Image via Wikipedia

World Cup 2010 is just around the corner. Daddies will be watching World Cup from all over the world. It would be great that daddy and kids sit down and watch together! Mothers are welcome to join too.

I am not going to discuss the teams or predicting which team will win, though I would love to. This is a blog about parenting.

It was World Cup 2002, hosted by South Korea and Japan. As it was held in Asia, the timing was right and created craze among Asians. Everyone was talking about World Cup, from young to old. That was the first time that I saw so much madness for World Cup. Those ladies and aunties who never watch soccer in their life also chipped in to watch. Community dinners and gatherings will show the matches live if there is.

This was the period that many started to gamble. I would like to share a story that happen to my friend then.
He was 17 then. He was not good in study, so he started work early. His income was low, and he was from a poor family. During World Cup 2002, he wanted to 'earn' more money. As most soccer fan, everyone think he is soccer expert. He followed friends in illegal betting. He won a few matches. He thought he understands soccer and his luck has come.

From betting with friends through illegal way, he started to collect bet. Each bet can up to thousands of dollars! Anything can happen in soccer. There were a lot of upsets in World Cup 2002. South was 4th, after beating the like of Italy and Spain! Argentina and France didn't qualify for 2nd round. These countries are famous with soccer.

Eventually he lost 30+ thousands. His debtors threatened him and harassed his family. His mother was too poor to pay his debt, went around for loan. Luckily he still has a sister who works a few years after graduate. She helped him to pay all the debt slowly, and had to postponed her marriage due to repaying the debt.

It is a lesson to be learned. Illegal betting can happen anywhere, over a meal, over a phone call. And now, with internet so popular, it is even easier to bet online!
There are plenty of websites that 'encourage' you to bet by giving you credits when you open account with them. And these websites can be found easily like on soccer players' jersey ads.

Online betting is just one click away. So, parents really need to monitor their kids, especially teenagers over potentially they involved in such activity. Before things get out of control, monitor and communicate with your kids well!