Sunday, 23 January 2011

Take a punt


When times get tough, you can bet that gambling will step in to tempt us with better times ahead… if only my horse comes in first or my poker hand’s a winner. In Eire, Paddy Power has overtaken the Bank of Ireland to become the country’s eighth largest company. Gambling in the UK is a growing business, in particular online betting, never mind that it increases people’s isolation. But, whether gambling is done by bankers or punters, it amounts to the same thing. It’s gambling: only the size of the stake differs. For many, though, it ends in tears. Not that it’s always the people who do the betting who do the crying; most often it’s the poor bastard on the street who didn’t even have the pleasure of a flutter. It’s you and me.

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