My old man betted on the horses all his life.
In his retirement years he had a phone account set up with the local bookie.
He never gambled much, just 50p e/w or similar, but he did bet everyday and always on about half a dozen races.
He said it gave him a lot of pleasure for a little money, which is fair enough I suppose.
I can remember as a child though, being told to hush when the race on the TV was coming to an end, and he'd crane his neck towards the TV, listening intently. To this day racing on the TV always reminds me of long wet boring Saturday afternoons. Perhaps I have a phobia about it.
I also remember, again as a child, how when he sometimes had a win, we'd always have new toys
But that only happened once a year at most.
Oh, and I will confess to buying the occasional lottery ticket, £1.00 buys me a licence to dream