All Bets Are Off was basically made in order to highlight how uncontrollable problem gambling is becoming in Ireland. Almost one in ten people in Ireland have gambling addictions and more or less ruined their financial state. Please imagine the number of people gambling away their savings and money. 10% of Ireland that’s almost 500,000 people! For Ireland, that’s a significant amount. Unfortunately, however, most of these gamblers do not return home with winnings in the thousands or tens of thousands, for every 1 winner, there are 100 losers, making the whole ordeal even worse.
Let’s begin with Ashmawy, who is a charismatic and randomly reckless guy, who has become some sort of a celebrity with the Irish population. Some say that the addictive kind of people find him easy to relate to making his words hit close to home for many of them.
Baz Ashmawy’s own words are “That’s not what I associate with being a man”, him referring to gambling of course. It is believed that almost every single person with a gambling addiction, who has come clean to the press or some kind of health center, has done it anonymously, because by the time you’ve figured out that gambling doesn’t turn you into a man, you’re already hooked on the game and are losing money left right and center. Unfortunately, Ashmawy had to endure a more harsh lesson when he used to see his father rage because of a card game he lost, completely alienating him from the gambling world.
The show displays us a man who has honestly hit his lowest point, and the only thing left for him is to confess to everyone he meets and try to improve his life. Podge Bannon is a young man who has replaced his addiction with constant workouts, he has admitted having hit rock bottom and is considering suicide. An unfortunate reality of today.
What makes the show great is that the creators have not shied away from different variations of addiction. They dare to show that this has not been affecting just men, but women have become tangled in it as well. An elderly woman’s life was almost destroyed by scratch cards, she was given the same treatment as a multi-million gambling addict, that’s where the directors show grit and dedication, treating every addiction equally.
There was actually a quote that Ashmawy made during the show that resonated with us and made us realize why addiction is looked at so positively by men. Ashmawy said that there was nothing rational about addiction. That’s why its so addictive for men because studies have shown how driven men are towards the irrational, the unexplainable.
Ashmawy made this show in order to raise awareness, but that was not enough for him obviously. He had to make at least the first move to improvement and requested that gambling be recognized as a disease in the country. A mental condition would be a more fitting description. However, there is little hope for gambling to be set aside, because of the nice amount of cash their taxes bring in the country. Unfortunately, there is little hope, but not no hope.
Original article in Norwegian: http://nyecasino.casino/casino-nyheter/en-smakebit-fra-den-irske-serien-bets-off/
