Wanna bet?

I couldn’t believe I had lost. I was devastated. I threw the baseball card at my brother. When he looked up smiling, I broke out into tears and ran to our bedroom. “Little brat, go cry to mommy,” he yelled after me.

My brother’s reaction was probably a little harsh, but I deserved it. When I was 8 or 9-years-old, I had a nasty habit of saying “I’ll betcha.” It didn’t matter what or when, but I was willing to bet on a game of Monopoly or shooting basketball. Most times I said it to try to get my brothers to play with me. I was the youngest and tiny compared to them. They didn’t view me as real competition, I was more of an annoyance, but occasionally they would break down and play me.

In this instance, my middle brother took me up on my challenge, whatever it was, and I lost my prized possession, a 1973 Roberto Clemente Topps Baseball Card. Clemente was my hero and the card was the last one that he appeared. He died December 31, 1972, when the plane with supplies he was taking to Nicaragua to help survivors of a terrible earthquake crashed shortly after takeoff along the Puerto Rico coast. 

Image by Pixabay.

Rolling the dice

I was just getting into baseball and treasured that card and now I had lost it. I should have taken the card off the table, pulled it out of the bet, but it was too late, I had lost and the card was no longer mine. 

I’ve long forgotten about the challenge, but it’s funny how things that happen to us when we’re young kids, subconsciously play a role in how we act as adults. Gambling is a big time business now. According to one estimate the global gambling market, including casino lotteries, sports betting, and other businesses, grew from $449.04 billion in 2022 to $702.45 billion in 2023.

While gambling is huge, I’ve long avoided it. I’ve never wanted to lose a modern-day version of my Roberto Clemente card. Oh, I’ve made small bets with my wife or kids, but I generally avoided larger wagers. A few years ago, my wife and I went to a casino on a whim. We kept to the quarter slots. It was fun to be out with friends, but I took no joy in the actual gambling.

Oh, I’m familiar with the spreads on colleges and pro sports that I watch, I’m familiar with terms like point spread, over-under, and cover, but I’ve never felt the urge to put down my hard-earned money. There’s too many underdog wins and it’s too hard to predict the bounces of the ball. Plus, I know myself too well. I could see myself easily trying to break even and five hours later walking out of a casino or off-track betting parlor with little, but the clothes on my back.

Image by Naim Benjelloun by Pexels.

Hitting the jackpot

Gambling is especially big this time of year with the NCAA Basketball Tournament coming to a close. When the Round of 68 kicked off, the American Gaming Association estimated that more than 68 million Americans were going to place a wager on the tournament with bets totaling more than $15.5 billion, slightly less than the $16 billion Americans wagered on this year’s Super Bowl. Like many people, I filled out a bracket, I’m not opposed to that, but I put no money down. Oh, I’m tempted every now and again, but I usually refrain.

When I got the idea for this story, I checked online to see what that 1973 Roberto Clemente card is worth today. Oh, I definitely lost out on that bet. A quick Google search showed that depending on the quality of the card and how it’s been stored, the Topps Card draws anywhere from $20 for a run-of-the-mill ungraded card to $1,500 dollars for one in good condition, and much more for one in great condition.

Roberto Clemente definitely taught me a valuable lesson. If you’re going to gamble, be ready to part with your valuables. You may win, but you just as easily could lose.

All bets are off!