In theory they've now purchased a book that clearly shows they should have read something before they played, or by buying the book and paying someone else to tutor them, they stubbornly realize they need help. Sports bettors on the other hand seem intellectually challenged by the process. They are true thinkers. Looking for angles, chomping on statistics, hoping for a computer program to perform miracles week after week, searching for that key factor of combination of factors that will make them money and add esteem to their life during the season. They never quit.
Time is money they rationalize.
Gamblers come in every shape, form and occupation. I'm not Freud. I can't get into someone's mind. I can't tell them to quit being so self-destructive or stubborn. But I know the books better than most people.