Degenerate bastards! Despicable...

Pats giving 1. Welker starting. Goin' here with the Pats for 500. O/U 45. Goin' low for 250. Possible parley with Saints and Giants spread...

No one forces you to spend money like this. If you want to take the chance, that is your responsibility!

One vice I thankfully never acquired. I always remembered the remark attributed to mobster Meyer Lansky: "The only people who ever get rich gambling are the people running the games." I've only been to Atlantic City twice (once you get off the Boardwalk, it's one of the bleakest cities I've ever seen in my life). The first time was with my father in the late 80's; we took a bus down, and they gave us $20 back to gamble with. While my father knows how to play cards, I don't. Slot machines were the only thing I could see myself doing there. In about 20 minutes, my $20 had disappeared. As we stepped out onto the boardwalk, I remember thinking to myself, "Y'know, I might just as well have taken my $20 and thrown it out into the ocean." I went back a 2nd time a few years later to see if I had been too harsh in my initial impressions. I wasn't. I suppose if I had won something, I might be in trouble, but I've heard too many horror stories from people I know over the years to really want to go back to such a place and tempt fate. Of course, the problem goes way beyond Atlantic City or Vegas. One guy I worked with used to take his paycheck to neighborhood poker games in Brooklyn, and would often bet that week's rent money (this guy had a wife and several kids). Another guy I know is declaring bankruptcy; gambling is just one of the problems this guy has, but it's a substantial one. A friend's father used to work in his younger days for NJ mob boss Willie Moretti, and I heard stories of how he and his brother used to travel around Bergen and Passaic Counties beating guys up who owed Moretti money. In those days, an addiction to gambling wasn't viewed as a sickness; if you owed money to someone and didn't pay it, you were a "deadbeat" in need of a beating, not a poor soul in need of psychiatric help. The friend's father is elderly now, and I remember visiting him a few years ago on a Sunday afternoon, when all kinds of televised sporting events were on. He was watching the sporting events on his TV and flipping around from channel to channel, always stopping at a particular game, which he'd watch intently for a few seconds before moving on. I remarked to him, "I didn't realize you were such a sports fan. Are you trying to catch every game that's on?" He smiled slightly at my naivete, and said, "It's not the games. I could give a sh*t about the games. I'm trying to find out how much money I won or lost today." I guess some habits (or vices) really do die hard.

Taking a risk now and then ain't bad. Just don't go dipping into the life savings.

I have never gambled,Im much too frugal even to play the state lottery.I have seen this destroy  peoples lives and break up marriages. Just like any other potential addiction,some people just can't do anything in moderation. But I don't think gambling every now and again is a problem unless it becomes an obsession.

I myself don't gamble, and I will not condemn someone who does, but what shows an incredible lack of responsibility is when a person has a family and he/she gambles all their money away not caring at all what he/she has done. This is pathetic.

Everything within moderation.

Just like fishing trips money out of the kids mouths. Just joking about the fishing trip.

I always lose when I gamble

Depends.

Only destructive to compulsive gamblers!

You know, the worst thing about people who get addicted to gambling- they are actually smart people.

The occasional poker game can be fun, but I could care less about things like slot machines or horse races.

Bad vice, indeed, although I am a good poker player. I guess I don't consider poker gambling.

This isn't a habit, its a potential addiction.

If you gamble, you better have control of it or it will control you.

Panicked money is loser's money.

Wonder where the money went?

This is a disease, and there are in fact several kinds of doctors for this kind of thing

as long as you can afford it

I don't know if it's a bad habit, or an addiction, or if the two are the same thing. I don't see going to the track and wagering a few dollars per race once a month as a bad habit, although that infrequent would not qualify as a habit. Spending your cash day after day at the casino, poker room, or wherever gambling takes place is definetely a bad habit, and at that point it's become an addiction, and unless you're one of the rare few, it'll seep into all aspects of your life and take you down. Then there are always gambler anonymous meetings.

Nothing wrong with it if your winning.

If addicted this can ruin your life, but the casual gambler isn't a problem.

This guy seems to know his stuff on gambling! check him out he seems honest enougthv http://gamblingreviews.webeden.co.uk/

I have enjoyed a little bit of gambling myself and in moderation it is great fun. Although I have watched others become addicted almost imediatley and it ended up ruining their lives. I am voting 3 for ok, because I think it depends on your personality if it is good or not.

Gambling can be allright if you only spend just what you can afford and vow you will never allow it to take over your life. I have spent a couple dollars on lottery tickets when it is way up there { I mean literally only a couple dollars} Gambling becomes bad when that line is crossed and someone starts spending their paycheck to WINWINWIN!When someone can not pay their bills because of Gambling and family members are paying because of Gambling it is a big problem. Gambling at this level has been known to destroy lives and families. As long as someone knows when to stop and not let the Gambling get way of out hand it would not be so bad. I have even read on lottery tickets where it says If you are spending more than you can afford, You have a problem It also gives a number someone can call if they think they may be that person.

i have a friend who loves the slot machines.she won over $5000 a week ago but she returned to the casino twice more since then and put it all back in. but as long as she has fun and shes not destitute its her bad habit

Don't think gambling's that bad? Just ask Art Schlichter. Gambling destroyed his life

Gambling is like alchol its ok in moderation. If you are slightly obsesive cumpulsive stay away from any casino. Always set your self a limit keep your playing money in one pocket and your winnings in an other, if you have any in another. It can be fun but not if you put your self in debt or worse bankruptcy which can be easily done if you get carryed away. It is all about self control. Remember the old saying, Vegas was not built by winners.

this is not a bad habit unless you can do it responsibly. i will go to central city in denver with $100 on occasion and if i lose it all, i will not ask my friends for any more money.. but if i win a significant amount (way more than what i started with) then it is time for me to cash out and leave. it is a fun activity but don't get to where you have to pawn your car to support your habit and have to go to gambler's anonymous afterwards.

Terrible.

Depends how lucky you are

Agrees with irishgit....I think it starts out as being habitual...but then turns into a serious addiction that can ruin your financial future, and can even lead to the seperation of family and friends...a horrible addiction...

Compulsive and excessive gambling can be a bad habit. It can lead to financial ruin, family problems, lost jobs. From what I've learned people with a gambling problem will sell and do almost anything to gamble.

Gambling is a very dumb and easy way to blow your money. Most of the time what happens in casinos is that the gamblers get on a roll and they press their luck even further. Once they blow all their money they walk away. It's the biggest con act in the land!! That's how the casinos always make a profit at the end of the day. I believe that it could be a very bad habit because people get hooked on the thrill of the game, yet I also think that people have a right to blow their money however way they want. It's not healthy, but who's going to tell people how to blow their money? Oh well, people have a right to do dumb things.

If you have some money to burn and want to try gambling, instead of going to a casino, try the stock market. At least the odds are *on your side* --they are NOT at the casino. The casino always wins in the long haul.

The concepts behind slot machines, card games, etc. are solid, but the way they are executed are not. Instead of forcing people to throw away their hard-earned money on this and not good things (like DVDs, video games, fast food, etc.) is wrong. Perhaps a n-charge fee and then a reward like a prize. Then again, the entire concept should be fixed.

Gambling is one of the most fun,dangerous passtimes we have.I gamble from time to time,I like to go to the greyhound track and also play a few hands of blackjack.The important thing to remember is not to mix drinking and gambling,and to stick to a limit.

This has bankrupted many a family. Gamble enough times, and you're practically guaranteed to lose money.

Gambling isn't a habit. Gambling is a sickness. The "something for nothing" motivation is one of the most pukesome of the generally nauseating American ethos, and anyone who considers this a valid form of recreation and entertainment should march off to the headshrinker's office rather than the casino. It's really absurd that local and state governments are so dependent on this vice to raise revenues. I guess our so-called "leaders" think it's better to encourage people to flush their money down the toilet, to encourage irresponsibility, to encourage soul-destroying antics, than to raise taxes. Really retarded notion with which both sides of the political fence apparently have no problem.

Gambling is an addiction, ranking up there for me with drinking and drug use. So many families have been torn apart through this awful habit. People have lost homes and families because of this awful addiction... That makes me give it one star.

For some people this is as bad as alcoholism or drug abuse. I gamble and enjoy it a great deal, but I know when to quit. I have heard stories of people spending themselves into poverty because of their gambling problems, sad.

Wow...what a great thing. This is only good if you're are not "addicted" and wish to get rich quick. News Flash: GAMBLING IS FOR FUN, NOT TO GET RICH AS*HOLE. Understand that and have fun, bring a $20 bill and just have a great time.

As long as you, ahem, spend wisely and be smart, this can be a fun thing to do, or so I've heard. My grandparents go over to Louisiana every couple of months to gamble, and have a designated amount to spend, and once they run out, that is it. Unfortunately, when gambling becomes a habit, it can whipe you out real quick.

Gamblers are so annoying and boring. . .meet one gambler you've met them all. At least drunks and addicts are a little more varied in style.

Can be fun and smart is you know what you are doing. Unfortunately, there are people out there who can't control themselves and spend themselves right into debt.