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Admiral is a chain of betting offices operating mainly in Austria. The 39 Admiral spots located in Vienna have simple yet not barren interior, often held in blue, yellow and grey. Although there are outliers which have a more sophisticated complexion. Bets are placed on betting Terminals. Television Screens are plastered on the walls, at any time broadcasting all the major European football leagues, Tennis, Horse-racing and more selectively Basketball, Ice Hockey and other sports. The clientele is diverse, even though you rarely see a woman in an admiral location. Sports betting dates back thousands of years, with evidence of betting activities found in ancient civilizations such as the Greeks, Romans, and Chinese. In ancient Rome, sports betting was prevalent, with chariot races and gladiator contests attracting large amounts of betting activity. The Romans even had professional bookmakers who facilitated betting on various events. During the Middle Ages, sports betting continued to exist in various forms across Europe as well. In the 19th century, sports betting as we know it emerged together with the establishment of organized sports competitions and leagues, with horse racing proving to be especially popular for betting. Through the Introduction of online betting platforms, the Internet revolutionized sports betting by enabling betters to place bets against each other rather than through bookmakers. By now, sports betting has become a global industry, with billions of dollars placed on sporting events each year and sports leagues embracing sports betting as a source of revenue through sponsorships and partnerships. Sports betting became legalized and regulated in Austria in the 80s. Admiral Sportwetten GmbH was founded in 1991 in Gumpoldskirchen, Austria. It started as a small betting office, offering primarily sports betting services. Over time, Admiral expanded its offerings beyond traditional sports betting across casino games and slot machines. In 2011, Novomatic Group, an Austrian gaming technology company, acquired a majority stake in Admiral Sportwetten GmbH. In line with the industry trend towards digital transformation, Admiral launched an online betting platform and a mobile app to cater to the growing demand for online gambling services. Admiral sponsors more than 200 clubs in Austria. In the Austrian Football League, the company sponsors SK Rapid Wien, FK Austria Wien, SK Sturm Graz, LASK, Admira, WAC and SKN St. Pölten as well as being the naming sponsor of the Austrian Basketball League between 2008 and 2019 and the official sponsor of the Austrian women's national football team since 2017. It seems the transition of betting as an analogue activity to it being a fully digital experience is about done halfway. Bets can be placed on the Admiral App or in a location at a Terminal. So one can f.e. place a bet at a Location, watch at home, decide to cash out live while watching and get their winnings paid out in cash again at a location. In order to take part in betting one needs an Admiral Card which has to be charged with money. The costs of Bets can't be wired directly to a bank account. Sports betting is a highly globalized, digitalized and obviously highly commercialized undertaking, but on smaller scale it also reinforces already existing communities. No one takes a train to go betting. You are most likely to meet people from your neighbourhood in betting offices, and furthermore they often serve as meeting places especially for immigrant communities. However, Admiral is not the right place to conduct a study of a particular millieu. It's not a place to be a voyeur and not a place to make friends either. There are at the moment 39 Admiral spots, quite evenly distributed in Vienna, although there are none in the 9th or 19th district. One of them is the Admiral Arena: Europe's biggest sports bar and probably the closest you can get to Las Vegas without leaving Vienna. You could spend whole days here and it would feel like only 2 hours passed. 18 of the 39 are classified as sports bars, 15 as regular branches and 5 as franchise branches In comparison, Tipico – Admirals equivalent in Germany – is known to strategically place their spots in low-income areas with a higher percentage of migrants. Their Locations are mostly franchises, with more strict guidelines regarding the management and outfitting of their locations. Everyone gambles. We gamble not to get hit by cars, for our trains not to derail, to not get killed by terrorists, to not slip in the shower and break our necks. I see a world full of winners. There is a misconception that a gambler is addicted to winning. If a gambler were addicted to winning, he would simply get a job. Rarely are you excited about a pay check as if you won a jackpot. In gambling there is uncertainty and where there is uncertainty there is hope. And isn't hope the most beautiful thing to be addicted to. If you place a bet - lets say on football - you take all the fears and uncertainties in your life: of death, of the future, of the past, family, relationships, the fear of being abandoned, being ridiculed, not being enough, being a burden, being insignificant, too many expectations, fear of decay and disease, your own and those close to you. Even the fear of dentists, heights or snakes. You temporarily trade them all in for a new fear, a banal fear: the fear of the ball not going where you want it to go. Gambling is irrational but not without rules. You can decide the terms of your fear. The gambler puts his destiny in the hands of Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur, BVB Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen, Erling Haaland, Florian Wirtz or Zverev, Djokovic, Tsitsipas If I ask you now: In whose hands lies your destiny? Can you name names? Location: Perspektivstraße 141, 1020 Laurenzerberg 3, 1010 Quellenstraße 43, 1100 Quellenstraße 82, 1100 Schlachthausgasse 31, 1030 Laxenburger Straße 81, 1100 Simmeringer Hauptstraße 29, 1110 Gablenzgasse 1-3, 1150 Steinbauergasse 10, 1120 Ottakringer Straße 146, 1160 Simmeringer Hauptstraße 117, 1110 Hernalser Hauptstraße 7, 1170 Genochplatz 2, 1220 Wien Klosterneuburger Straße 67, 1200 Ottakringer Straße 56, 1170 Donaueschingenstraße 15, 1200 Blindengasse 1, 1080 Favoritenstraße 155, 1100 Thaliastraße 120-122, 1160 Jägerstraße 29, 1200 Hütteldorfer Straße 56, 1150 Operngasse 18, 1040 Reinprechtsdorfer Straße 42, 1050 Am Hauptbahnhof 1, 1100 Inzersdorfer Straße 100, 1100 Meidlinger Hauptstraße 75, 1120 Laxenburger Straße 121, 1100 Favoritenstraße 95, 1100 Hütteldorfer Straße 84-86, 1140 Mariahilfer Straße 131, 1150 Hernalser Hauptstraße 128, 1170 Pasettistraße 25, 1200 Sparkassaplatz 6, 1150 Donaufelder Straße 6, 1210 Rennbahnweg 40, 1220 Kürschnergasse 9, 1210 Franz-Jonas-Platz 1, 1210 Prater 93, 1020 Invalidenstraße 9, 103
