Quote:
Originally Posted by TomG
So we agree at the micro-level pro sports betting provides zero (likely negative) societal value.
I wouldn't agree. At the micro-level, it is Robinhood style wealth redistribution. But it actually goes further than that, when you consider that the heads of these books aren't just filthy rich, but they're also scumbags that pose a threat to western civilisation as we know it. In the case of the Latin American books it is simple: they're inherently pernicious, as Latin America was a mistake and nothing good has ever come out of their society. Thus, any money getting taken out of Pinny, CRIS, BOL, and whatever other scum LA books can be considered a win.
Next, we have the Euro books. We know that many of them are scum as well. Bet365 and the Coates family have been donating to Labour for years, so we see they are actively trying to undermine western civilisation, and they do not even try to hide it. Again, the less money going their way, the better. Not to mention that Denise is the anti-christ and second coming of Hitler.
Intertops, another Euro site based out of Germany -- I don't know much about their ownership but I have on occasion been in touch with a rep named Muhammad so you may draw your own conclusions about their company values and their desired future for Germany. I think we can all agree, the less money going into such socially irresponsible businesses, the better.
Now, that transfer of wealth out of evil hands only benefits society if it is transferred into better hands. There is the occasional ****-up, like rito, who just coughs up the money right back into Latin American hands, but people like Poogs, and myself, I'd like to think, put the money towards bettering society. We support young and beautiful women, we improve neighbourhoods, we do not buy from companies like Nike who want to tear down the fabric of civilisation. We are an inspiration to those around us, that things are not so bad as they appear. When you increase the budget of informed citizens, you empower not only their lives, but the lives of those around them.
No, we can never compete with the Soros' of the world. Call it a drop in a huge bucket if you want. But if there are a few hundred pro sports bettors scattered around the world, living a high quality of life, distributing funds to better places, they are the change that we would all like to see. It has to start somewhere. And this current crop of pros has been around only 10-20 years. Who knows what the future holds. Maybe some day, me and Arby will make a meaningful contribution towards curbing African birth rates and saving the black-footed cat. Maybe rsigley will go full Uncle Ted, mail a bomb to Mutti, put her out of her misery and stop the destruction of Europe. It is too early to say what the future holds. But I can tell you with certainty, that I'd rather that money be in Poogs, Arby's, or sigley's wallet, than in Sean Creighton's (RIP). No doubt about that one.