Should kids bet on the Cup?

Darren says:

12:17pm | 03/11/09

OK - so i might be a wowser - but - I have never had a bet/sweep etc on the Cup - I find horse racing a particularly creul activity and believe that if (when) a horse dies (or is just put down)  in a race the jockey/owners/trainer/and all who have bet on it should also be put down - they are all willing to profit from the horse - why not pay the same price as the horse -
as a 10 year old i reported my teacher to the education dept for making us listen to this national ‘waste of time’

stephen says:

12:32pm | 03/11/09

Nah, not this year Jayne. All the littl’un’s'd be puttin’ there pocket-money on Alcopop. (And not at the pub either.)

Frank says:

12:45pm | 03/11/09

Wow darren, i bet you have lots of friends. reporting them to the govt every time they do something fun for you.
as for it being cruel, that the hell, its a horse, its job in nature is to RUN places. thats what horses do all day long.

as for the article, get over it, these parents are just allowing there kids to have a bit of fun and play grown ups, it does not do any harm at all, they wont all get in some viscous cycle and ruin the country. its 10$ on a horse once a year. its no different from a dad letting his son have a sip of beer or something when they are watching the rugby. its harmless grow a spine and get over it.

but yes we should ban this race, because some people who dont have the self control to walk away from a gambling machine might be affected buy it, screw the rest of the country that has a big enough brain to realise that you might lose every now and again. we should just wrap every single dam thing up in cotton wool shouldn’t we.

Mike says:

12:52pm | 03/11/09

It’s the Melbourne Cup! A 149 year old tradition that’s a foundation stone of Australian DNA. Name another Australian event (apart from Australia Day) that’s as old which we all celebrate.

It’s also a lot less harmful to kids than letting them watch TV or listen to the radio most of the time.

Darren says:

12:54pm | 03/11/09

hi Frank - yes i actually have lots of friends - you should try getting some as well - no a horse’s ‘job’ is not to run ‘all day’ - I could go into Marx’ theory of alienation - ie workers don’t have control of their lives - but I am pretty sure the discussion would be above you -
yes - horses run - usually when they want to - not when they are being whipped - racing horses are stabled for up to 20 hours a day - hardly how these animals behave in their natural environment -

Frank says:

01:04pm | 03/11/09

get over it, its a horse mate. a horse, not a person, a horse.

have you seen what other people are experiencing all around the world, the poverty and suffering of your fellow man.

and your more concerned about a horse that has to stand still for the majority of the day.
shit.

Steve Smith says:

01:11pm | 03/11/09

Problem gambling does not start from a primary school Melbourne Cup sweep.

The problem with people who believe this, is their view can’t be changed. So to them, I say thank you for working this afternoon while I go have a drink and put some money on a horse.

Alison says:

01:28pm | 03/11/09

Who says its a natural thing for the horse? How do you know the horse doesn’t think otherwise? As the late, great, Douglas Adams said:

“It is difficult to be sat on all day, every day, by some other creatuve, without forming an opinion about them. On the other hand, it is perfectly possible to sit all day, every day, on top of another creature and not have the slightest thought about them whatsoever.”

You, Frank, are somebody who sits on others with no thought about them. You and Mike have a picture of Australian manhood which includes, in no particular order, cruelty to animals, drug use as an initiation rite, and violent misogynistic sports. Congratulations, you are shining specimens of our national identity.

Jayne, I think you are absolutely right. For starters, $10 is a lot of money for an eight-year-old, and I strive to teach my own daughters of a similar age that spending $1.20 on a paddle pop lick a prize is not going to win them anything, let alone $10 in a Melbourne Cup sweep. They wouldn’t have gambling at the school for anything else, why should it be okay for when some horses run fast in a circle?

I find horse racing, where these poor animals are let out for a short period to run fast in a circle while being whipped and screamed at, to be utterly barbaric. The excessive consumption of alcohol and celebrating of our national compulsion to give our money to bookmakers which accompany it, are equally horrific.

If Melbourne Cup is the pinnacle of our nation’s mass celebrations, as Mike says, then we have a major problem as a nation.

Alison says:

01:30pm | 03/11/09

Frank - Oh, I just bet you’re working hard to alleviate the poverty and suffering of your fellow man the other 364 days a year. You only take the first Tuesday in November off to have a bit of a flutter, right?

Frank says:

01:35pm | 03/11/09

No Problem letting the children have a flutter on the Cup.
It’s not going to turn them into compulsive gamblers!
The only ones who would have an issue with this are the MORONS who want to force the political correctness CRAP down our throats!

Frank says:

01:38pm | 03/11/09

ive not put a bet on this year as i am bogged down in work and cant be bothered, im not much of a racing fan, i prefer the roulette wheel.

Alison says:

01:43pm | 03/11/09

Perhaps Frank should read David Penberthy’s piece on Aussie men needing a bex and a good lie down; in other words, quit with the whining about a woman voicing an opinion.

Sean Carmody says:

01:48pm | 03/11/09

Serious though problem gambling is, I think that an annual horserace is unlikely to make much difference to the risk of a child ending up down that path. Alison does make a good point though that $10 is a lot of money for a kid to see spent this way…if they are going to take part, a 10 cent sweep would make more sense.

Darren says:

01:55pm | 03/11/09

well said Frank - LETS SEE IF THIS LOOKS MORE IMPORTANT WHEN I CAPITALISE IT AND ADD SOME EXCLAMATION MARKS!!!!! - that’s better - actually as somebody who opposes horse racing i thinki am the one getting it shoved down my throat -

Darren says:

02:04pm | 03/11/09

roulette - a game of chance for losers - blackjack used to be enjoyable till they brought in automatic shuffling machines

Bob H says:

02:15pm | 03/11/09

Well wasn’t that a fantastic race - a load of horses ran along and lots of people were told to gamble on them and they did.  Now the race is being analysed along with statements like “the greatest race ever” ?  Is this the best Australia can do to enhance its culture, equine pokies.

TheRealFrank says:

02:15pm | 03/11/09

that was not me mate, there seem to be two franks in this thread.

kirsten says:

02:19pm | 03/11/09

No, kids should be wrapped in cotton wool and protected from reality until they reach the age of 18 when all forms of freedom and vice should be thrust upon them….lighten the f*** up people.

Henry says:

02:27pm | 03/11/09

God dam you wowsers just hate everything dont you, its a bit of harmless fun once a year, if some people cant cope with putting money on a horse then thats their own problems.

but , whilst you guys are all sitting at your PCs feeling smug because your so much smarter then the rest of us by not putting money on a horse and not following it. the rest of the nation is out at parties having fun watching the race with some chapmagne, or out at the race itself.

Jodie says:

03:07pm | 03/11/09

I think you actually have to be on a PC or some form of computer yourself to comment, don’t you Henry?
I think at the end of the day, Jayne raises a valid point about children. Should children be betting? I think the answer is no. I also have an issue with the SportBet promotion on rugby league games, with the commentators continually up-dating the odds, paying lip-service with ‘Please bet responsibly.’ What are the advertising standards in regard to this family prime-time viewing slot?

S says:

04:15pm | 03/11/09

When my sister and I were growing up, Mum would put $1 on a horse of our choosing for ‘us’. Obviously we couldn’t bet it ourselves - we were KIDS.

I honestly don’t think a small bet (yes, $10 is small) once a year on something that is part of Australian culture (whether you like it or not) is going to turn our kiddies into gambling addicts.

Why don’t some of you unwrap your kids from the cotton wool in a while and let them live for once?!

Nickk says:

04:24pm | 03/11/09

Darren is a troll…I hope.

Matt says:

05:44pm | 03/11/09

first, most parents bet their own money for their kids so in most cases its not even the kids actual money.

second the melbourne cup is more a national event then a horse race. i doubt that kids all over the country will be ripping the form guide out ot the newspaper every day as a consequence of a few dollars won on one race. besides last time i checked sweeps were free (at least school ones are) so your daughter’s not actually gambling anything.

of course gambling is a problem for some people, and your story about your relative is a just example of that, but using an extreme example to justify criticism of an activity which the vast, vast, vast majority of the population can do, and enjoy, without becoming an addict doesn’t seem altogther fair to me

Saintsister says:

09:01pm | 03/11/09

I remember placing my hard earned pocket money in the family sweep for Cup Day 35 years ago, and watching in horror as my brother pocketed the winnings.  The message I took from this as a child is that gambling leads to losses and you shouldn’t bet what you don’t want to lose.  For every kid who experiences the joy of victory today, there are 23 who don’t.  What are the odds that they’ll draw the same conclusion as me?

Darren says:

08:56am | 04/11/09

Hi Nickk (why the 2nd k? - trying to sound interesting?) - no I am not a troll - actually I am more conversant with Greek mythology than Norse

RGG says:

09:19am | 04/11/09

Darren, Alison and I should get to together and have a debauched threesome of common sense.

Alison says:

09:56am | 04/11/09

RGG - You’re on. Name a date and place.

Fiona says:

10:30am | 04/11/09

I understand that gambling is a big problem in Australia, but I don’t think that letting your kids have a small bet on one horse race a year is going to turn them into hooked gamblers. The first bet I ever placed was in grade 4 on Doriemus and it won, I was ecstatic with the $5 I won but it didn’t mean I started skipping school to spend my pocket money on the races. I’m 22 now and I’ve had a bet every year on the Melbourne Cup and this year I bet the most I have ever bet, I put $5 each way on Shocking and it won. I was going to put $10 to win but decided it was too risky, which pretty much sums up my gambling ‘habits’. Letting the kids put a dollar or two on one horse, for one race, once a year is pretty unlikely to turn them into a lifelong gambler unless they are already from a family of gamblers.

Darren says:

10:54am | 04/11/09

Hi Alison and RGG - tell me when and where

Digby says:

12:59pm | 04/11/09

Darren are you the commissioner for the FUN POLICE

RGG says:

01:40pm | 04/11/09

Digby are you the Grand Wizard for the BOGAN PATROL

Digby says:

01:56pm | 04/11/09

Yeah and my favourite drink is Bogan and coke….

John says:

08:52am | 08/11/09

Gambling is just like alcohol or any other drug. Very addictive. And the sooner children take a taste of it, many will experience the rush produced by chemicals in the body. That is what provides addicts for the future. Not all will experience it, as some parents will allow children to take a punt every now and than, but with care and warnings. However, many who will experience this “cool” feeling about it all, will at some point turn back to it whenever they feel down. This is why we have nearly half a million problem gamblers in Australia - plus 3-4 people that are directly affected by each of those gamblers, and you have 10 per cent of the population that will experience hardship because of it.
If there are people affected by gambling - try this site for help:
http://www.problemgamblingguide.com/