| |
| |
|
Casino & Gambling Information |
|
|
|
The Eternal Allure of Gambling
I just spent three days in the land of milk and money - Las Vegas. There is something refreshingly honest about the place: it's all about money and it knows it. It doesn't pretend to be anything else. No doubt some of the architects think that their work has some importance of its own: the re-creations of Venice, Camelot, Paris, Egypt, and New York. Battling pirate ships and erupting volcanoes aside, once you enter the themed palaces, they are all the same: crap tables, blackjack tables, roulette wheels, and thousands upon thousands of slot machines - all promising to give you a fun time while you lose your money in the pursuit of a possible fortune. The lure of gambling has existed throughout recorded history but has never gripped the millions who now participate. We play state-sponsored lotteries, visit tribal and other legal casinos, create special accounts for Internet gaming, bet the horses, bet the dogs, bet on sports, fights, anything where we can catch the excitement of beating the odds. Moralists worry that a large percentage of those who risk their money, are those who cannot afford to risk anything: the poor, the unemployed, the minimum wage fringe who, at the best of times, barely hang on to the basement rung of the economic ladder. They argue that gambling should be a pleasant pursuit for those who can afford to lose a reasonable amount, using the money they have earned for purchasing excitement, entertainment, and momentary escape. Who's kidding who? For the middle class gamblers who bet on the super bowl, the derby, the occasional lottery ticket, or visit the casinos once or twice a year, gambling is a diversion, a fun time, a little bit of excitement sandwiched between the realities of career advancement, building a nest egg, raising children, and doing their civic duties. The thrill of a potential win is the lure of proving their ability to compete, to come out on top, to better their opponents, the pros, the odds, the morning line. It is a personal challenge that can boost their self-confidence when they win but has few negative effects when they lose because their real self-image relates to the important aspects of their lives, separate from their gaming ventures. It is those who cannot afford to lose who become addicted to the lure of chance. Stuck in minimum wage employment, without the education, the skills, or the entrepreneurial savvy to work their way up the social and economic pyramid, they see gambling as the promise of a permanent way out, a tsunami that can sweep them instantaneously to the top, an overnight millionaire. A lottery ticket, a slot machine, a pick 6 wager, plays no favorites. The poor, the homeless, the forgotten, the have-nots, all compete with the rich and famous on an equal footing. They become hooked on continued gaming because it is the only chance of reaching the lifestyle they want to achieve. A successful businessman wins a quarter of a million dollars and it is nice: a bonus, a chance to splurge on new toys, the opportunity to retire outstanding debts, or expand their company with a welcome infusion of capital. A working-class-stiff wins a quarter of a million dollars and it is truly life-changing. A janitor, a gardener, a fast food worker, a guard - with a windfall like that, they can turn their back on the roach-infested slum apartment and move to a better neighborhood or buy a small house and a new car. They can quit their hated job, help their families, participate in the good life they have only previously experienced as outsiders, looking in. The problem is that it is non-sustainable. Winning what seems like an enormous amount of money seldom leads to rational investment: education, skill upgrades, saving for future college costs or business opportunities. Moving from nothing to something, in an instant, is not an event likely to produce rational planning. For those whose monetary and emotional needs have never been truly met, immediate gratification is the direction of choice. A lifetime of denial demands a certain degree of self-indulgence when the means for it become miraculously available. Is it any wonder that a large percentage of lottery winners file bankruptcy within five years of their win? The moves, the changes, the life enhancements that substantial wins provide are ephemeral. In the short run, they provide an exciting exit from a black tunnel. In the long run, such a win turns negative - because the dream has become a reality, even if only for a brief moment, returning to prior levels of existence becomes an even more painful form of imprisonment. The need to recapture that dream, and perhaps maintain it this time if a mega-million prize can be snatched, keeps the gambling industry thriving and the promises of dream fulfillment entice us all, most especially the poor, into one more venture, one more ticket, one more chance. Virginia Bola is a licensed clinical psychologist with deep interests in Social Psychology and politics. She has performed therapeutic services for more than 20 years and has studied the effects of cultural forces and employment on the individual. The author of an interactive workbook, The Wolf at the Door: An Unemployment Survival Manual, and a monthly ezine, The Worker's Edge, she can be reached at http://drvirginiabola.blogspot.com
MORE RESOURCES:
Casino-Gambling - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Why Gamble on Sports? Its really not that big of a stretch of the ole imagination to think that today's gamblers are no different than gamblers of old, the only real difference is what gamblers of old wagered on and what gamblers of today wager on.Today we gamble on a lot of the very same things that gamblers of yesterday wagered on, with regard to wagering on horse races, cards, dice, and even political elections to name a few, but gamblers today have the ability to wager on a much wider assortment of things including but not limited to church and fire hall bingo, slot machines, poker machines and even state sponsored lotteries, heck, today we even have a state who has an economy built around gambling halls or what we now refer to as casinos. FSBO: For Sale By Owners - A Novel Fiction Work Preface We are For Sale By Owners, "FSBOs." We spend our time trying to sell ourselves and others on what we are doing or what we want to believe. American Gambling Basics Casinos have always been a destination for the wealthy and the famous, however, these days they are hoping to be a regular stopover. But the gambling cannot be confined to one spot. Want to Know the Roulette Bet With the Best Odds? Play on European Tables OnlyRoulette wheels can divided into 37 (European) or 38 (American) numbered slots depending on whether there are one or two zeros on the wheel marked 0 and 00. 37 numbered slots give the house a 2. Sports Betting Portfolio Management The subject of financial investment is such a wide and varied area. We all know (or should know), that investing surplus funds is a sound idea; nothing new there. 2005 World Series of Poker The 2005 World Series of Poker event is scheduled to begin June 2, 2005 in Las Vegas and an estimated 5,000 players are expected to participate in the $10,000 buy-in, no-limit Texas hold 'em main event. The event will be held at the Rio Hotel and Casino from June 3rd to July 15th, with the last two days taking place at Jack Binnions Horseshoe Casino in Las Vegas. Three Ways to Play Free Online Poker Getting to play poker online for free is the holy grail for a lot of poker players. You get to play your favourite poker games and it doesn't cost you anything. A Beginners Strategy Guide to Online Micro Limit Hold Em It's hard to miss the fact that the last two winners of the World Series of Poker were not professional poker players and the fact that Chris Moneymaker (2003) and Greg Raymer (2004) are online players. It's no wonder that online poker is exploding. 2 Great Methods To Free Online Poker What's one of the most common dreams for a an online poker player? It's playing good online poker for free. You can play the poker games you like the most and don't spend a cent. Mobile Gaming Leads the Way The state of online gambling may have just found another highly viable ally. The new world offered up by the mobile gaming industry can be highly rewarding for online casino operators and software providers, as the opportunity to play online, is increased by the popularity of hand-held devices such as PDAs, mobile handsets and palmtops. The Secret of Put Bets Pssst.. Tips to Win at Poker The following are guidelines only and although they are intended to help you win more often we cannot offer any guarantee. These guidelines are mainly for pot-limit draw poker (when the maximum raise is the amount of money in the pot):1. Wisconsin Casinos, The Top Three I have been gambling in Wisconsin since I was 16 years old! I snuck in for two years straight. After legally gambling at the age of 18 for a few months they moved the age limit up to 21. Protect Yourself by Understanding Casino Bonuses The majority of casinos attract new business by offering players an alluring casino bonus. It's worthwhile knowing how these bonuses work and how they affect you. Sports Betting Truths The first ever recorded sports bets, took place on 10 September 1858, by two spectators watching a game between the Brooklyn Eckfords and the New York Mutuals, placed a 100$ bet as to whether or not John Holden would hit a home run. Holden himself was assured 25$ if he hit, he did and after the game all the debts were settled. Poker Can Be Played for Money from the Comfort of Your Living Room?Legally! Poker is one of the world's all time favorite gambling card game. However, for most of us, to be able to legally gamble with poker, we'd need to travel to Vegas, or another location with legal poker tables. Why No-Limit Poker is Better Than Limit If you are a tight-aggressive player, you need to consider playing No-Limit Hold 'em if you aren't already. With proper play, not only can you expect to increase your hourly win rate, but you can make it much more difficult for your opponents to draw out on you. Why TV Poker Can Make You Wealthy! There's an awful lot of poker on the television these days. If you wanted to you could probably watch poker on the TV almost round the clock and the big events like the World Poker Tour and the World Series of Poker receive massive coverage. Gambling History of United States Against the popular belief, gambling did not originate in the US. Most of the popular gambling games played in the American casinos have their origin in various foreign locales. Gambling Myths: What You Absolutely Need to Know Gambling is considered a game of luck and chance. As the outcome is usually unsure, there are various myths that surround the world of gambling.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |