Nobody bets on football matches expecting to lose. Nope, you open the Sportybet app on your phone, thinking you'll be the next big winner. You look over the odds, place some bets on your favorite teams, and wait for the games to finish. Your goal? To win thousands of Naira. And yet, like the millions who've gambled on matches before you, it never clicks that bookies don't make profits from winners, but from the LOSERS.
What's worse is that these losers are always hopeful. Going back to the app every time to play with hope again. But the bookies are even wiser. They want you to lose your money, but they don't want you to lose hope.
Here's the catch: Your brain, capable of working for you, can also work against you.
How? You see, when you bet and lose money, your brain looks for ways for you to make the money back.
It's like when you lose a game to someone, you will do everything in your capacity to beat them back.
The brains always seek revenge. But the more you seek revenge against those bookies, the more you are likely to lose.
That's not all...
The brain is never satisfied. Remember Oliver Twist who always asks for more? That's the brain.
When you bet your money and, by luck, you win. The brain floods your system with dopamine AKA a feel-good chemical.
Now you want to win more. You want to feel good again. This innocent feeling makes you bring out your debit card and credit the account of these bookies.
Then when you lose, the cycle starts again. When you win, you want to win more. When you lose, you want to make your money back.
The grip of gambling tightens on you. You borrow money, use school fees, house rent, and some even go as far as possible to steal just so they can gamble.
The vicious cycle continues, sinking its claws deeper into your psyche. Your brain tricks you into thinking your big win is just around the corner. But the house always wins in the end.
So before you open that betting app again, pause and think - is this a game you can win? Or are the odds systematically stacked against you? Don't let the bookies manipulate your mind and money any longer. The ONLY way to stop losing is to walk away. Your hope lies not in the next bet, but in freeing yourself from the grip of gambling for good.
The road ahead may be difficult, but reclaiming your life is the only sure bet.
Credit: Techvenge.net @Techvenge via Nairaland
