Tweet
Discrimination based on sex or race can be a terrible thing. Because my college degree is in sociology, from an academic point of view I am well aware of the human suffering that sexism and racism have caused. And because I am Jewish, I can speak first-hand about the horrors of racial discrimination. In fact, because my family has suffered from life-threatening persecution, I am particularly sensitive to any perceived form of unjust discrimination. And that includes “locationism,” which is discrimination based on the city where one lives. However, before I discuss my recent traumatic experience of being victimized by a “locationist” sportsbook, I think it would be helpful if I first relate some personal experiences regarding sexism and racism. That way, Bettorsworld readers can better understand why locationism is such a sensitive issue with me.
Most Bettorsworld members probably perceive me as a male chauvinist, a macho-type guy who views women as mere sex objects to be exploited in the pursuit of hedonistic pleasure. Well, nothing could be further from the truth. In reality, I am a long-time supporter of the women’s liberation movement. For example, over the years I have attended numerous demonstrations where women burn their bras to protest establishment oppression. And not being one to merely observe, I have directly participated in the protests by burning bras myself. In fact, all bragging aside, I am willing to bet that I have burned more bras than any other Bettorsworld member. In addition to bra burning. I have also championed women’s rights to go topless at beaches. If men can go topless, why can’t women? In fact, when I retire from scalping and middling, I plan to buy some beach property in a foreign land and allow ladies to frolic top-free at my private beach.
Women have historically been forced into submissive roles within male–dominant cultures. The Bible pushes the absurd idea that Eve was created from a rib of Adam, thereby signifying that women are derivative beings inherently subservient to males.
Well, I recoil from the idea of women being second-class underlings. I believe that women excel when their latent dominant tendencies are given free expression. For example, whereas ex-BW member Father Fitzgerald prefers the male-dominant missionary position and Bettorworld contributor DoggieStyle opts for the “back-door” entrance, I prefer to be on the bottom, under the control of a powerful, aggressive female. For those of you interested in debating the issue of female domination, I suggest you visit the Web site of the great Latin American Dominatrix Ama Deborah at: www.naughty.com.ve/domina.
Finally, I would never treat a woman like a piece of meat to be devoured at a sexual meal. When I lived in the Northern California Bay Area in the late ‘70s, I used to walk the streets of San Francisco. Whenever I’d head down Polk Avenue, the main drag of the gay community, guys would hoot and whistle at me. To say the least, it was always very embarrassing. But on the positive side, the experience enabled me to understand what women go through when they are reduced to mere sexual objects. Yes, sexism is a terrible thing.
Although sexism is despicable, racism is far worse. Racism is a true evil that has led to untold millions of deaths. My mother’s family left Russia for the U.S. during the Russian revolution, circa 1920. My father’s family managed to escape Nazi Germany in the late 1930s, barely avoiding a death camp. And they left with virtually nothing, leaving behind a multimillion-dollar stove manufacturing company.
Many of my heroes have suffered because of racism. Sammy Davis Jr., the late great entertainer and original Rat Pack member (along with Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis, and Joey Bishop) is a perfect example. Sammy always had a lot to overcome. First, he was a scrawny shrimp—not your typical Black super stud—and consequently, he was always getting picked on. In fact, some bullies once beat the hell out of Sammy, causing him to lose an eye. Second, a lot of guys resented the incredible collection of jewelry that Sammy always wore. And others, because of the jewelry, misperceived him as a superficial show-off. Third, Sammy in addition to being Black, was also Jewish, and, as the following story illustrates, that often meant double trouble (racism) during the turbulent 1960s:
One day, when Sammy was in the South during the mid-1960s, he boarded a bus. And the driver immediately yelled, “Nigg’r, get to the back of the bus.” Sammy protested, “But I’m Jewish.” The bus driver then screamed, “Then get the hell off the bus!”
Because I was Jewish, I was always discriminated against in school. When I’d wear my yarmulke, other kids would regularly make fun of me, and I’d often get beaten-up. And because of discrimination, my progress as a gambler was greatly retarded. Whereas Bettorsworld legend Polar, the linesmaker guru who made Looselines a famous offshore book, was an 8 year-old prodigy, traveling around the world winning junior bookmaking contests, I was excluded from even kids’ marbles games, and thus my career as a sportsbettor was stunted. Consequently, it took me years to catch up to the Polars of the sportsbetting world.
When I was in school, I was never allowed to join any clubs. Now, thank goodness, I’m a proud member of several prestigious clubs: Vons, Ralph’s, Lucky’s, and Smith-King’s being the most prominent. However, I seriously believe that the only reason I was allowed in those clubs is that I filled out the application as Reno, and they knew me from Bettorsworld. If it weren’t for being Reno, those clubs would also have rejected me for being Jewish.
After years of countless expensive sessions with psychiatrists, I thought that in recent weeks I had made a major breakthrough and finally overcome the trauma that sexism and racism had caused in my life. And then, just as I was starting to enjoy my newly felt freedom from the psychological scars caused by sexism and racism, I was hit with a new form of discrimination—locationism—which re-awakened my persecution complex, and my suffering.
It all started when I recently decided to open an account with a top offshore sportsbook. This book, a long-time advertiser in Bettorsworld, has consistently received rave reviews from BW posters. Consequently, I felt confident that my experience with the book would be an entirely pleasant one. Unfortunately, it was not meant to be.
This book advertises a 10% sign-up bonus, and when I called customer service, the representative who I talked to assured me that a 10% bonus would be added to my initial $8,000 deposit. Now, being a frugal—please don’t call me cheap or niggardly--sort who meticulously allocates every penny, I immediately designated the $800 bonus to cover my Haagen-Dazs expenses for the next 8 months. However, upon opening the account, I quickly noticed that the $800 bonus had not been added to my initial $8,000 deposit. Deeply concerned, I called and talked to the office manager, who politely informed me that I would not be receiving a bonus because I lived in a particular city. According to him, this city is filled with wiseguys who do not deserve a bonus.
Shocked by this blatant and unfair stereotyping, I immediately told him about my background, assuring him that I was far from a wiseguy. I told him that my two immigrant parents had, in fact, come to America to escape just this type of discrimination. And in their attempt to escape persecution, they had settled in Squaresville, an obscure town in the middle of nowhere. Squaresville is so far from anywhere, you need to drive three hours through rough back roads to get to the nearest other town, which is Podunk. In Squaresville, not surprisingly, virtually everything is square. For example, on Saturday nights, we guys would usually hang out at the local Square Table Pizza parlor, eat square pizzas, and entertain ourselves by practicing square dancing with our girlfriends, who, naturally, had square-shaped asses. And if I hadn’t had the pioneering spirit to leave Squaresville, I no doubt would have ended up stuck doing the same type of blue collar work as my father: pounding square pegs into square holes.
Anyway, the sportsbook manager, a skeptical fellow, did not buy my story about being from Squaresville and just happening, by sheer chance, to end up in a town filled with wiseguys. So then, as a last-resort measure to procure a sign-up bonus, I told him that I was Reno from Bettorsworld. Amazingly, though he knew of me from BW, he again rejected the idea of giving me a sign-up bonus.
Well, I was devastated. If I had lived anywhere but this town, I would have received the post-up bonus. Instead, without the $800 that was expressly designated to cover my Haagen-Dazs expenses the next eight months, I was forced to quit the ice cream cold turkey. And now, I am suffering severe withdrawal symptoms, as my body struggles to function without its customary daily energy boost from the synergistic ice cream combination of fat, sugar, and caffeine.
Now, I have no problem if a sportsbook doesn’t offer a sign-up bonus to anyone. But if a sportsbook advertises a 10% sign-up bonus in Bettorsworld, is it right for them to arbitrarily deny this bonus to bettors from one particular city? Is this not the practice of “locationism,” a form of discrimination that is as exclusionary and pernicious as sexism and racism? What do you, the redoubtable members of Bettorworld, think about a sportsbook that practices locationsism?
Most Bettorsworld members probably perceive me as a male chauvinist, a macho-type guy who views women as mere sex objects to be exploited in the pursuit of hedonistic pleasure. Well, nothing could be further from the truth. In reality, I am a long-time supporter of the women’s liberation movement. For example, over the years I have attended numerous demonstrations where women burn their bras to protest establishment oppression. And not being one to merely observe, I have directly participated in the protests by burning bras myself. In fact, all bragging aside, I am willing to bet that I have burned more bras than any other Bettorsworld member. In addition to bra burning. I have also championed women’s rights to go topless at beaches. If men can go topless, why can’t women? In fact, when I retire from scalping and middling, I plan to buy some beach property in a foreign land and allow ladies to frolic top-free at my private beach.
Women have historically been forced into submissive roles within male–dominant cultures. The Bible pushes the absurd idea that Eve was created from a rib of Adam, thereby signifying that women are derivative beings inherently subservient to males.
Well, I recoil from the idea of women being second-class underlings. I believe that women excel when their latent dominant tendencies are given free expression. For example, whereas ex-BW member Father Fitzgerald prefers the male-dominant missionary position and Bettorworld contributor DoggieStyle opts for the “back-door” entrance, I prefer to be on the bottom, under the control of a powerful, aggressive female. For those of you interested in debating the issue of female domination, I suggest you visit the Web site of the great Latin American Dominatrix Ama Deborah at: www.naughty.com.ve/domina.
Finally, I would never treat a woman like a piece of meat to be devoured at a sexual meal. When I lived in the Northern California Bay Area in the late ‘70s, I used to walk the streets of San Francisco. Whenever I’d head down Polk Avenue, the main drag of the gay community, guys would hoot and whistle at me. To say the least, it was always very embarrassing. But on the positive side, the experience enabled me to understand what women go through when they are reduced to mere sexual objects. Yes, sexism is a terrible thing.
Although sexism is despicable, racism is far worse. Racism is a true evil that has led to untold millions of deaths. My mother’s family left Russia for the U.S. during the Russian revolution, circa 1920. My father’s family managed to escape Nazi Germany in the late 1930s, barely avoiding a death camp. And they left with virtually nothing, leaving behind a multimillion-dollar stove manufacturing company.
Many of my heroes have suffered because of racism. Sammy Davis Jr., the late great entertainer and original Rat Pack member (along with Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis, and Joey Bishop) is a perfect example. Sammy always had a lot to overcome. First, he was a scrawny shrimp—not your typical Black super stud—and consequently, he was always getting picked on. In fact, some bullies once beat the hell out of Sammy, causing him to lose an eye. Second, a lot of guys resented the incredible collection of jewelry that Sammy always wore. And others, because of the jewelry, misperceived him as a superficial show-off. Third, Sammy in addition to being Black, was also Jewish, and, as the following story illustrates, that often meant double trouble (racism) during the turbulent 1960s:
One day, when Sammy was in the South during the mid-1960s, he boarded a bus. And the driver immediately yelled, “Nigg’r, get to the back of the bus.” Sammy protested, “But I’m Jewish.” The bus driver then screamed, “Then get the hell off the bus!”
Because I was Jewish, I was always discriminated against in school. When I’d wear my yarmulke, other kids would regularly make fun of me, and I’d often get beaten-up. And because of discrimination, my progress as a gambler was greatly retarded. Whereas Bettorsworld legend Polar, the linesmaker guru who made Looselines a famous offshore book, was an 8 year-old prodigy, traveling around the world winning junior bookmaking contests, I was excluded from even kids’ marbles games, and thus my career as a sportsbettor was stunted. Consequently, it took me years to catch up to the Polars of the sportsbetting world.
When I was in school, I was never allowed to join any clubs. Now, thank goodness, I’m a proud member of several prestigious clubs: Vons, Ralph’s, Lucky’s, and Smith-King’s being the most prominent. However, I seriously believe that the only reason I was allowed in those clubs is that I filled out the application as Reno, and they knew me from Bettorsworld. If it weren’t for being Reno, those clubs would also have rejected me for being Jewish.
After years of countless expensive sessions with psychiatrists, I thought that in recent weeks I had made a major breakthrough and finally overcome the trauma that sexism and racism had caused in my life. And then, just as I was starting to enjoy my newly felt freedom from the psychological scars caused by sexism and racism, I was hit with a new form of discrimination—locationism—which re-awakened my persecution complex, and my suffering.
It all started when I recently decided to open an account with a top offshore sportsbook. This book, a long-time advertiser in Bettorsworld, has consistently received rave reviews from BW posters. Consequently, I felt confident that my experience with the book would be an entirely pleasant one. Unfortunately, it was not meant to be.
This book advertises a 10% sign-up bonus, and when I called customer service, the representative who I talked to assured me that a 10% bonus would be added to my initial $8,000 deposit. Now, being a frugal—please don’t call me cheap or niggardly--sort who meticulously allocates every penny, I immediately designated the $800 bonus to cover my Haagen-Dazs expenses for the next 8 months. However, upon opening the account, I quickly noticed that the $800 bonus had not been added to my initial $8,000 deposit. Deeply concerned, I called and talked to the office manager, who politely informed me that I would not be receiving a bonus because I lived in a particular city. According to him, this city is filled with wiseguys who do not deserve a bonus.
Shocked by this blatant and unfair stereotyping, I immediately told him about my background, assuring him that I was far from a wiseguy. I told him that my two immigrant parents had, in fact, come to America to escape just this type of discrimination. And in their attempt to escape persecution, they had settled in Squaresville, an obscure town in the middle of nowhere. Squaresville is so far from anywhere, you need to drive three hours through rough back roads to get to the nearest other town, which is Podunk. In Squaresville, not surprisingly, virtually everything is square. For example, on Saturday nights, we guys would usually hang out at the local Square Table Pizza parlor, eat square pizzas, and entertain ourselves by practicing square dancing with our girlfriends, who, naturally, had square-shaped asses. And if I hadn’t had the pioneering spirit to leave Squaresville, I no doubt would have ended up stuck doing the same type of blue collar work as my father: pounding square pegs into square holes.
Anyway, the sportsbook manager, a skeptical fellow, did not buy my story about being from Squaresville and just happening, by sheer chance, to end up in a town filled with wiseguys. So then, as a last-resort measure to procure a sign-up bonus, I told him that I was Reno from Bettorsworld. Amazingly, though he knew of me from BW, he again rejected the idea of giving me a sign-up bonus.
Well, I was devastated. If I had lived anywhere but this town, I would have received the post-up bonus. Instead, without the $800 that was expressly designated to cover my Haagen-Dazs expenses the next eight months, I was forced to quit the ice cream cold turkey. And now, I am suffering severe withdrawal symptoms, as my body struggles to function without its customary daily energy boost from the synergistic ice cream combination of fat, sugar, and caffeine.
Now, I have no problem if a sportsbook doesn’t offer a sign-up bonus to anyone. But if a sportsbook advertises a 10% sign-up bonus in Bettorsworld, is it right for them to arbitrarily deny this bonus to bettors from one particular city? Is this not the practice of “locationism,” a form of discrimination that is as exclusionary and pernicious as sexism and racism? What do you, the redoubtable members of Bettorworld, think about a sportsbook that practices locationsism?
Comment