Sports betting does more harm than good.

I welcome you to my blog. Sports betting is one battle we have been in for ages in this part of the world. Despite how much damage this has caused, some people still see it as a hustle and a means to make money. The other day I was at a viewing center watching a football match when an argument erupted out of nowhere. A guy said sports betting was bad and should be completely avoided. Another guy then said sports betting is not as bad as people make it look and that it was a kind of empowerment to the youths.

I was amazed because of this guy's point of view of sports betting. How can someone believe that something that cannot only damage your finances but also your mental health is still considered such a thing as empowerment? Last time I checked, for anything to be considered an empowerment, it must have a 70-90 percent chance of changing your life for good, but trust me, when it comes to sports betting, it is the complete opposite; it has a 70-90 percent chance of ruining your life, your finances, your family, and even your friendships, but someone sees it as an empowerment, and for me, that only screams addiction.

Only someone who is addicted will even consider sports betting or gambling as an empowerment. Something where you have a slim chance at winning and a bigger chance at losing your money is what you see as empowerment. I have had firsthand experience with sports betting; it was not funny at all, and I did not wait to be told when to leave and quit for good. A friend introduced me to sports betting, telling me how it has made him so much money. Trust how eager and gullible we can be when it comes to making money, and I jumped on it.

I really cannot say how sports betting made him some money because all it brought to my doorstep were losses, and he kept saying things like, "If you keep betting, one day you will win, and consistency in things is the key to success." My question is, what if I lose all my money? All on the make, I want to stay consistent at sports betting. We all know life is a risk, and only those who take risks will win, but that really does not include sports betting; you will hardly win anything. With my experience with sports betting, I really did not see any good sides; I was always sad, it spoiled my day, and sometimes I took it out on people who did not even know my reason for acting the way I did, and it affected my friendships too.

There are so many downsides when it comes to sports betting, but I will be discussing a few:

Ruins friendships and relationships: I have seen people who got addicted to sports betting lose people who only had their best interest at heart all because these people tried to come in between them and sports betting, and instead of choosing the friendship or relationship, they chose betting.

Financial Ruins: Sports betting can take you from hero to zero; that is to say, it can ruin your finances completely. I have seen thriving businesses crash not because of mismanagement but because the boss was an addict and kept using both capital and profits to gamble, and the business came crashing down.

Mental and emotional stress: When you place a bet, your hopes are high because you want to win. Sometimes you go as far as imagining what you'd do with the money when you win, only for your high hopes to come crashing down. That way, you get to suffer both mental and emotional stress.

In all, sports betting and gambling are things that need to be avoided and not something one should indulge in.