Why do people make bets?
I am not thinking so much of casino gambling, which requires its own set of explanations. I am thinking more of things like betting on a team or any future event or even betting on the truth of some statement. I know the urge comes quite naturally. There have been times when I am arguing with someone and I get to the point where I will say, or am tempted to say, that I am willing to place a bet that what I am saying is true. Why do this? In my personal cases, it is certainly not motivated by risk taking or financial gain, although I can see how these can be a factor, but there must be something more.
There is something in the nature of betting that, if not inherently unethical or illegal, has the potential to turn into unethical or illegal behavior. Sports betting can lead to things like point shaving. If I placed a large enough bet that someone would die, wouldn’t this be very close to putting a contract out on someone’s life?
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19 Answers
There are too many reasons for that. One a more shallow level, I sometimes make a bet with friends just to have fun with them while the bet lasts. Could be anything ranging from sports to a discussion. The bet is just the fuel on the fire, keeping it interesting.
Not for money though!
People have tendencies to be cocksure of their being right.
Last Sunday I lost a bet about how a film would end, and had to bake the fries.
I guess it’s basic competition psychology. Betting turns a disagreement into a contest, with two opposing sides, one of which wins and one of which loses. You dare each other to make a leap of faith and take the risk that they’re wrong. It’s like pitting your certainty against that of your opponent and seeing which one wins.
It brings fun and we generally do it when ever we have any competitive feelings in our mind.
It’s a way to solve problems with a reward for the person who is right.
@LostInParadise I bet you loads of people will give lots of different answers . :) Some may even copy other answers , slim chance anyone would send this link 50 – 50 chance you will read it .
I used to gamble on the slot machines in cafes and pubs , there is a rush to a win it is a great feeling building up to the win but when you loss its a downer . You will always say one more go tho :
the thrill of suspense.
it forces both parties to invest emotion and passion into an otherwise meaningless endeavor.
Because its there to bet on.
@Sanyore : I’ll bet you which one of us knows how to spell “their being right” right.
@gailcalled
I’ll bet you he got it right. And that his being right is because of his using a certain syntactic construction without your realising that he did.
@Notice that in my statement, I hedged my bet. It is an ambiguous turn of phrase.
“Your being right” is another interesting sentence.
It is a way of gaging whether people are willing to stand by their assertions. If they accept a bet about being right, you have a better chance of believing them than if they won’t.
to win whatever the bet is set for
It’s a way of expressing the strength of your conviction—the certainty of your being right.
Possessive with gerund. A correct and entirely explainable but vanishing construction. It’ll outlast the present subjunctive, I think, but not by much.
Something that occurred to me. How widespread around the world do you think betting is? I know gambling games are all over, but what about making personal bets? Do tribal societies make bets? How about Asian nations? Did the Greeks and Romans do this or is it of more recent origin? I have a gut feeling that this started in the Middle Ages or Renaissance.
The history of dice gives a clue to the longevity of gambling. Apparently some of the oldest known dice were found in Iran dating back 5000 years and were believed to be of Indian origin.
I think gambling for fun and possible gain has a different psychology to it from saying “I’ll bet” (an expression that is part of the language and means certainty, unless used sarcastically, without any intention of actually wagering money) when what you mean is “I’m sure enough of this that I’ll stake something (such as my reputation or my avoidance of embarrassment) on it.”
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