Slevin's dad was an idiot. The bookie offered him 2.1-to-1 on a 20K bet on the horse race, while the odds at the track were 7-to-1 or 9-to-1 (I can't remember, it doesn't really matter, as the point is they were significantly higher). So in the end, he owes 22K to "very bad people." Had he gone to the track, he could have bet a fraction of that amount to gain the same profit, would have only been in debt to a legitimate gambling facility, and would have been betting an amount (4-5K) he probably could have gotten in cash in time to make the bet. Even if he had lost, the smaller amount would probably have been an easier burden to shoulder by the family. So, for the same reward, he could have risked (comparatively) next to nothing. He was, in the end, an idiot.
Slevin's dad was an idiot. The bookie offered him 2.1-to-1 on a 20K bet on the horse race, while the odds at the track were 7-to-1 or 9-to-1 (I can't remember, it doesn't really matter, as the point is they were significantly higher). So in the end, he owes 22K to "very bad people." Had he gone to the track, he could have bet a fraction of that amount to gain the same profit, would have only been in debt to a legitimate gambling facility, and would have been betting an amount (4-5K) he probably could have gotten in cash in time to make the bet. Even if he had lost, the smaller amount would probably have been an easier burden to shoulder by the family. So, for the same reward, he could have risked (comparatively) next to nothing. He was, in the end, an idiot.