Category: rant

Sports Betting: Entertainment or Addiction?

online betting
~ Loreeebee ~ Leave a comment

Is anyone else concerned about the deluge of ads for online sports betting on TV? It seems everyone is promoting this form of entertainment, in the form of online gambling, including athletic superstars like Auston Matthews, Wayne Gretsky, Cristiano Ronaldo, Usain Bolt, Charles Barkley, Michael Jordan, and other famous faces. Notice though that these famous faces can afford to lose a thousand bucks here and there:

  • Jaromir Jagr ran up a bill of $500,000 with an online sportsbook before repaying his debt and quitting
  • Charles Barkley admits to losing $30M in blackjack and sports betting before realizing he had a problem
  • Ashton Kutcher revealed to Esquire magazine that raking in $750,000 in four weeks of college football was his reality.
  • Floyd Mayweather Jr likes to tweet about his bets:
sports betting

In my (humble) opinion, these guys have more money than brains. I worry more about the average Joes’ though. No one ever mentions what they lose, just brag about the thrill of their winnings. And, I’m willing to bet (pun intended) that their losses are much larger than they admit to.

The Risks Involved

Online betting or sports betting (AKA gambling), is an addiction. These betting sites can be like most things that are bad for you, moderation is the key. Of course, the risk to online betters depends on how responsible they are with their money. And, how educated (AKA the potential losses) they are on the process. The ads are catchy and glamourous though:

  • Unibet Ontario Sports Betting: Bet Anytime, Anywhere
  • Bet 365, the World’s Favourite: Bet on a Wide Range of Sports
  • No Sweat First Bet: New Customers in Ontario get up to $1000 back if their first bet doesn’t win

Dr Phil recently hosted an episode featuring several guests, some supporting responsible sports betting and others claiming it to be a dopamine-producing, (that feel-good, pleasure-inducing hormone everyone loves) dangerous addiction. Called “For the Love of the Game” it was very interesting and worth watching/reading. As Dr Phil says “the chances of winning a bet are similar to flipping a coin”

Are Gambling Winnings Taxable?

Tax experts from Rosen Kirshen say:

Sports betting has recently been legalized in Ontario, but does that mean it’s taxable too? Because of the more random nature of sports betting, it is generally unlikely that income from sports betting is taxable. However, the rare people that can consistently “beat the spread” (predict the right outcomes for sports events) may be taxable depending on the same aforementioned factors of skill, intention, and expectation of profit.

Rosen Kirshen

On the flip side, the states and provinces that “regulate” and support this growing addiction are raking in the dollars. Sports betting or online casinos are very lucrative for the government. They get the spoils that others lose, without the risk. Somehow that sounds predatory (slimy) to me.

Was Sports Betting Spawned by the Pandemic?

Did lockdowns dictated by the Covid pandemic fuel the fire increasing the popularity of online sports betting? The timing of all the ads sure is suspicious to me. Apparently, Alberta made it legal in September 2020, while Ontario followed suit in April, 2022. Coincidence? I think not.

The Buzzer, CBC’s sports newsletter, explains the legalities:

Bill C-218 changed that, removing the federal ban on sports betting and paving the path for more types of gambling to be allowed, like futures (e.g. a Stanley Cup bet placed at the beginning of the season) and single-game betting (e.g. the Leafs to beat the Lightning tonight).

Ontario is the first province to launch its regulated sports betting program, with multiple sportsbooks officially opening for business today. With a population of around 14.57 million people, Ontario is expected to generate $800 million in gross revenue from sports betting this year — hardly a gamble for the provincial government.

The U.S. passed a similar bill in 2018, and 30 states now host legal sports betting.

The Buzzer

I’m willing to bet that online shopping also increased significantly in 2020 and ’21 when people were forced to stay at home. Then in 2022 many were so used to staying home, they continued to take advantage of the convenience.

Know the Risk

I admit to being enamoured with and reliant on Amazon too that first Christmas, but call me old fashioned, the online sports betting worries me.

The only TV ad I’ve seen that even mentions the risk involved is from the Canadian Responsible Gambling Council promoted by Andre DeGrasse advising you know the risks of gambling before imbibing.

The bottom line? You cannot “research” hypothetical situations, so no matter how convinced you are that you possess a special skill or ability to predict things that have not yet happened, it’s not theoretically possible.

Maybe it’s just the mother in me.

Gray Hair: Sexy on Men, Old on Women?

gray hair
~ Loreeebee ~ 6 Comments

I want to know why gray hair on men is considered distinguished, even sexy, but on women it’s aging. “Letting herself go” is the term used when one decides to quit fighting reality by embracing their gray hair. At least for women. Men, on the other hand, are said to “rock” their gray hair.

Popular and Dashing Gray-Haired Men

George Clooney comes to mind as a popular movie star that recently (within the past few years) has let gray hair take over. He was always good-looking (to me) in that tall, dark, and handsome way. But lately, everyone seems to be swooning over his new, gray look.

gray hair

Anderson Cooper, another household name, turned gray prematurely (like me) but has been recognized, even celebrated for his “natural” look for years. Decades even. So much so that he has earned the nickname of the silver fox.

Anderson Cooper

Gray Haired Women Over the Hill?

Closer to (my) home, Lisa Laflamme, on the other hand, was recently released (in her words blind-sided) from her long-time news anchor position with CTV. Why? Rumour has it because she made the decision to let her gray hair grow out after the pandemic. Fans were outraged but Bell Media denied the (obvious) allegations:

the termination of Lisa LaFlamme’s contract had nothing to do with age, gender or grey hair,”

Bell Media

No one is buying it. Even Wendy’s Canadian franchises stepped up to show their support by replacing their mascot’s iconic red pigtails with gray ones and taking to Twitter in Lisa’s defense:

This month Andie MacDowell was celebrated for embracing her gray hair during Paris Fashion Week. She too decided to let her gray hair come in during the pandemic. Perhaps Hollywood and Paris have it right.

gray hair

It sounds to me like MacDowell speaks the truth:

“As we age, we deserve dignity and pride. We deserve to feel glorious! I’ve always said there’s no expiration date on beauty.”

Andie MacDowell

Conclusions

Why the difference in perception? Talk about sexist, archaic, and blatantly obvious. Why are women like MacDowell and Laflamme forced to advocate for the right to age gracefully? Men have done it for ages.

In general, it seems that women reporters are “put out to pasture” so to speak as soon as they start looking tired, old, heavy, etc compared to the younger, fresh-faced, airbrushed girls that are new on the scene. Men, on the other hand, seem to get more air time (and respect) as they advance in age. We see it all the time.

I’d like to see statistics on the number of over forty-year-old TV reporters, women vs men.

Leashes for Cats, Should they be Mandatory?

leashes for cats
~ Loreeebee ~ 2 Comments

I vote yes, leashes for cats should be mandatory. Why are dogs not permitted to roam at will through neighbourhoods but cats are?

Last night we came home from a stressful day at the cottage spent cleaning up our property from the storm damage. We also spied a black cat prowling around at the side of our house. It took off when my husband chased it away. Why did he chase it away? Because last year he watched the same black cat kill a baby bunny in our (private) backyard. This morning, we discovered a dead chipmunk on our back deck. Coincidence? I think not! We’ve seen a few baby bunnies in our yard recently, so we’re hoping the cat did not get them too.

As you can probably tell, it annoys me to no end when I see cats in my yard. I believe it is irresponsible of cat owners to let their cats roam indiscriminately. Our backyard is an oasis for birds, rabbits, chipmunks and the like, so cats are not welcome. Our backyard, our choice, right?

I have a good reason for this opinion, besides the fact that cats prey on small animals just to torment and kill them for their amusement. I am not amused.

Cats and Toxoplasmosis

Years ago I suffered three stillbirths. We were told the most likely cause was toxoplasmosis contracted from cat feces. Well, we have never owned a cat. But, several cats used our front garden as a litter box back then as it was hot and dry, sandy soil. When we first moved into our home, this south-facing garden was newly planted, so cats could access the soil easily. We’ve since covered that area with a veranda and moved the garden out from the overhang of the house so it gets more moisture.

Toxoplasmosis is a disease caused by the single-celled parasite Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii). It is one of the most common parasitic diseases and infects nearly all warm-blooded animals, including pets and humans. Although cats are a necessary part of the life cycle of T. gondii, the parasite rarely causes clinical disease in them. While T. gondii seldomly causes significant symptoms in healthy adults either (see below for exceptions), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recently identified toxoplasmosis as one of five neglected parasitic infections of people due to its high prevalence. 

Cornell Feline Health Center

Toxoplasmosis is a common infection that is usually harmless. But if you get toxoplasmosis for the first time while you’re pregnant, or a few months before you conceive, there’s a small risk the infection could cause:

miscarriage

stillbirth

birth defects or problems after the baby is born – this is very rare

NHS

Outdoor Cats

I belong to a neighbourhood Facebook group where posts often discuss missing or found cats. There also seems to be a large presence of “lost cat” signs pasted on any flat surface on our streets. Am I the only one that finds it hard to believe people let their cats wander around the neighbourhood, especially with the steady increase of coyote and fisher sightings in our neighbourhood? Perhaps if cat owners didn’t let their cats roam, these wild animals would stick to the wooded areas. Instead, they are enticed by a buffet-like selection of victims.

Leashes for Cats

Are leashes the answer? They certainly would be a start. If you want your cat to walk through the neighbourhood, take it for a walk on a leash. Just like the dog owners do.

And, while you’re at it, take along a bag to scoop up their poop.

photo credit