Quote (MADmartigan @ Oct 14 2025 05:35pm)

If you guys won $750 million from your state lottery. Would you take the large lump sum or spread out your winnings? For me personally I'd prefer a monthly payment spread out over several years and decades. Even if I don't live to see the end of it. So that the cash flow is always there but doesn't overwhelm me all at once. I'm worried I'd be like that guy, Terrance Watanabe, who went homeless and couldn't afford health insurance after losing over $200 million gambling at the Las Vegas casinos. He was estimated to have lost $127 million in just one year gambling at only two casinos.

He was a compulsive gambler. I'm a compulsive gambler. I wouldn't play the casino games though. I'm not into all that roulette and blackjack stuff. Slot machines bore me as well. I'm all about that 24-7 sports betting if given an opportunity to do so. I'm still frustrated that sports betting hasn't been legalized in Texas yet. But hopefully we'll see it cross the finish line in 2027. Sports betting should be legal in every state. With the state providing a safe and easy way to bet on sports both in person and on-line.

Here's the fascinating story of Terrance Watanabe. It's heartbreaking but also serves as a reminder of what gambling can cause.
Some people will say the casinos should've cut him off after a certain point. But that's like taking somebody's joy and away.
If you see a 400-pound man smiling and enjoying some Big Macs and Fries at McDonald's. It's cruel if McDonald's cuts him off right?
&
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvT-OS9g_7E

It's not even so much being a compulsive gambler. You think logically. You have good intentions. You simply get caught up in the excitement is all.
You feel alive mostly. Like your important. It's hard to describe. But this man inherited the wealth. If you find wealth overnight it's a new experience.

Quote (addone @ Oct 14 2025 03:15am)

Losers gonna lose. Gambling is designed for suckers to part with their money. You can be lucky but it always ends up in my pocket.

Quote (MADmartigan @ Oct 14 2025 10:30pm)

What do you mean it ends up in your pocket? LOL. You mean you specifically or the house?
I think most bad betting habits have to do with tilting. Always chasing what you had lost.

And before you know it you tilt yourself all the way to losing everything. I know from experience.
But it's even worse when you're a compulsive gambler or deal with OCD. You just can't help it.

I'm hoping though. If the state of Texas does finally legalize sports betting in 2027. And I get do it frequently and not just once or twice every other year when I vacation in Louisiana for the weekend. I'll be able to do so wisely and successfully. I think there's a chance I can do quite well if I take everything I've learned and apply it to my goals. A lot of it is simply controlling your emotions and not tilting. Easier said than done.

Quote (Diutinus @ Oct 14 2025 06:42am)

"don't make so many threads, but also don't have a conversation in your own thread" - what y'all sound like

Quote (MADmartigan @ Oct 14 2025 07:29pm)

Quote (Diutinus @ Oct 14 2025 07:31pm)

Totally forgot that one! Thank you

Seth Green is a powerhouse tbh

Quote (MADmartigan @ Oct 14 2025 07:38pm)

I was recently rewatching the original 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' series that ran from 1997 to 2003.
I'm trying to build up the hype again before the reboot series launches. But Seth Green is in it also!
He's not in many episodes or seasons but he plays a cool Werewolf named Oz. Just a fun character.

Quote (Diutinus @ Oct 13 2025 09:55pm)

Hey Hole!