I’ll bet you an iced latte that I can run a mile faster than you. I’ll bet you $10 that your favorite boxer is going to get knocked out in the sixth round on Saturday. And I’ll bet you a nice dinner that I’m going to listen to more minutes of music on Spotify than you this year!
Bets between friends are often silly and not always taken seriously. They’re just meant to be a bit of friendly competition; they shouldn’t have the power to destroy relationships. But when one man finally lost a bet to a friend who had lost dozens over the years, he was shocked to find out that he was expected to pay up. Below, you’ll find the full story that was recently posted on Reddit, as well as some of the replies readers shared.
This man’s friend has lost dozens of casual bets over the years
Image credits: Zinkevych_D / envato (not the actual photo)
But when he finally won one, he was suddenly serious about getting his payment
Image credits: Karolina Kaboompics / envato (not the actual photo)
Image credits: F0000r
Many people enjoy the thrill they get from betting and gambling
Personally, I don’t like making bets because I don’t like taking risks. I don’t enjoy the idea of being proven wrong or having to admit that I was wrong, so I try to err on the side of caution rather than trusting that I’m probably correct.
Some people, however, live for the thrill of making bets. Wagering on the weather or sporting events, playing poker with friends, making bets on when a colleague will finally quit or when the neighbor will finally give birth can be fun between friends.
Now, betting might not be exactly the same as gambling, but they have many similarities. And according to The Yale Ledger, some of the most common reasons why people gamble are for enjoyment, for excitement, to build camaraderie, to impress a crowd, to get “high roller treatment” or for the challenge.
And the vast majority of us can participate in behavior like this without it becoming a problem. In fact, 96% to 98% of gamblers are considered “healthy gamblers.” But unfortunately, gambling can become incredibly addictive for a small percentage of people.
Some of the reasons why individuals become pathological gamblers are to escape from the stresses of their lives, to have the illusion of control, to win money and to chase back previous losses.
The rise of online betting has made gambling much more accessible
When you imagine someone with a gambling addiction, you might be thinking of someone spending hours on end sitting in a casino, whittling away at their life savings. But there are many different ways this addiction can manifest. And with the rise of sports betting, more and more people have been bringing the risk of betting addiction to light as well.
Statista reports that there were about 19 million Americans making online sports bets in 2022, and since 2018, over 30 states have legalized online sports betting.
When it comes to the psychology of why these betting sites are so popular, Fast Company explains that humans are always on the lookout for novel experiences. And there’s excitement in not knowing how the bet will turn out, while also knowing there’s a potential reward waiting for us on the other side.
It’s possible that the friend in this story gets a similar thrill from making casual bets. Although he almost never wins them, he might be excited by the prospect of potentially winning money and getting to prove to a friend that he actually did know what he was talking about.
While the financial aspect of sports betting is what makes it risky, Fast Company notes that it’s also what draws many betters in. They might be watching these sporting events regardless of whether or not they had money on the line, but they’re likely going to be much more engaged in the viewing experience and invested in the outcome once they’ve made a bet.
Betting can become a compulsive, addictive behavior
One of the reasons why online betting apps are often criticized, however, is because they are too accessible. We can’t all drive to a casino every weekend, or even every month, when there’s not one nearby. But we all have cell phones, and having the opportunity to pull out your phone and make bets at any given moment can be dangerous for addicts.
In fact, NBC News reports that gambling addiction hotlines in the United States have seen a stark rise in calls as online sports betting has grown in popularity. In Ohio alone, calls to the Problem Gambling Network shot up 55% during 2023. And DraftKings, a popular online betting platform, gained 2 million average monthly paid users between the end of 2020 and the end of 2023.
While only about 1% of Americans actually meet the criteria for being diagnosed with a gambling addiction, it’s certainly not healthy to be compulsively making bets all the time. Perhaps it’s a good thing that the author of this story refuses to pay up, as it won’t encourage his friend to make more wagers in the future.
We would love to hear your thoughts on this situation in the comments below, pandas. How would you have handled losing a bet to this friend? Feel free to share, and then if you’d like to check out another Bored Panda article discussing betting, look no further than right here!
Later, the man provided some more background info
Readers were shocked by the friend’s immature reaction and shared suggestions for what the author should do next
