Do you gamble to make ends meet? Poll discussion

madpiano

I wish I could. I do play the lottery occasionally, but not as part of my financial planning - just when I feel like it and have a £1.00 spare. Always lucky dip.

A friend of mine makes a living from Poker. The kind of money he sometimes loses without worrying would pay off all my debts and allow me a 4*holiday somewhere in the sun. I would be a nervous wreck! He does win more than he loses though, owns a 3bed appartment next door to Central Park, put 2 of his kids through college and goes on holiday several times a year. He treats as a full time job though and plays 10-12 hours a day. I tried to play sometimes, but have realized very quickly that I suck at that game.

I do play on the free Bingo Sites though. I get a £10 amazon voucher once in a while from it. So definitley not financial planning, but a bit of extra spending money for a nice CD or a good book.

dave82_2

gadgetmind wrote: »

I do buy shares, but I research them at length first, and spread the risk across sectors and territories. There are always ups and downs, but this strategy has been shown to work over the long term, and I think long term.

Shares are still a gamble. The banks thought spreading the risk would work as well!

You are right though you can hedge your bets and spread your risk but you should always buy shares with money you can afford to lose no matter how safe you think they are!