Jan 15 2012
The Racing Horse And Its Gamblers; The Cash And Excitement
Few would gainsay that betting is deep-rooted in UK life, a passion pursued at every level of society from the bingo hall to the bridge parlour however naturally, particularly connected with horse racing. Nonetheless, notwithstanding, or perhaps because of its extensive nature, gambling has its critics. It is frequently attacked as a needless evil, as an immoral and pointless activity seducing its protagonists into unjustifiable inclusion and tantalizing them into crime and corruption. Frankly the comparatively tax—free rewards of betting have attracted a criminal part, and undoubtedly addiction to the level of Dostoevsky’s ‘hero ‘, masochistically losing his cash, his outlays a preface to orgasm, is a clear manifestation of illness.
Most gamblers nonetheless , are a long way from being social deviants. The overt concept behind betting on horses is to earn money, however aside from those owners, trainers, and jockeys in the know, and an elect group (though one hesitates to utilise the collectivity with such highly individualistic men) of professional gamblers, most backers cannot hope even for a steady earnings and certainly not for a fortune. Many of them do not have the resources to finance the massive outlays which huge winnings require.
Furthermore, to be successful in the long run the hacker wishes to know form, genealogy, and probability theory; the bookmaker merely has to hang about for the punters ‘ mistakes. Over a period most gamblers lose; they know they lose; yet they continue to bet. What they are seeking is the occasional windfall, the finance for a spree be it in the saloon or mall. In reality for them gambling is a wasteful but exciting alternative choice to saving.
Indeed, excitement is maybe the genuine inducement for most gamblers. Win or lose, gamblers get ‘a considerable amount of excitement. And a diversion from the cares and concerns of daily life’. Betting has a crucial temporal aspect, the delay between making a bet and knowing the result. The result is that on the racecourse ’some of the most stimulating moments in a man’s life. Are those which pass between the time when the horses have flashed by the post and when the winner’s number is hoisted ‘, and off the course the tension can be extended till the press rush out the early editions.
For many , betting is a chance to brighten their lives; taking an opportunity destroys routine be it the daily grind of the factory operative, the unending unrewarded tasks of the housewife, or the boredom of the leisured classes, encircled by the needs of the social calendar. Maybe for the rich betting is a sort of wasteful consumption, a way of putting their wealth in evidence. For the poor betting is, in the words of George Orwell, ‘the least expensive of luxuries’: an outlay of 10 new pence or maybe less gives them a chance to beat the system; for a second they may be able to try and control their destiny. And make no bones about it, betting on horses has more to do with ability than luck. Though they use imperfect info, most backers make a real psychological effort, selecting their decisions by a calculated application of rational standards. Eventually, betting also performs a social function in providing an open sesame to certain sub—cultures: ‘What won the 3.30? ‘ is a safe conversational gambit in any working-class bar. In such cultures the ability to pick winners brings social recognition, and the eagerness to share horse racing systems particularly the hot tip direct from the stable through dubious friends of friends, serves to cement relationships. Obviously gambling has its positive side and is not merely the unreliable, anti-social activity, caricatured and condemned by the anti—gambllng brigade.
Harriet Harman is a betting fan and reporter on horse betting systems, including popular manuals and software like Cash Master.
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