Do you know anyone who has ruined their life by gambling? I don’t know anyone. I haven’t ruined my life though I lost one hundred thousand yen on boat racing last year. The year-end jumbo lottery is advertised on TV, saying “do you want to become a billionaire?” Is spending one hundred thousand yen on it compulsive? I don’t think it is worth it.
The boat racing is organized by local governments. In the boat racing, you just have to pick a trifecta from six boats, so the odds of winning are 1 in 120. The easier the prediction, the smaller the payout. Even if you pour the money you have earned from working into it, the boat racers and the organizers will get rich, but you will just end up poorer.
About 100 boat races are held every day. From those, I select a few races where Boat No. 1 is most likely to finish first, and I choose the second and third-place finishers based on past performance. This usually results in about six different betting combinations. I buy my tickets online at 8:00 a.m. and check the results in the evening. Until then, I work hard and don’t watch the races live online or check the pre-race practice runs. I promise.
I read an article about compulsive gambling on the Mayo Clinic website. It says “gambling can stimulate the brain’s reward system much like drugs or alcohol can, leading to addiction.” I have never felt my brain being stimulated by boat racing. It also says “being highly competitive, a workaholic, impulsive, restless or easily bored may increase your risk of compulsive gambling.” I have such personality characteristics. It may be why I can’t quit.
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