing. 

Rewards

Even though human beings are highly intelligent, we still have certain natural craves and instincts among most species. Among such instincts is our reaction to praise and reward. It is always gratifying to be rewarded for what you do; athletes know this better than anyone else. They get medals and diplomas for competing and would want the same from their life. Since not everywhere you can get proper rewards, some athletes reach for online casinos to get money and satisfy their need for external rewards. 

Besides, gambling is also associated with profit. Not all athletes are paid greatly for what they do. Therefore, they need a secondary source of profit to support them. Here is where they try to get into the cryptocurrency market or gamble for profit. It is one of the best ways to satisfy the need for money and entertainment. Additionally, you can gamble practically anywhere, depending on the laws. So even if you are traveling almost every day, you can still spare a couple of minutes to enjoy your favorite slot machine. Therefore, gambling is also convenient. 

Critical Thinking and Challenges

Everyone loves a good challenge. This is especially true for athletes who always take on a new challenge when they overcome a previous one. Since our everyday lives are not as rich when it comes to different challenges, athletes go somewhere else to find the possibility to see that they still got it. It does feel good when you win something or overcome a particular obstacle. Not to mention that for some athletes, gambling can actually be a mental exercise. It helps you develop critical thinking and be quick on your feet. Obviously, you should still gamble responsibly. 

Final Thoughts

In short, sports usually are tightly connected with gambling. Here we are talking about sports betting and the different benefits that come directly with gambling and the overall gambling addiction. Since many athletes get an adrenaline rush from their sports, they normally try to find it somewhere else, sometimes when gambling. Moreover, gambling is also associated with external rewards that many athletes who compete thoroughly enjoy. Overall, gambling remains one of the best additions to the life of athletes when they are not competing or actively practicing. That being said, gambling should always be done with much responsibility. After all, gambling addiction can be dangerous. 

Mila Roy

Mila Roy is a highly professional and experienced writer who knows something about sports and gambling. She is absolutely fascinated by various sports, including soccer, baseball, and golf. You can find her searching for new and exciting gambling games and delivering the newest information to our readers in her free time.

BIGGEST PRO ATHLETE WINNINGS AT THE CASINOS

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Sports is one of the most rewarding industries in America, so Athletes are often high earners. But the high salaries have not stopped them from trying to earn more through gambling. Some notable gambling athletes are also among the highest earners in their field. 

The news about gambling athletes often involves their rising gambling debts. We rarely get reports of how these athletes got lucky and went home with larger payouts than their salaries. This does not mean it doesn’t happen. Punters tend to lose more than they win, but it does not mean they don’t have lucky days. Let’s take a look at the highest casino winnings by professional athletes.

Where Do Professional Athletes Gamble?

Athletes have similar recognition to media celebrities, influencers and politicians. This makes it hard to imagine them enjoying regular activities like everyone else. However, even the most influential athletes gamble in the same places as their fans. They use two popular gambling options:

  • Land Based Casinos
  • Online Casinos

Land-Based Casinos

These are traditional gambling establishments with defined locations. These casinos are available in most states, but Las Vegas, Nevada, has become the gambling center of the United States. While several athletes and celebrities have racked up debts indulging in Las Vegas’ luxuries, others have built their fortune in Sin City.

In some cases, the Land-based casino might be an exclusive club. Unlike popular expectations, exclusive clubs are not always secret locations for debauchery. They are similar to regular clubs but allow athletes and celebrities to gamble without prying public eyes. 

Online Casinos

Online casinos are web-based casinos. They include websites that fulfill the punters’ gambling needs. These gambling sites provide optimum gaming experiences by offering extensive game selections. While they maintain the regular casino gaming options, Online casinos have larger gaming lobbies than most land-based casinos. What’s more, toppcasinonorge.com covers adequate reviews of the best online casinos based on their customer requirements, like their casino bonuses and gaming collections. The game collections often include countless slot games, table games, and live dealer options. 

Pro athletes also select online casinos for their security. The need to avoid public scrutiny has reduced celebrity presence in land-based casinos in favor of online casinos. Some gambling sites allow their patrons to play without providing personal information. Most players use muchbetter casino as their secure payment option because it allows for seamless and safe transactions.

The Biggest Casino Wins By Professional Athletes 

Athletes are stellar examples of regular individuals that achieved big things. They also provide quality examples of how high we can earn from gamble. And how not to gamble. Let’s explore three professional athletes that won big while gambling:

Floyd Mayweather Jnr.

Floyd Mayweather was a multimillionaire when he retired in 2017,  but he did not give up on making money. The world boxing champion started to dabble in other things like NASCAR, fashion, and gambling.

Mayweather had been gambling before he retired from boxing. He even racked up considerably large debts, but Floyd “Money” Mayweather always pays his debt. We may never know how much Mayweather has lost to gambling. Even his winnings are pretty elusive.

Mayweather won over $10 million from sports betting between 2016 and 2018. He also won over $100,000 from placing Poker bets at Duke’s in 2018. Mayweather’s betting gains are nothing compared to his losses, but he is still one of the wealthiest athletes in America.

Michael Jordan

Photo source: Unsplash

Michael Jordan’s gambling addiction is a well-known secret. The NBA legend spends several dollars on odd gambles, including golf shots. Some reports claim that Michael Jordan bets up to $300,000 on golf shots and even higher on NBA games.

Besides his devotion to sports betting, Michael Jordan loves table games and Blackjack. The two-time Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame star bets up to $20,000 on each Blackjack round. But he has also won up to $1 million in the same game.

Charles Barkley

11-time NBA All-Star Charles Barkley broke the news when he claimed to have lost over $2.5 million within 6 hours while gambling. His debt history and struggle with gambling addiction resulted in over $30 million loss. 

Despite gambling challenges, Charles Barkley made some impressive wins in the game. He once won over $700,000 in a single game. Although he soon lost the entire money during the weekend. 

Conclusion

Most Pro athletes are sitting on huge fortunes from their sports. They can afford to make huge gambling commitments and come out unscath. Most of us don’t have that soft landing option. Gambling offers exciting options but it is best to recognize your limit. May the odds be in your favor. 

Author’s Bio 

Mila Roy is a respected Content Strategist. Her job is to evaluate casino sites and recommend operators with the best promotions to Canadian players. Additionally, she gives other advice regarding gambling in general. Aside from her job, one of her greatest passions is cooking. 

GETTING STARTED WITH MLB BETTING

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Sports betting is a hugely popular pastime that goes hand-in-hand with some of the larger leagues, so there is no surprise in the rising interest there seems to be in betting on MLB. 

Just like American football, betting on MLB games is relatively simple to get to grips with, even if you are just getting into either sports betting or basketball as a sport itself!

We have put together plenty of tips for placing a bet, information about odds, and all of the basic bet types.So, let’s get started with the basics of betting on Major League Baseball! 

Betting on the Spread or Run Line 

When you bet on the spread in baseball, what you are essentially wagering on is the outcome of the winning team. Not this alone, however, but also by the number of runs that the victorious team is ahead by at the end of the game when the whistle blows. 

You will be shown the number of runs required for your bet to come in (i.e. the number of wins your selected team needs to win by) in the odds for any given bet that you place. You will also be told how much you need to bet in order to receive $100 if your bet comes in. 

Betting on the Moneyline

Whichever sport you are betting on, choosing to bet on the moneyline is one of the easiest bets you can make. This is because you are simply wagering on which team will win overall. 

No points, no totals, no overs or unders (we will go into more on this in a moment), just the team that emerges victorious at the end of the match. Get it right and you will get a return. 

However, your return will vary depending on the odds given for your moneyline bet. Next to both teams you will see a minus figure that indicates how much you will need to bet in order to win $100 as a return if your bet comes in, so you can choose which teams’ odds you like.  

Betting on the Overs/Unders 

Betting on the overs/unders is a classic type of sports bet, and it is one that works very well when you are betting on MLB as there is a lot of potential for multiple points to be scored. 

It is also a great option if you have a gut feeling that there will be either lots of or not very many points scored, but if you are not sure which team will be the one to win or lose it. 

When you bet on the overs or unders, you are basically betting that the total number of points that have been made by the end of the game, from both teams combined, will be more or less than a specified total that was set by the bookies you placed a bet with.

Baseball Prop Bets

Prop bets are also available for certain MLB games, but it will depend on the bookies or online website you are using and the game you are trying to place your bets on. 

These types of bets can depend on various aspects of the game, such as whether or not it will end up going to extra innings or if a certain player will perform well or poorly. You can also choose to bet on things like which team will score first and individual point-scoring. 

This is a great way to increase the return that you will get from your bet should it be successful, but this is due to the fact that there is less chance of each selection being correct. Unless every single selection of the bet comes in, you will not receive a return. 

So, despite having a higher reward, there is also a higher risk factor associated with this bet.

Final Thoughts 

So, there you have it! All the basics that any beginner would need to know about how to start betting on the MLB. We hope that you have found this article useful and we wish you every success with your future bets! Just remember that the most important thing is to have fun. 

 

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