"The Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority reportedly is trying to establish Las Vegas-style sports gambling in the province. I'm just glad we didn't have this before I learned the golden rule of sports gambling: Never bet on the Saskatchewan Roughriders. You can support the Riders. You can even love the Riders. Just don't bet on them.

If you don't believe me, ask a guy I know who put himself through university by betting against the Riders. Ask another guy I know who paid off the mortgage on his house by betting against the Riders. Or ask a third guy I know who bought a condo in Phoenix with money he made betting against the Riders. When the Riders lost and these guys won, I told them all the same thing: You're welcome.

Having learned the golden rule, I now am fine with sports gambling. It's no different, really, than investing in the stock market, except investing is regarded as a virtue and gambling as a vice. In both cases the odds are not good. My pension fund investments could hardly be doing worse if I had bet them instead on the hockey playoffs. Even the Ottawa Senators outperformed quite a few mutual funds."

Get the Story:
Les MacPherson: Think that the climate is changing? Don't bet on it (The Saskatoon StarPhoenix 6/21)

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