Gambling everywhere

[flowerseverywhere]

How in the world did so much sports betting invade our lives? I was shocked when I saw ad after ad during a recent football. I realized it when a friend was talking how he won $2000 on a game and he is doing a huge amount of research on odds, players and so on.

then there is this gem. Profiting on Maduros capture.

https://www.upr.org/npr-news/2026-01...-on-polymarket

powerball mania.

Surely many people dabble in bingo, a few scratch offs and so on, but it seems quite risky for a world. full of social media, video game, alcohol, drug etc. addicts.

the Maduros betting seemed bizarre at the least.

[rosarugosa]

Wow! DH likes to buy the occasional Powerball and enjoys his scratch tickets (hey, it's his allowance to spend as he wishes), but that Polymarket thing is crazy!

[Klunick]

I have noticed the sudden surge of sports betting as well. My husband buys a Powerball ticket once a week even when the pay out is huge. He knows the odds are against him so why waste the money.

[bae]

I stick to betting on the VIX.

[happystuff]

I do occasional lottery tickets/scratch offs. I enjoy a good game of BINGO as well, but haven't been in decades (it's all about who you go with. LOL).

[iris lilies]

I do occasional lottery tickets/scratch offs. I enjoy a good game of BINGO as well, but haven't been in decades (it's all about who you go with. LOL).

I think bingo is boring, but probably because we played it year after year in our Iris society. This past year I put my foot down and said to the group “We are going to do something different.”

I made up an iris trivia game played with Jeopardy type categories where hard questions earned you more money. Everyone had a good time with that game and want to do it again next year.

[KayLR]

Then everyone acts shocked when an athlete or coach gets busted for betting. "Brought to you by Draft Kings."

[frugal-one]

I think bingo is boring, but probably because we played it year after year in our Iris society. This past year I put my foot down and said to the group “We are going to do something different.”

I made up an iris trivia game played with Jeopardy type categories where hard questions earned you more money. Everyone had a good time with that game and want to do it again next year.

Bingo here is very different. They play all kinds of things…z, flagpole, 2 bingos a card, x…never the same game and rarely regular bingo. Probably trying to engage the elderly minds?

[rosarugosa]

I've never played Bingo beyond the childhood version. I know some folks are pretty passionate about it.

[happystuff]

Bingo used to be one of the ways to "hang out with mom" way back when. Most of the places also had a variety of games like frugal-one mentioned.