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BGonline.org Forums
How many pro BG players?
Posted By: Phil Simborg In Response To: How many pro BG players? (Robert Wachtel)
Date: Friday, 15 March 2013, at 11:01 p.m.
While I find this debate interesting, I personally have no ethical problem with gambling. It's fun and a great way to make an intellectual competition, like backgammon, more intense and rewarding if you happen to be good at it.
The reason I suggested it would not be a great life-choice for my children is because for all of the time and effort involved, they are not likely to find backgammon as financially rewarding as, say, poker.
I probably should have said that professional backgammon is not a good economic choice, or choice of a vocation. However, if money is not a concern, or you have other income, making money while playing a great, fun, stimulating game of backgammon is a nice bonus.
There was a time where it was a lot easier to find bad players who played for lots of money; when tournaments had a lot of money-added; and when there was a much larger market for backgammon books, boards, tournaments, lessons, and other ancillary means of making money from backgammon. Hopefully, we will see that again, and hopefully in my lifetime, thanks to new efforts by people who are looking to the future and organizing efforts to grow the game.
In the meantime, I'll let someone else decide whether playing backgammon or gambling is less productive than going fishing or playing golf or joining books clubs or going to a religious place to pray or study etc. etc. I enjoy it, so I do it. And I encouraged my kids to and glad I did.
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