For Richer or Poorer

Slot Machines, the Porn of Idle Hands

There are days when I fool myself into thinking that a casino is better than the state lottery, because at least I'm getting some entertainment value from playing a slot machine than just wasting money on a little piece of paper known as a lottery ticket. But they're the same thing, i.e., spending my hard-earned cash in the hopes of making more money. Faith (mis)placed in a devil called "Chance."

I never win. Oh sure, I'll make a few dollars in profit through the one-armed bandit and his cohorts, but he takes it all away in the end. Dazzled, dazed, and disoriented by the colorful swirling lights and cling-clanging sounds of the various slot machines is like a water torture ordeal that leaves my wallet feeling very dry. I know my limits, but what of the others I see? Like zombies, they play with dire hopelessness by pressing a combination of buttons and mumbling to themselves about "just one more" and "I'll hit it big on the next spin." But they never do win, just like poor unlucky me.

What happened to the smiles of people who first enter a casino? As their wallets or purses quickly dry up, so do their merry expressions. I have never seen a sadder group of people than the elderly slot players who use up their retirement benefits just to make a few extra bucks. They almost never hit it big and the odds are clearly stacked against them. The process leaves them poorer than they were before. They know that, but they cannot seem to stop. For the senior citizen gambler, it's an unfortunate addiction that costs him or her a livelihood and an only means of income. They know what they're getting into, so I don't really hold any pity for grandma. Sorry you lost, but them there are the breaks!

September 24 is my wife's birthday. We're here in Atlantic City at the Trump Taj Mahal hotel & casino staying for two nights to celebrate her special day. Nothing says "love" than giving your spouse some cash and watching her lose it in a flash on a slot machine she doesn't even understand how to play. Thanks, my honey! I guess we'll be eating rice again for dinner this week.

...for richer or poorer...

~Andrew K.