Life Finds a Way, and So Do Gamblers

business, humor, lessons learned, sports 1 Minute

It’s one of my favorite scenes from Jurassic Park, when Dr. Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum) utters the classic phrase, “Life Finds a Way”.

I thought of that line while reading a recent Wall Street Journal story by Andrew Beaton and Jared Diamond about sports betting.

Apparently, it’s been a difficult time for some hard-core sports gamblers, given that covid-19 has shut down nearly all sports competitions around the globe.

But just like life, these sports gamblers find a way.

The WSJ article first tells the story of two friends who would normally be watching the NCAA basketball tournament, but ended up watching a documentary on bears. Two bears were about to fight over a prime spot to hunt salmon, and they ended up making a bet on which bear would be victorious.

The article then shared other outlets for betting that these sports gamblers have latched on to:

  • Russian table tennis
  • The highest temperature in various cities
  • An Oasis reunion to benefit the UK’s NHS
  • Madden NFL, a football videogame
  • Top Chef
  • Shark Tank
  • How many times President Trump will say words like “tremendous” in his daily press briefing
  • Jeopardy
  • Belarusian and Nicaraguan soccer
  • Hockey games in Belarus

So yes, gamblers find a way to gamble, and the bookies find a way to take their money…

*image from Casino.org

Published by Jim Borden

A 60-something guy trying to figure out the world, and his place in it. Happily married for 40-plus years, three wonderful sons. Accounting teacher, fitness enthusiast, blogger, reader.

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28 thoughts on “Life Finds a Way, and So Do Gamblers”

  2. My brother and I were just discussing this today. He had read an interesting article about some of the random things that people were betting on. I read somewhere that the horse racing industry, which tends to cater to older people, was hoping to capture some of that betting action, but many of the tracks are closing down now, even without spectators. Casinos are closed down too, although gamblers could still get their fix online.

    That made me laugh about betting on the President’s use of the word “tremendous.” I’d set the over/under pretty high if I was a bookie. I’ve noticed his reliance on certain words and phrases too. (nobody’s ever seen…, that I can tell you, incredible, tremendous, and of course the old reliable, fake news.)

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    1. I guess people who like to bet will find their fix somewhere. A friend of mine posts to Facebook everyday the number of superlatives President Trump uses during his press briefings.

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  4. Speaking of the multi-billion dollar industry that is gambling casinos, has anyone read or heard about their contributions to stopping this pandemic? Maybe it’s time for people before profits.

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  5. so funny, and makes perfect sense. one of my friends, who is a scientist, came up with the idea for a new drinking game. we would both watch the daily ‘briefings/rallies’ in our own homes, and each time T uses a superlative in his rambling rants and declarations such as: great, wonderful, best, biggest, etc, we would have to do a shot. a couple of issues for us personally- neither of us is really much of a drinker, and we would be wasted within the first 5 minutes. good idea though.

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  9. Yes, where there’s a will there’s a way. Amazing how everyone finds new ways to adapt. This is one I would never have thought about.

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