Wagering on Football

There are a few things I've been doing since as long as I can remember; sleeping naked, picking my nose, playing video games and betting on football games.

I've been betting something on football games since the first time I watched a game. It started out with my step dad saying 'if the Viking's win, we can get dairy queen'. Of course he wanted Dairy Queen more than I did, so he only did that in games they were heavy favorites. But that parlayed into him explaining what the number next to the teams represented in the newspaper. Then we took it a step further, we'd each pick all the games every week, and the person who picked the most correct games, would win 5 bucks at the end of the year.

Soon that moved into me betting football cards and lunch money on all football games. In junior high I bet a friend on a Monday night football game that if team X won, he'd have to wear a Herschel Walker jersey to school the next day. Which doesn't sound all that bad, but Walker had been a huge bust for the Vikings and had moved on a few seasons before then. He actually gave me some money at lunch and said he couldn't handle wearing it the rest of the day.

I never used a bookie, but I did make small wagers with friends and during every trip to Vegas. But then came internet gambling. I had been a huge fan of online poker, but online sports books took it to the next level. I bet during every week in football and I have for probably 6 or 7 years. Do I have a problem you ask?

What constitutes a problem? I've always wagered within my means. I make enough money that I could bet 50-100 a game, but I actually only bet 15 a game unless I really like it than I'll go up to 50, but that only happens once or twice a year. Plus, I've been successful. Last year I lost 75, but the year prior I was pulled in 300. Since I've been an adult, I've never stolen for gambling money, nor have I spent Lucy's college money (even though I joke about it). It actually seems like one of my more reasonable hobbies. It is step above drinking German beer and way ahead of video games.