Wednesday. Second period, sophomore math. (Yes, the same group I discussed yesterday.)
Second period had four boys who just... They'd spend the period hanging out, not paying attention to the math of it all.
Mr. Y (the co-teacher) had enough, and on Wednesday he separated them to the four corners of the room. So, of course, the obvious happened. Rather than keeping their little party to themselves, they were now talking across the room. Sigh.
The topic of conversation turned to sports betting. Because one of the boys, Ximenez, has a problem. In the previous class, he talked about how he had won a parlay, but he lost all his winnings on other bets.
Funnily enough, I was only aware of the terminology at all because my Sunday night show's topic had been about sports betting on apps. In case you'd like to take a look:
(I suppose I should warn you about John Oliver. The show is on HBO, and they take advantage of being allowed to use all the adult language. And the jokes can be a bit juvenile. Along with some good info.)
I held it in as long as I could, but then I spoke up and explained to Ximenez that perhaps the gambling wasn't a good idea. (Especially since I caught him watching a baseball game on his phone rather than taking down the notes that Mr. Y had been giving them earlier in the period.)
Of course Ximenez didn't see my point and denied that he had a problem. Sigh.
(Okay, so before you ask, yes, Ximenez is a minor. Sophomore. I just looked up his age. He's actually a junior. He's 16--he'll be 17 in a bit under two weeks. I am not surprised this junior is in a sophomore-level class. Clearly he failed a math class in his high school career.)
He claimed that he'd give it up after... Oh, I don't know. He gave me a couple different times he'd give it up, and I wasn't listening. Because there was a guy in one of the clips Oliver showed that said the exact same thing. Which I pointed out. But Ximenez again wasn't seeing my point.
This is how gambling problems start. Sadly, there was nothing I was going to say that Ximenez would hear. Not now.
I did recommend the episode. (I knew they post it on YouTube after the episode airs.) Yes, I know it's not really a good show for a minor, but if anyone could get through to him, it'd be through humor, not preaching.
Ximenez's response? He had a parlay going, and if he won, he'd get $400. And he'd give me $20. (I told him to keep the money. He assumed he'd win. I rather thought the opposite.)
By the time you read this, we should know how that bet went. I don't believe that Ximenez is going to actually follow up with me (and I will likely forget the next time he's in class).
Edited to add: On Monday Ximenez informed me that... he lost the parlay.
I learned early on after moving to Las Vegas that thinking you're going to win after you bet, is a mistake. You will lost way more than you will ever win. Which is why I don't gamble.
ReplyDeleteI'm not surprised he lost. Gambling is a scary thing, even more so knowing a 16 y.o. is doing it on line.
ReplyDeleteI love John Oliver, and he’s got a point about sports betting. It’s dangerous. You can stay out of a casino, but your phone is always with you.
ReplyDeleteExactly. This is what I tried to get him to understand, but no. It sounds like he's going to have to learn this one the hard way.
DeleteHe's give it up after he won. Then after he won next time. Or won $1,000. Or $5,000. That's like my brother and smoking. He was going to quit when... then that past. So, he'd quit when... that past. Both addictions. Hopefully Ximenez breaks it off before he's pushing 80, like my brother.
ReplyDeleteNo, he had won a couple, so give it up after he's won has already passed. But yeah, whatever his goalposts were will change when he gets there.
DeleteGambling is just like any other addiction - alcohol, drugs... As far as I have understood, it's in the brain. Treatment or at least counselling required.
ReplyDeleteYup. But to convince him he needs that...
DeleteI love John Oliver, but I don't get premium channels like HBO and I keep forgetting he's on You Tube (even if it isn't the entire show). So sad that gambling addictions start that young.
ReplyDeleteAnd you can bet those apps are trying to hook them young. Predatory.
DeleteI'm so not a gambler, I hadn't heard of "parlay" before. I hope he learns his lesson, and not the hard way.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know what one was until I saw the TV show. Otherwise, the term would have flown over my head, and I would have missed what they were talking about.
DeleteVery good video. I've never done sports betting, nor do I really have any harmful vices (I don't smoke-never have-but I do drink, but not to excess). Sports betting makes me uneasy, though. It also makes me wonder how much of an impact all that money has on the outcomes of games.
ReplyDeleteThat's so sad. There's a big push to make gambling advertising illegal in Australia. the online world is hard to control though.
ReplyDeleteNever done any gambling but it's scary how easy it is to get into and get addicted. In the UK, there are a lot of adverts but they also contain some message of "know when to stop." I don't know if that makes a difference.
ReplyDeleteI used to like sports a lot :)
ReplyDeleteYeah, I've never been a fan of the sports ball. But some people love it.
DeleteWe are seeing a massive problem in online gambling with boys that age here in Australia as well, more so than in the last couple of years.
ReplyDeleteIt's the stupid apps. They're dangerous.
DeleteMan, that’s rough. It’s wild how deep he is into it already and doesn’t even see the problem. You did what you could—sometimes all you can do is plant the idea and hope it sinks in later. Hopefully, he figures it out before it gets worse. Also, that class sounds like a handful!
ReplyDelete