Episode 0136
Summary
The audio features a debate between two speakers regarding the potential legalization of gambling. Speaker 1 initially expresses enthusiasm for the economic benefits, while Speaker 2 vehemently opposes it, describing gambling as a vice industry that exploits human weakness, leads to addiction, destroys families, and bankrupts communities. Speaker 2 details how gambling exploits various demographics, including men, women, senior citizens, and underage individuals. Speaker 1 eventually reconsiders, acknowledging the potential negative impacts. The conversation concludes with Speaker 2 expressing strong opposition and preparing to organize a protest rally.
Transcript (Click timestamp to jump)
Did you hear? The state is thinking of legalizing gambling in our city. Soon you're going to have amazing hotels and casinos here, which will be good for business.
Are you serious? Gambling is a vice industry built on deception and fed by the intentional exploitation of human weakness for the sole purpose of monetary gain. It disgusts me.
What are you talking about? How does it exploit people?
Well, to begin with, gambling is addictive. It ruins marriages, destroys families, and bankrupts communities. Once you're addicted, it's very difficult to stop. People have lost their houses, cars, and have been left on the street after becoming addicted.
Secondly, it exploits because men become addicted to gambling, most often because of the action and risk. Women gamble to escape, and senior citizens will start gambling for social interaction. Underage gamblers often start gambling on sports with friends and then illegal bookies.
Jeez. Now that I think about it, maybe legalizing gambling isn't such a good idea.
Although, I have been to Las Vegas and I didn't become addicted or anything like that.
You cannot predict who will become addicted to gambling. Now, excuse me, I have a protest rally to organize.
Summary
The audio discusses the legalization of gambling in a city. Speaker 1 and Speaker 2 introduce the topic, with Speaker 1 expressing a personal liking for roulette. A short dialogue then unfolds between two other speakers, one advocating for the legalization of gambling, highlighting economic benefits, and the other strongly opposing it, citing social harms like addiction, family destruction, and exploitation. The hosts then analyze key vocabulary related to the discussion, such as "legalize," "exploit," "vice," "bookie," "sole purpose," and "monetary gain." They also briefly touch upon the legal drinking age and its implications for responsibility. The conversation concludes with an invitation for listeners to share their opinions on gambling, acknowledging it as a divisive topic.
Transcript (Click timestamp to jump)
Hello everyone. Welcome back to another great lesson here at English Pod. My name is Marco.
My name is Catherine. Hello everyone. And today we've got a great lesson for you at the upper intermediate level.
We're going to be talking about an interesting topic, which is gambling.
Yeah, I don't know if you like to do this, Marco, go, you know, play some cards, play some uh, poker, blackjack, throw the dice.
I'm actually a bit of a fan of the roulette.
You have to throw the ball on the wheel that's spinning and lands into in like a little compartment in a number.
Right. So you can win like uh based on the number and the color. But it's interesting because if you get the number right, it pays you 35 times your bet.
Wow. That's a that's a lot of money to win. A lot of potential there but there's a lot of numbers on that wheel.
But uh that's the thing. Some people like gambling, some people don't like it and in some countries, in some states, it's illegal, right?
Exactly. So today we're talking about a city that's looking to legalize this sport. So we're going to take a listen here at one time when we come back, we're talking all about what's going on in today's lesson.
Did you hear? The state is thinking of legalizing gambling in our city. Soon you're going to have amazing hotels and casinos here, which will be good for business.
Are you serious? Gambling is a vice industry built on deception and fed by the intentional exploitation of human weakness for the sole purpose of monetary gain. Disgusts me.
What are you talking about? How does it exploit people?
Well, to begin with, gambling is addictive. It ruins marriages, destroys families and bankrupts communities. Once you're addicted, it's very difficult to stop. People have lost their houses, cars and have been left out on the street after becoming addicted. Secondly, it exploits because men become addicted to gambling most often because of the action and risk. Women gamble to escape and senior citizens will start gambling for social interaction. Underage gamblers often start gambling on sports with friends and then illegal bookies.
Jeez. Now that I think about it, maybe legalizing gambling isn't such a good idea.
Although I have been to Las Vegas and I didn't become addicted or anything like that.
You cannot predict who will become addicted to gambling. Now, excuse me. I have a protest rally to organize.
All right. So a very strong opinions against gambling, right?
Absolutely. So we've got someone who hasn't really thought it through and another person who has thought way too much about what's going on.
Right. And well, he did point out some very interesting arguments against gambling. And so we're going to take a look at some of the language that person used today in language takeaway.
Well, this first word we've got here is a word that has to do with the topic of today's lesson. So legalizing gambling. What does it mean to legalize?
Right. So to legalize, to make it legal.
Mhm. So legal is the word that refers to law. And so that means to make something okay. It means to allow something in a state or country.
Exactly. So in many countries it's illegal, uh, to gamble. So in this case, the city is looking to legalize it to make it legal.
All right. So many young people in America would like to see uh this law changed. You're not allowed to drink until you're 21 years old. Drink alcohol that is. So they would like to see the legalization of underage drinking.
Now, is it 21 in all states or in the majority? Really?
Yes, all states.
Oh, I thought it was only in some of them.
No, it changed in the late 70s, I think. But uh you absolutely cannot drink until you're 21.
Wow. What do you think? Is that okay or is that?
I think that it encourages young people to drink irresponsibly. And so I believe we should uh legalize drinking at the age of 18 because it would make people learn how to be more responsible.
Right. Interesting.
All right. So we want to legalize underage drinking here at English fun.
All right, no, let's not manipulate my words but uh this next word is very, very important.
He's saying that gambling or the gambling industry exploits people.
Okay, exploit. You might have heard this on the news before. Uh we talk about it often in the news, the exploitation of people. Um but in this case, we're talking about yeah, exploiting people through money and gambling.
Right. So to exploit, basically is to take advantage of them, right?
Yeah, to use them for something. Not to treat them as people, but to use them as a way to get something.
All right. So we often hear about it as you're saying in the news about, you know, factories or companies exploiting their employees or something of the sort.
We can also exploit the earth for its resources by taking oil and taking diamonds and taking gold.
Okay, so to take advantage of interesting. So, uh to exploit is the verb, but exploitation is the noun.
All right, that's the thing. So we talk about the exploitation of people in this country or the exploitation of the Earth.
Mhm. And they're talking about how gambling exploits people and how it's a vice.
Ooh, vices. So for those of you Christians out there, you might be very familiar with the the sins, right? The seven deadly sins. Well, these are all vices, things that you do that are bad.
So drinking too much is a vice.
Right, or eating too much, right?
Right, or spending money without having money maybe a vice for you.
So addictions are also a type of vice, right? Like drinking, smoking, or drug abuse.
Exactly, these are all vices. So a vice is a bad thing.
Now, we often, now we may remember this show, popular American show called Miami Vice. So what what is that?
Ooh, well, Miami Vice, it's in the city of Miami and it's about police officers. So in the police, there's sometimes a group called the vice squad. These are people who go out and try and stop people who are doing things that are vices.
Oh, like drugs and and gambling and stuff like that. Yeah, exactly.
Vice Squad. Interesting.
All right. And now for the last word on language takeaway, we have this interesting word a bookie.
All right. So if any of you like to go to the horse races, you might be familiar with this one. A bookie is someone who helps you make a bet. It's his job to help you make a bet.
Mhm. So we often see it in movies, maybe you are betting on a sports competition, right? And you are betting, I don't know, $10 against this team. So you would go to a bookie to place your bet because they're not really any legal place where you can do it.
Exactly. Or if I want to say, okay, tonight, the Chicago Bulls are playing the Suns and you want to put $100 on the Chicago Bulls, that means they're going to win. So you use a bookie and he helps you put the money down. He helps you bet.
Now, usually this is illegal, right?
Generally it's illegal. Yeah. It depends, I guess you you can go to a bookie at the horse races and it's legal, but uh.
I thought that was track. Yeah, generally it's illegal, I think.
Okay. So a sports bookie, we would say a sports bookie, right?
Mhm. Yeah.
Interesting words. A lot of words related to as we said addictions and vices, but that's I guess kind of what the whole gambling industry involved, right?
Absolutely.
All right. So now that we've seen those great words on language takeaway, let's move on now to fluency builder.
Okay, fluency builder is where we get into some of this really exciting stuff stuff where we hear some opinions from a person who is not very happy with the gambling industry. So this first one, gambling is an industry built on deception.
Okay, so it's built on deception. So well, it's an industry, so it's not really tangible.
Right. So this is a metaphor. It's like saying that uh that this industry is a dependent on something. And what is it dependent on?
Deception.
Deception. So what's deception?
So to deceive, right? That comes from the verb deceive, which basically says like a false appearance, right? Not really being completely truthful.
Okay, this is really good. So a lot of movies that we like to watch or theater uh is based on deception in a good way because it uh you get the idea that something is uh a certain way, but it really isn't in real life. So deception is is in the theater maybe a good thing, but in general, deception is a bad thing. I could say, Marco, I'm sorry I deceived you.
Oh, you lied to me.
I lied to you. Yeah. So uh deception usually involves lies or um trying to make something seem like something that it's not in reality.
Right. Okay. So it's this industry is built on deception. And he said that the sole purpose of this industry is to make money.
Exactly. So this this phrase sole purpose is very, very common. You hear this a lot. Um sole, like the soul Like your human soul is spelled differently. S-O-L-E. So you're talking about the one thing.
One and only.
Yeah. So my sole love. I only have one love. My sole pair of shoes. I only have one pair of shoes. So it's one thing. But the sole purpose. So the only reason that this industry exists is what?
For monetary gain.
Mmm. So monetary.
Monetary. You might have heard of the International Monetary Fund.
Exactly. IMF. And uh so monetary refers to money.
Money.
As the uh the door said it's a gas.
And gain, which basically means making it to to get more money.
Yeah.
So that's the point that this person is making that that the sole purpose of the gambling industry is to make money.
Ouch. So he's saying, there's no other reason to gamble. People are in this industry just to make money. It's greedy.
Mhm. Well, I mean, uh basically you could probably say that almost about almost all the country, all the companies, right?
What about education companies, like ours?
That's different, right? Education is very different.
Absolutely. So, what's another industry that has a sole purpose?
Uh for example, nonprofit organizations, their sole purpose is to help people.
All right, okay. I can get into that. Yeah, cool. So uh sole purpose and monetary gain, very useful phrases, but uh let's take another listen to today's dialogue and uh put to use some of these great, great new words.
Did you hear? The state is thinking of legalizing gambling in our city. Soon you're going to have amazing hotels and casinos here, which will be good for business.
Are you serious? Gambling is a vice industry built on deception and fed by the intentional exploitation of human weakness for the sole purpose of monetary gain. Disgusts me.
What are you talking about? How does it exploit people?
Well, to begin with, gambling is addictive. It ruins marriages, destroys families and bankrupts communities. Once you're addicted, it's very difficult to stop. People have lost their houses, cars and have been left out on the street after becoming addicted. Secondly, it exploits because men become addicted to gambling most often because of the action and risk. Women gamble to escape and senior citizens will start gambling for social interaction. Underage gamblers often start gambling on sports with friends and then illegal bookies.
Jeez. Now that I think about it, maybe legalizing gambling isn't such a good idea.
Although I have been to Las Vegas and I didn't become addicted or anything like that.
You cannot predict who will become addicted to gambling. Now, excuse me. I have a protest rally to organize.
All right. So gambling, what do you, what are your opinions about it? Pro gambling or anti gambling?
Okay, well here's the thing. Gambling is a sport. Mhm. And some it involves money, obviously, but people also don't I don't think should have other people telling them how to spend their money unless they have some kind of problem. Right? So the law doesn't get involved, um if you have a drinking problem until you're harmful to people around you. So I don't think that it's right for the for the government to be able to say, listen, you can't gamble because it's your own money. If it makes you happy, it makes you happy.
Mm, interesting.
Now we we've seen very uh specific cities or places where you can actually gamble in this way. You have Monaco.
Yeah.
Or Las Vegas or Macau, more recently, right?
Macau.
So very interesting cities or countries that have been built on the gambling industry, which apparently is a multi-billion dollar industry.
Absolutely.
I don't know. What do you think? Do you, are you against gambling? Are you for gambling? I mean, is it one of those things that you can really
Or do you maybe even like it? Maybe some people don't even really care for it. They don't find it fun to play Blackjack or go to the play a round of poker or something like that.
Yeah, well, that's their problem. I enjoy it. I think it's fun. I mean, as long as uh with anything you do it in moderation, that means you don't do it too much. I think it's okay.
All right. So listeners come to our website Englishpod.com to the comment section where you can tell us, well, what are your opinions if you do like gambling, tell us what game you like. So uh and also if you have any questions or comments, we're always there to answer them, right?
It can be kind of a a big issue to talk about because some people are really against it and some people are really for it. So uh curious to hear your opinion.
Yeah, we look forward to your opinions and uh we'll see you guys later.
Bye everyone.
Summary
This audio provides a vocabulary lesson on words related to gambling and finance. It features definitions, rapid-fire vocabulary repetition, and example sentences to illustrate the usage of words like 'roulette', 'legalize', 'slot machine', 'vice', 'Texas Hold'em', 'exploitation', 'odds', 'sole purpose', 'online gambling', 'monetary', 'gambling', 'casino', 'bookie', and 'addicted'.
Transcript (Click timestamp to jump)
The English Pod audio review.
Listen to the meaning, then say the vocabulary word.
A gambling game in which the players bet on which slots of a rotating disc a small ball will come to rest in.
Roulette.
To make something legal.
Legalize.
A machine featuring an electronic game on which to gamble, worked by placing a coin in a slot.
Slot machine.
Bad or immoral behavior or habits.
Vice.
A variation of poker where there are five community cards and each player has two personal cards.
Texas Hold'em.
Using someone for something unfairly.
Exploitation.
The probability expressed as a ratio that something will or will not happen.
Odds.
Only reason.
Sole purpose.
A form to gamble via the internet, visiting websites and using a credit card.
Online gambling.
About money.
Monetary.
The practice of risking money in a game or bet.
Gambling.
A building or room that has games you can bet on.
Casino.
A person who organizes bets.
Bookie.
Unable to stop doing something that is harmful.
Addicted.
Let's try that faster.
A gambling game in which the players bet on which slots of a rotating disc a small ball will come to rest in.
Roulette.
To make something legal.
Legalize.
A form to gamble via the internet, visiting websites and using a credit card.
Online gambling.
A variation of poker where there are five community cards and each player has two personal cards.
Texas Hold'em.
The practice of risking money in a game or bet.
Gambling.
About money.
Monetary.
A machine featuring an electronic game on which to gamble, worked by placing a coin in a slot.
Slot machine.
A building or room that has games you can bet on.
Casino.
Unable to stop doing something that is harmful.
Addicted.
Only reason.
Sole purpose.
The probability expressed as a ratio that something will or will not happen.
Odds.
Using someone for something unfairly.
Exploitation.
A person who organizes bets.
Bookie.
Bad or immoral behavior or habits.
Vice.
Now say the word and hear it in a sentence.
Legalize.
The state of California is considering legalizing marijuana for medicinal purposes.
Legalize.
The president is passing a bill that would legalize gay marriages throughout the country.
Legalize.
Considering the possible consequences, we think that is not a good idea to legalize dog racing in our state.
Vice.
Smoking is a dangerous and unhealthy vice that is difficult to quit.
Vice.
Blasphemy is a vice according to the Catholic Church.
Vice.
I think that gluttony is a vice that everyone can relate to.
Exploitation.
Canada is considering the exploitation of newly discovered oil fields.
Exploitation.
He got ahead in this industry through the exploitation of his friends and co-workers.
Exploitation.
Child labor exploitation is a concern in underdeveloped countries.
Sole purpose.
The sole purpose of this meeting is to decide on an idea for our new product.
Sole purpose.
The sole purpose of this new software is to prevent kids from accessing adult content on the internet.
Sole purpose.
My sole purpose in life is to become a rock legend.
Monetary.
The central bank is rethinking its monetary policy in order to avoid a recession.
Monetary.
I think we should become a non-monetary society and get goods and services through barter.
Monetary.
The necklace has sentimental value as opposed to monetary value.