Gambling is an evil thing

[Genie+]

The only thing I truly enjoyed gambling on was horse racing back in the day. The cost/enjoyed ratio was usually positive. For gambling my thoughts go to: If i used this money elsewhere, how likely is that to be more satisfying. This is why I don’t buy scratchoffs and have never initiated a casino trip myself. There’s always something I’d prefer insted.

 

[BlueStarryHat]

I'm finally getting to go to the casino again on the 25th of this month. I haven't gone since my uncle got sick and then passed some years ago and then the pandemic. I budgeted for it, and I *never* deviate from my budget, don't bring my debit card, and once the money's gone I'm done. I'll miss my uncle being there, though-quite apart from the fact that I loved him to bits, he used to slip me ten dollar bills when he thought my aunt wasn't looking whenever I ran out of money earlier than everyone else.

 

[Brian Noble]

Luckily for me, gambling does not scratch my particular itch, because in other dimensions of my life "too much of everything is just enough." I just can't get past the fact that, on average, every $1 I put on the table will return $0.96 in games of chance. In games of skill I assume the person on the other side of the bet knows more than I do.

This is also why I'm a dyed-in-the-wool index investor.

 

[SpaceMan5]

I jumped to the last page so forgive me if someone has said this. I view gambling as entertainment, just like going out to the movies or dining out.
I set a limit of how much $ that I am willing to lose. Same thing with going out to dinner, I am not going to overspend on a Wagyu steak when a regular cut of steak will be just fine.

 

[Neapolitan Ice Cream]

I had a similar experience on my last trip. I convinced myself I was just going to have some fun, but before I knew it, I was down way more than I planned. It's crazy how quickly it can spiral out of control, right? Recognizing those moments of temptation and actively avoiding them is a big win in itself.

I don't gamble anymore when I go to Vegas. The last time I did, I won some money, went to cash it in and thought, why not make it into a bigger pot of cash? Whoops. Lost it all and then some! It's amazing how quickly you end up chasing your debts unless you are very disciplined about your spending, and I have found through experience that I am not My own fault. Now I just steer clear.

 

[texaslover]

I jumped to the last page so forgive me if someone has said this. I view gambling as entertainment, just like going out to the movies or dining out.
I set a limit of how much $ that I am willing to lose. Same thing with going out to dinner, I am not going to overspend on a Wagyu steak when a regular cut of steak will be just fine.

This is exactly what I said earlier in the thread. I get free hotel rooms for using a players card so I see trips to the casino as mini vacays. I just went for 2 nights with my friends and we ate for free, stayed in the hotel for free, and gambled what we were comfortable with. We also used the pool and spa which was nice! There have definitely been times where I went to the ATM to get a little extra but only if I had the expendable income. I've also won over $13,000 on one hit which set me up to recarpet and repaint my house and use the rest for other casino trips without getting into the daily bank account. 4 years later I'm still playing on that win! And also bought living room furniture !

 

[Dive Bar Casanova]

The most expensive hotel room in Las Vegas is a free room.

Over the years I've seen friends & co workers beat all kinds of addictions - but never beat a gambling addiction.

 

[Dive Bar Casanova]

Remember Las Vegas and on-Shore American casinos have State and Federal regulations.
Up until about a Decade ago the Casino "RAKE", that is the maximum amount of money from a machine the casino could keep was 26%. The rest was payouts. How and when had to be totally random but the casino has some adjustments they could do.

That quickly jumped to 31% and it's changed since.
No regulation like that on cruise ships.
Set the machines any way they want.

 

[shimalkharia]

Well, it can be a slippery slope, and it's easy to get caught up in the excitement. It's great that you've learned from your experience and are now taking steps to avoid temptation. Remember, the house always has the edge.

 

[shimalkharia]

Gambling is fine if you play a game where you have an edge over the casino.

 

[Neapolitan Ice Cream]

Well, it can be a slippery slope, and it's easy to get caught up in the excitement. It's great that you've learned from your experience and are now taking steps to avoid temptation. Remember, the house always has the edge.

That's so true. You can minimise your chances of losing, but in the end, the House always comes out on top.

 

[_19disnA]

....seems a prior comment was removed, so my post no longer applies.

 

[Neapolitan Ice Cream]

This is exactly what I said earlier in the thread. I get free hotel rooms for using a players card so I see trips to the casino as mini vacays. I just went for 2 nights with my friends and we ate for free, stayed in the hotel for free, and gambled what we were comfortable with. We also used the pool and spa which was nice! There have definitely been times where I went to the ATM to get a little extra but only if I had the expendable income. I've also won over $13,000 on one hit which set me up to recarpet and repaint my house and use the rest for other casino trips without getting into the daily bank account. 4 years later I'm still playing on that win! And also bought living room furniture !

Lucky duck!

 

[Chuck S]

I enjoy gambling. Sometimes I win, sometime I lose. BUT I also don't go gambling all that often. I was shocked when my Mom won $150 at the Las Vegas airport on a nickel machine years ago, while waiting on a flight home. I've never won anything at the airport.

But Wow, rooms and meals have gotten so expensive, I haven't been for several years. Even at the Native American hotel casino South of San Antonio. I used to get free nights regularly. I'm just not gonna pay those room rates to go on an overnight gambling junket. And I'm not going to drive 6 hours round trip in one day just to gamble.

 

[hardcorestitch]

100% agree. All that money spent on a bet or gamble… even a lottery ticket… could have been money to help get to Disney…