Do you like to have a punt?
I once declined placing a bet on the Melbourne Cup and was told I was absolutely, positively UnAustralian!  I’ve never even played Two-Up on ANZAC Day… Just saying!
But then, gambling on anything has never been my thing.  I feel I work way too hard to give it away.  And I’m not sure I’m ever going to be the luckiest chick on the planet when the roll of a dice, randomly chosen numbers or the athletic ability of an animal I’ve chosen based on the pretty colour of jockey’s silk is the deciding factor.
Plenty I know tho, do like to have a punt on the races – whether the gee-gees or the dish lickers and regularly allocate part of their salary to this pastime.  And most non-gamblers will even purchase a ticket or two when Lotto run their massive $20million+ draws!
The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) state that gambling activity grew enormously during the nineties.  ABS data revealed that expenditure on legalised gambling exceeded $11 billion back in 1998 and by 2010 this was over $17 billion!
So, it turns out, we all have ‘a thing,’ something that’s important to us, that we choose to ‘waste the ready’ on.  I may be guilty of a shoe fetish or spending on a spot of jewellery, and although gambling is not ‘my thing,’ you may choose to allocate part of your earnings to looking forward to the big win and retiring in style – proving all the doomsayers wrong!
Like anything, it’s about keeping it all in perspective, staying on top of debt and never spending more than we earn.  I have a quick chat about the issue on a recent trip to Las Vegas.
Find out more on my YouTube blog here: Does Gambling form part of your Financial Plan?