Revision 399483065 of "Bettor" on enwiki

{{Wikify|date=December 2009}}

A '''Bettor''' is a person who makes [[Gambling|bets]] based on particular information<ref>information</ref>, or [[feeling]], on sporting or other events in the hope of gaining financial [[Profit (accounting)|profit]].

==Types of bettors==
=== ''Low Vs. High-stake bettors'' ===

Low-stake bettors prefer to [[gamble]] safely. The common reason depicting this type of bettors is “My stake is so small I do not care if I lose”. High-stake bettors usually bet on a single [[event]]. High stake players are usually “[[macho]]” types, as they undervalue the risk of high potential losses.

=== ''Winning Vs. Losing bettors'' ===

A winning bettor is one who is on the winning side for a long period of time. A losing bettor is one who often loses.

=== ''Long-term Vs. Short-term bettors'' ===
Long term bettors prefer markets that develop throughout a long period of time (e.g. who will win English Premiership; who will get relegated from Series A). 
Short-term bettors focus their attention on every single event in the betting pool.

==Synonyms and related terms==

'''Gambler, Punter, Wagerer'''

==Betting from a historical point of view==

•	Paintings on the walls of Egyptian [[tombs]] dating back to 3500 B.C. depict men in games with astragali-ankle bones of sheep or deer that were used as dice. Evidence of dishonesty in [[gambling]] and social problems related to habitual gamblers is almost as old as the activity itself. ‘Loaded’ bones (dice) have been found in Egyptian tombs, and there is evidence that the Egyptians attempted to control compulsive gambling. 

•Around 300 BC the bettor was classified by [[Aristotle]] with the thief and laws were enacted in pagan [[Greece]] and [[Rome]] for suppression.

==Interesting facts==

•	In eighteenth-century English gambling dens, there was an employee whose only job was to swallow the [[dice]] if there were a police raid.

•	The most famous horse betting  event is the Royal Ascot Meeting in UK. Every year it is attended by more that 300 000, who drain a staggering 60 000 bottles of champagne. Be aware that [[alcohol]] consumption and being a successful bettor has not been statistically proved yet.

==Legality==
 
The profession “bettor” is still not recognized by the International Labour Organization<ref>Organization</ref>. However, in most countries it is absolutely legal to be a bettor. Of course, there are some exceptions like [[Taiwan]], for example, where the fine is up to 5 years imprisonment for betting on [[sports]].

==Bettor related films==

•	'[[Eight Men Out]]' (1988) – a true story about 8 baseball players from Chicago White Sox, who were bribed by a mob to lose the series;

•	'[[Owning Mahowny]]' (2003) - based on a true story about Brian Moloney, who stole $ 10 million to feed his addiction to bets;

•	'[[Revolver]]' – the story of an ex-prisoner, who ruins the life of a casino owner. The film gives valuable psychological aspects of the successful bettor.

==The Psychological aspect of an online bettor==
 
Internet bettors are the same as all regular Internet users – educated and young. This profile is similar to the one of the problem bettors. Still they differ in the characteristics good education and affluent [[income]]. A survey in Finland has shown that all the problem bettors were mainly males, and the problem internet bettors were all males.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

* [http://www.infobettor.com/]: The Case of Football Betting: Being Informed Versus Being Lucky
* [http://www.ilo.org/]: Resolution concerning the revision of the International Standard Classification of Occupations, adopted by the Fourteenth International Conference of Labour Statisticians (October-November 1987)

[[Category:Gambling terminology]]