The best it could possibly do is get my opinion back to square one. That's just a ****ty deal.

"Surprise! I brought you the opposite of a dowry and I didn't tell you about it until it was too late!!! How do you like me now!!!"

Sad story, but not a unique one. Friend who lives in Lincoln City told me a tale of someone he knew having a life ruined after the Indian Casino moved in there...a business and a home lost, a marriage broken up.

A guy I knew. Sad story.

His father owned a Chinese green grocers store that was very popular and did a lot of business.

His father sold the business then went gambling with the money (Chinese gambling den - probably crooked as hell). By the end of the weekend it was ALL gone and Hong and his family were poor and never recovered from that.

I don't gamble any more. I used to bet on college football every weekend, but lost interest when I moved to the farm. I'm too busy to spend Saturdays watching football on TV. For about 10 years I was part of a pack of publishers who went to "conventions" in Vegas a couple of times a year. I played a lot of black jack and video poker. Again, I lost track after I retired and moved to the farm. I haven't been to Vegas in years.
So no, I guess I don't like to gamble. Not enough to do it for it's own sake.

There is a horse racing track and full blown casino just 6.1 miles from my house. So I can go watch a horse race, and bet on the horses, then go gamble at the Vegas style casino. In 35 years I have been twice with a $20 bill to throw away. It is fun to bet on a horse and see it win and win a few bucks, but rare. Both visits I lost my 20 bucks and when home. It was just like going to the movies. Only beer and food is more expensive. ;)

One of our former customers at a previous job loved to strut in and brag about all the winning he was doing at the track. He just did not mention the many losses. One day he came in to pick up his print order and asked if he could pay next week. The boss said pay next week when you pick up the prints. Later we found out he was getting a divorce as he had gambled away his house, his car, and his wife's car and every other asset. His wife and kids had to move in with her parents temporarily as she divorced him, and she had to start over financially.

Our customer did eventually send his customer to our photo lab to pick up the order and pictures at their wedding, so we got paid, but he owed them way more photos he never ordered. Last we heard, he was homeless as everyone that knew him were no longer going to be enablers and help him keep gambling.

Just let your imagination run wild. That's a better option.

My great uncle used to bet on horses in T.J. during the 40's & 50's. He made money at it (according to my dad), but he supposedly knew all kiinds of statistics about the jockeys, horses, how they ran on wet or dry tracks, etc., etc. My dad & I went with him a couple of times. I think my dad won $2 once.

Not only don't I 'gamble' but I can't even empathize with those that do. Best I can come up with, I'd need to believe in a higher power and/or believe 'lady luck' was on my side. Otherwise its just probability, I could play with that flipping a coin without betting anything.

There's got to be some sort of psychological tendency that makes people 'gamble'. I have friends that go to casinos for fun and they know how I feel. We just don't talk about it.

The gambling I do is trying to understand and react in the actual world.

^^^^ I think a lot of folks might gamble, whether betting on sports, lotto tix, or visiting a casino as "just entertainment" and it's not much different than any other form that you spend some disposable $$$ on .... and certainly no biggie imo. I'm not one btw...

It's a whole 'nuther matter to have the genetic makeup that causes one to become addicted.

And lets face it... the average person just sucks at maf .... and half of the bell curve is even worse ;).

I had 2 Brother in Laws that were gambling addicts. I'm almost certain they would bet on the time of day. Their passion was horse racing. The amount of money they went thru was staggering. Win big and lose bigger - always in search of the big score. It cost the loss of a business with one of them.

Not a gambler.

I do buy a fantasy lottery ticket about ever two or three years when the pot is enormous.

But I was schooled early on cards. My grandpa played cards daily. Never for money. Just entertainment. He started when he was under 10- selling cigarettes on a train and gambling and smoking on the return trip. My grandpa was absolutely brilliant and my extended family ALL played to come in second after grandpa- he honestly didn’t ever lose.

So he trained me to accept failure very young. I am terrible at cards. Don’t enjoy most games, and have no interest in gambling.

It’s a weird world that I am happy not to live in.

I love to gamble - but I hate losing even more - and I'm good at math - so I don't gamble.

50% of the folks who say "I do" .... don't :D

My mom was good at betting on horses.

I'll let you in on her secret.

The top jockeys don't ride horses that are likely to lose. Plus the owners don't pay top dollar for the best jockey if their horse hasn't got a chance. So my mom would bet on the horse that the top jockey was riding. Just about every time we went to the races she came out well on top.

Betting on the top jockey's ride is a smart strategy. They're usually on the best horses for a reason, and it increases the odds of a successful bet.
As for me, I do enjoy a bit of gambling from time to time. Whether it's at the track or trying my luck with some online games, it's all about having fun and maybe catching a lucky streak.
Speaking of online gambling, there's this cool spot called the bet online casino that's been gaining some attention lately. Heard they have a wide range of games to choose from. It might be worth checking out for some virtual casino action.

I’ve had nothing to do but sit around and try to heal. Thought about getting an account and betting on some football, but it doesn’t seem like it would be as much fun now that it’s legal. Engaging in an illegal activity with sketchy overseas “partners” was part of the fun. Plus I’ve had all the time in the world and only watched a couple of games all season. Just no interest anymore.

Not smart enough. Went to the black Jack table with one of my son-in-laws on a cruise (only because he wanted to). Decided to limit myself to $50 but they play so fast, I was still trying to figure out how much 8 and 7 is and my money was all gone. Didn’t find the experience very much fun.

I went to the track the second time and I had $20 to blow and that was all. One of the few horse races I won $6 dollars on my 2$ bet was when I was down at the paddock looking at the horses and jockeys. I saw an obvious track bum that looked homeless, and very dirty form the track dirt, mumbling and he saw one horse and mumbled that's the one. So with that sage advice, I bet on that horse and won. Then I realized my advice was from a guy that is a gambling addict, and not a expert at all. Later I bet my last $5 of the $20 budget on the favorite. I was expecting to win my $5 back and maybe two bucks more. That horse was so slow it finished dead last, way behind the rest of the field and I think I could have out run in on foot. I went home with $20 of fun, but not near enough fun to make me want to go back.

My luck is of such a nature that if I ever had to fall into a barrel of tits, I'd probably come up sucking my thumb.

Hence, I don't gamble.

We used to go to Vegas for Super Bowl with a "Wiseguy" named Eddie. He'd get us comped rooms at The Riviera while he had a multi room suite. He always told me his idea of a vacation was spending time at the Blackjack table ($500 minimum) and was miserable when his Wife would talk him into vacationing in Hawaii.

We'd run around, he'd gamble and we always had a big Italian dinner at one of the restaurants on Saturday night with his "Wiseguy" friends. They would shed their daytime "Guido Tuxedos" for fashion more out of the movie "Goodfellas". Never had a problem getting tickets to a popular show or concert afterwards and then it was watching the game Sunday in the big Ballroom.

I was working on a show one year and didn't think I could get away but was able to drive there at the last minute. Sunday we're in Eddie's room after the game and "The Boys" find out I'm the only one not flying but driving home on Monday.

Next thing I know the guys start handing me manila envelopes to take back to LA with me. Tuesday I drive down to Eddie's "business" to drop them off and a few of the guys are there and they start to open theirs. Just from what I saw there must have been $300-500k in cash I was transporting that they didn't want to bring on the plane.

Boy was I glad I didn't have any "incidents" on the drive back.

When we were traveling out west one year, we stopped off at Vegas, and I spent $10 on the slot machines. That’s it. That’s my total gambling story.

I don’t carry cash with me, so every once in a while, when I stop to get gas and something to drink, I’ll get an extra 10 or 20 back to buy lottery tickets.