My name is James Nelson and I play Lotto.
Not every draw you understand, never “Monday Millions” or EuroMillions, just your average common-or-garden Lotto on Wednesdays and Saturdays, including Lotto Plus.
Having stated the above, of course I am out of the country most of the year, and so only play when I am physically in the country. However I am pretty certain that were I in a ‘normal’ 9-5 job I would be part of a syndicate and would relish my twice-weekly bit of added excitement at the workplace.
And yes, this eejit uses the same numbers every draw – I know that’s bonkers – and yes I realise I will get the land of my life when I see those numbers on the TV screen the one week I’ve forgotten to do it.
How is it also that every time I tick off my numbers and get my receipt from the cashier, I am 200% convinced that the jackpot is as good as in my bank account, in my head my mortgage is fully paid off, I can visualise the self-funded orphanage in Kenya and the kids all going to University, and still have enough left over to spoil my family? I can totally see how the Lottery takes advantage of the poor, especially those with huge dreams. But it is still a choice.
In April I accompanied a friend into the local Bookies on her lunch-break. I had not been inside a Turf Accountant’s / Bookies for around 30 years when we used to enjoy a flutter on the gee-gees in the “Grand National”. Boy have those places been sexed-up since my day! As we stepped inside we were surrounded by huge flat-screen TVs, no horrid smoke-clouds of course, but I felt I was invading some sort of elitist club where no-one spoke and everyone appeared shifty. Risk-taking in every-day life is mostly to be encouraged, but is it actually wise to wager hard-earned cash on an event with an uncertain outcome? After all, you rarely see affluent people emerging from bookies, apart from of course the owner. Remember, nine times out of ten the bookie wins.
So perhaps my twice-weekly Lotto flutter with its one in eight million chance of winning the jackpot is also not to be encouraged. Or is it kinda harmless? The National Lottery is a huge source of revenue for the government, the country, and many charities, and it creates employment and spending. But perhaps it would be better to channel the money to help fund and improve only worthy pursuits, as well as of course helping those less fortunate than ourselves.
And at what point does my twice-weekly harmless wee flutter develop into fully-fledged ludomania, and morph itself into that irresistible urge to gamble despite all the harmful negative consequences? As with other addictions the risks are the rush and escapism which can then lead to withdrawal, denial, lying, hiding, risking personal relationships, changing priorities, worsening health, and physical, social and psychological effects. Rewards are the buzz, the thrill of the game, escape from the mundane daily routine, and the highly remote possibility of financial gain.
One could argue that bingo is a little like the ‘Lotto’ ( as he attempts to further justify his gambling addiction) with an obvious added social aspect, and the fact that it keeps elderly minds active.
I have always had a big problem with casinos, even though at times I perform there. I find it difficult to watch thousands of people sitting on stools with their credit cards plugged into slot machines, knowing that the only break they take is to partake in the ‘all-you-can-eat-buffet’, knowing that there are no clocks, no windows, and that air is pumped in intermittently in order to keep those grey-faced gamblers awake.
In times of austerity, online gambling in the privacy of one’s own home scares me perhaps the most. All you need is a tablet / IPad / Smartphone and a Broadband connection, and away you go.
And then of course gambling crosses the line at times with cases such as Oscar Pistorius and OJ. “Did he / didn’t he?” Surely when a human being has been murdered, there ought to be a line?
Do you know, I think I’ve learned something today? No more Lotto for me. I’m switching to Scratch-cards.
