That moment when you are done with not just a job...

[smileyeagle1021]

... but an entire industry.
Yeah, finally had that moment last week.
I was talking with a new(er) employee on the count team, who was surprised how busy it was this time of year, and I replied quite calmly and matter of factly, "of course it is busy this time of year, people are trying to win money to pay for Christmas."
His reply was "so basically we are counting people's Christmas money for the next few weeks."
I don't know why, I've known for a while that casinos profit off of those who can least afford it, and I've always justified it as, no casino has ever forced someone to gamble, they made the choice, and I still believe that to this day, the casinos aren't some evil group of thugs roughing people up, but it still feels dirty to be involved in the industry.
I so need a different job and a change of scenery.

[wolfie]

From what I've seen (from the outside), casinos have all sorts of gaudy lighting displays, and numerous promotional giveaways (back in '06, the Red Garter in Wendover NV was even giving away a 379 Peterbilt). The money for this has to come from somewhere - with a bit of common sense, you can see that casinos take in far more money as bets than they pay out as winnings.

If someone views it as entertainment, and doesn't spend more than they can afford, I say go for it (even though it's not my cup of tea). If someone spends money that's needed for a necessity in hopes of winning enough to balance their budget, they've got a problem.

[notalwaysright]

A manager at my work goes with her husband every once in a while... They eat dinner, and take a certain amount of money each (like $20) and play until either it's gone, or they feel like going home. I see it like alcohol. Some people can have a drink and enjoy an evening, and some people wake up in a drunk tank.

[Food Lady]

I see it like alcohol. Some people can have a drink and enjoy an evening, and some people wake up in a drunk tank.

You just described my relationship with cookies. And ice cream.

[Android Kaeli]

I see it like alcohol. Some people can have a drink and enjoy an evening, and some people wake up in a drunk tank.

This is me. I've gambled at a casino three times in the past five years ] and didn't spend more then maybe $250 in total. That amount could be more, but I figure since I most likely won't be doing it again for another couple of years it's okay.

[Aria]

I've been to Vegas. I budgeted 100 dollars a day for gambling. I spent the week there, so I lost 700 dollars. I was cool with that, it was endless entertainment... I could have only lost 400 but I realized I had extra on the final day so I played the progressive slots.

Honestly, I don't think casinos or the industry are evil. Unfortunately, there will always be those for whom gambling is an addiction.

[Marmalady]

As my father would say, there's a difference between scratching your backside and tearing it to bits.

Sadly, whether it's drinking, gambling, shopping, or whatever, there are always going to be those who can't stop at the first option.

[reimero]

I get the dilemma, though. No, nobody is forcing anyone to gamble, but at the same time, it's impossible for someone in smileyeagle's situation to ignore the fact that people do act foolishly and often out of desperation, and that casinos often profit greatly. The key difference between working at a casino and working at a bar is that a reputable bartender or server will recognize when a customer is in a dangerous place (i.e. drunk) and will take appropriate action (e.g. trying to confiscate keys, call a cab, cut them off, etc.), whereas a disreputable bartender or server will continue to serve (in many cases risking his or her liquor license.) Casinos aren't as cut-and-dried.

I'm not saying casinos are evil places: I've gambled a few times myself (and actually am ahead over my lifetime - I hit one medium-sized prize and really don't gamble much; it's not like I'm good). But the nature of casinos is such that they will get people gambling who can't afford to, and they will be taking money from people who can't afford to lose it. In that sense, though, it's no different from the gas station/convenience store/grocery store clerk who sells lottery tickets to people who have to choose between gambling and eating/meds/what have you.

And it takes a big person to walk away from a good gig because it gnaws at their personal conscience.

[mjr]

Rule #1 of gambling: "The house" always wins...

To me, it's kinda like the movie "War Games" (the safest strategy is not to play).

However, if you're going to play, your safest bet (based solely on my research and nothing else) is to play Craps, and either bet pass/come or don't pass/don't come.

It only pays 1:1, but the "house odds" are the lowest (1.41% and 1.36%, respectively).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craps#...ds_and_summary

Here's also an interesting article from The Daily WTF about a gambling "strategy" and how futile it is...it's also a good illustration of "The Gambler's Fallacy".

http://thedailywtf.com/articles/Knoc...-Off-The-Perch

[Ghel]

Casinos do promotions to draw people in, but they also do things to keep people in for as long as possible. There's never a clock or a window in viewing distance of a slot machine. It's easy to lose track of time that way and spend more than you had intended.

The casinos on the reservations here in Minnesota are the same way. Yeah, they bill themselves as a "resort," with boating, fishing, golfing, etc., but those are all things that they use to draw people in to the casino. Then you get stuck in the same maze of machines with no windows or clocks in sight.

The last time I was in a casino, I spent the majority of my time in the arcade. If I'm going to lose money, I might as well enjoy it.

[Geek King]

Here's one of my favorite sites about the mathematics of gambling. He works (or did work) as a professional odds maker for casino games, and really goes into the nitty gritty of how the calculations go, what strategies take best advantage of game features, and whatnot. He also has some fun industry stories from years of doing this stuff. Also a wonderful way to convince yourself not to gamble

[LoTech]

The last time I was in a casino, I spent the majority of my time in the arcade. If I'm going to lose money, I might as well enjoy it.

The nearest actual restaurant (as opposed to a bar equipped with an auto-fry) to my house is in an Indian casino in Minnesota. I WISH that they had an arcade in that place! Free WiFi and self serve fountain drinks don't provide much alternative to the one-armed bandits. The SO and I do occasionally take in the buffet.

[mjr]

I do have an interesting question about casinos...

Card games aside, if you start winning decent amounts of money, but you aren't doing anything illegal, can casinos ask you to leave?

I know it violates the "Gambler's Fallacy", but work with me.

If I follow a modified version of the following procedure here (http://thedailywtf.com/articles/Knoc...-Off-The-Perch)

1. Monitor roulette tables until a color comes up 3 consecutive times.
2. Go to table and bet on opposite color (not a specific number)
3. If the bet is successful, go back to step 1.
4. If the bet is NOT successful, bet 1.5x as much (instead of $10, bet $15)
5. If that bet fails, go back to step #1.

And I start with, let's say $100 in my "bank", but I end up after a time with $5,000, can the casino ask me to leave or ask me not to play anymore? And could I get into legal trouble?

I mean, I've heard stories of people going into casinos, and "cleaning them out" (to use the phrase) and the casino trying to get them into some sort of legal trouble.

Not that $5,000 is a lot to a casino, I'm just wondering.

[Chromatix]

If they think you've found a genuine fault in their games which you're using to cheat, rather than simply getting lucky, then they will kick you out. That's what the millions of cameras are for.

Of course, the luckier you are, and more particularly the longer and more consistent your lucky streak, the more suspicious they'll get and the more scrutiny you'll invite.

[Tama]

I've always been told that the best machines are near the entrance because they want you to see people winning when you go by