Gambling, Dopamine and Mah Jongg
March Madness firing on all neurons
As a person (like a lot of lawyers) that struggles with perfectionist/over-control tendencies I really appreciated this message I got from Larry Silvestri last March-
There has never been a perfect men's college basketball bracket on record. In fact, the odds of getting 63 games correctly by coinflip is one in 9.2 quintillions.
But who knows…maybe this year is YOUR year!
My bracket strategy is to go heavy on SEC teams, take the Gators deeper than anyone reasonably expects, strike out a few teams I can’t stand early like Gonzaga/Butler/UCF, and otherwise go with the favorites. This keeps my bracket in line with who I like to cheer for.
Do as I say, not as I do.
Over the holidays I had a talk with my 21 year old son about the dangers gambling. I’ve had a front row seat to see how it has ruined families. Problem gambling does not discriminate. With the rash of ads on the TV and internet now that sports betting is legal in Florida I thought it a good idea to sit him down and have a conversation.
So, of course, a few weeks later when I was bragging on the Family Unit group chat that I won the Superbowl Squares at a party I was attending he was right in there to remind me of our conversation-
I guess I should be glad to know he is listening.
I’ll admit to taking part in Superbowl Squares and filling out a bracket for March Madness. I also enjoy Fantasy Football, more for the camaraderie than the competition. But that’s about it for me. I don’t have a FanDuel account or any betting apps on my phone. I don’t look at the over/under or line for any games.1
For most folks, occasional gambling is a form of recreation that doesn’t cause harm. But when gambling becomes a problem, the impacts can be devastating. I see this as a growing issue for young men. Young men in particular are prone to engaging in risky behavior as their prefrontal cortex has not fully matured. If not betting online, most fraternities have a go-to bookie in the house or associated in some way. You might want to check in on the young men in your orbit. I’m willing to bet they know someone who has a problem. [pun intended]
In the past I have worked with the Florida Council on Compulsive Gambling to help clients. They are an excellent resource for folks with a gaming addiction. The 888-ADMIT-IT HelpLine is staffed 24 hours per day, 365 days a year to provide supportive interventions and information to individuals who are adversely impacted by a gambling or gambling-related problems. Individuals include gamblers, spouses/significant others (often referred to as loved ones), children, parents, relatives, friends, co-workers, employers, and anyone else seeking resources and information regarding a gambling problem.
For those that play, good luck with your bracket this year. Perhaps this is the year someone beats the odds and picks a perfect bracket.
If you wanted to zoom out on the issue, you could track it back to dopamine and big companies manipulating and distracting us. If you find this chart as interesting as I did, you should check out the article I pulled it from by Ted Gioia -
I am also not much of a card player beyond an occasional game of Buck Up. My wife has taught me to play Mah Jongg with her in the evenings, but I stay away from her high stakes (25 cent) games. The Florida Jewish News did a nice bit of legal analysis here showing that penny-ante games are legal in Florida and the busybody in Building 11 needs to mind his own darn business.
