I’m not much of a gambler. In fact, I am a complete coward when it comes to wagering my hard earned money on anything that is uncertain. I would rather invest my money in sure things like…the Stock Market. Why are you laughing at me?
I have never been comfortable gambling, mainly because I don’t understand gambling that much. I do like going to Las Vegas but not for the games of chance. I enjoy the spectacle of the place. Just walking around the casinos and people watching is a very inexpensive means of entertainment. It is amazing what you see in that city. One time, we were at the hotel that had Lady Gaga in residence and we walked in right before they opened the doors to the theater. Many of the attendees of the show were dressed up to look like Lady Gaga, and many of them were men. One guy with a Grizzly Adams type beard looked lovely in his bedazzled gown. On the same trip, another hotel had Jimmy Buffet performing and the casino was filled with Buffet fans walking around in Hawaiian shirts with Parrot hats. I found out later that Jimmy Buffet fans are referred to as “Parrot Heads.” Makes more sense to me than some guy from Wisconsin wearing a wedge of cheese on his head.
There are plenty of things to like in Las Vegas without risking your money. The M&M Store on the Strip. How can that be a bad thing, unless you are a severe diabetic. The store is filled with every flavor of M&M ever created and you can buy all kinds of junk related to the candy product. I can imagine that yellow statue of the cartoon version of the Peanut M&M sitting on the same shelf as the wife’s fine China. You can also find any kind of cuisine, no matter how disgusting it seems. Las Vegas is living proof that you don’t have to go to the county fair to find fried everything. One casino I walked through was even selling air. Yes, air. For a few bucks you could get a fresh breath of oxygen laden air. From there you can go get a massage in a thing that looks like an Iron Lung and have a burst of water beat you up, or as they call it, a massage, until you relax. Ignore the bruises.
Wherever you go in Las Vegas people are gambling. That is the “industry” of this growing city. All the other peripheral stuff is there to draw people to the city and get them close to the gambling hoping they’ll jump in and drop a wad. If you’re in Vegas, you can’t complain about all the wagering going on. A fitting metaphor is, if you’re in the forest, a bear can eat you. The forest is his home. If you’re at home and a bear tries to break in and eat you, you can shoot the bear. Because it is your home. Of course you have to take into account that the bear is an endangered species and you’re not. You’ll probably be arrested, even though the shooting was in self defense but at least the bear didn’t eat you. Does that make sense?
If you’re in Vegas, there’s going to be gambling. On the other hand when I’m trying to buy gas or a large Diet Coke at my corner gas/mini-mart when I’m back at home, I don’t expect to have to wait while someone satisfies their gambling addiction by purchasing lotto tickets. You know the type. They come into the store with a portfolio containing the lotto slips that they spent hours filling out at home, so they can buy their daily fill of PowerBall, Mega Millions or whatever state lotto game they really have very little chance of winning. They just can’t walk into the store, put their slips down, give the money and walk out with their hopes for the future. No, they have to shuffle their slips around a bit, then grab another blank one from the lotto display just in case they have a sudden inspiration of winning numbers. They also must check the slips they purchased yesterday on the little, bar code reading device that delivers the bad news instantaneously, while in the middle of buying the ones for today. They need to do this just in case they win $1 on their last $100 purchase, to help defray the cost of their current buy.
Once they finish their 15 minute purchase of another $100 of losing lotto numbers, they turn to leave, then turn back because they forgot to buy their daily quota of scratcher tickets. This could take forever. Even though they buy them every day, they seem to forget how each ticket work, how they pay off just in case they actually win something and how much each ticket costs. They throw down their money and start scratching before the purchase is complete. Do they ever think about the poor guy waiting behind them trying to pay for their Mega Diet Coke. I’m…I mean…that guy usually has time to finish the Coke, hit the restroom and get a refill before paying for it. I may or may not be speaking from experience.
I think one of the saddest things I have ever seen while checking out from the grocery store, are people buying scratcher tickets from a machine near the check out line. They buy a few, go off to the side, scratch them off, throw out the losers and come back and repeat their futility. I did see one person do this over and over again and they were still there when I left the store.
Now it seems that sports gambling has become commonplace in our society. As I watch football games I am bombarded with commercials for apps for my phone that will allow me to lose money by guessing on the outcome of all different kinds of games. To support this form of gambling, sports networks and shows now include what the point spread for each game is and have experts recommending bets that includes the over/under, spread, alternate lines, chalk and value bets. What do they mean? I have no clue. I’m having a hard enough time figuring out what I owe in taxes.
If I bet on sports, I would wager with my heart, and I would be in deep trouble. Considering my teams include the Chicago Bears, Cubs and Blackhawks, I would have no money to pay taxes on.
Let me be clear, I am not against gambling. There are many people who enjoy doing it and are in complete control when they do it. I do have one friend who seems to be very good at it and has to deal with his luck when tax time rolls around…and I’ve seen the receipts to prove it.
I think I will avoid the stress that comes with making choices when risking my money. I have enough pressure deciding whether to turn left or right at the next intersection while driving.
©2022 BBRiley.net
bbriley.net 