Gambling: Of Dice
and Men
I decided to
include this section because gambling in many forms is rapidly spreading
across North America with full government approval and promotion.
Gambling is a form of entertainment and whomever is giving you the
opportunity to gamble is expecting you to eventually pay for it.
Otherwise, why would they put out the effort? For example, casinos are
designed to help you part with your hard earned cash as quickly as
possible. Their owners will do nearly anything to get you in the door
including the offer of free rooms, meals, drinks and show tickets.
Casino profits depend on a steady flow of customers passing through, of
whom a certain percentage lose money.
Once you are inside the casino, the casino’s employees will deal the
casino’s cards according to the casino’s rules. You may also choose to
place your money in or on one of the casino’s machines. Under these
circumstances the average player will notice the casino has a more than
slight advantage. Though there are occasional big winners, gambling is
designed to relieve you of your money if you play long enough.
I learned to enjoy gambling without spending too much money by studying
How to Gamble in a Casino by Tom Ainslie. He outlines a way of
controlling how to allocate your money and then teaches the best
gambling strategies. It’s fun to skillfully gamble for an evening, visit
with others players, and leave the casino with a small profit in your
pocket. I have spent numerous enjoyable evenings following Ainslie’s
advice and highly recommend his book.
As is the case with many exciting activities, gambling can become an
addiction. If you feel a need to gamble on a regular basis you may be in
trouble. Gamblers Anonymous (GA) has prepared a list of 20 questions it
considers useful in identifying the compulsive gambler. According to GA,
most compulsive gamblers will agree with at least 7 of the following
questions:
-
Do you lose
time from work due to gambling?
- Is gambling
making your home life unhappy?
-
Is gambling
affecting your reputation?
-
Have you
ever felt remorse after gambling?
-
Do you ever
gamble to get money with which to pay debts or to otherwise solve
financial difficulties?
-
Does
gambling cause a decrease in your ambition or efficiency?
-
After
losing, do you feel you must return as soon as possible and win back
your losses?
-
After a
win, do you have a strong urge to return and win more?
-
Do you
often gamble until your last dollar is gone?
-
Do you ever
borrow to finance your gambling?
-
Have you
ever sold any real or personal property to finance gambling?
-
Are you
reluctant to use “gambling money” for normal expenditures?
-
Does
gambling make you careless of the welfare of your family?
-
Do you ever
gamble longer than you had planned?
-
Do you ever
gamble to escape worry or trouble?
-
Have you
ever committed or considered committing an illegal act to finance
gambling?
-
Does
gambling cause you to have difficulty in sleeping?
-
Do
arguments, disappointments or frustrations create within you an urge
to gamble?
-
Do you have
an urge to celebrate any good fortune by a few hours of gambling?
-
Have you
ever considered self-destruction as a result of your
gambling?
If you answered “yes” to 7 or
more of these questions, you should consider contacting Gambler’s
Anonymous. They’re likely listed in the white pages of your
telephone book.
Addictions tend to
affect lives in predictable ways. If you suspect having another form
of addiction, such as to alcohol or drugs, substitute it for
gambling in the following list.
Do you lose time from work due to __________?
Is __________ making your home life unhappy?
Is __________ affecting your reputation?
Have you ever felt remorse after __________?
Does __________ cause a decrease in your ambition or efficiency?
Do you often __________ until your last dollar is gone?
Do you ever borrow to finance your __________?
Have you ever sold any real or personal property to finance __________?
Does __________ make you careless of the welfare of your family?
Do you ever __________ longer than you had planned?
Do you ever __________ to escape worry or trouble?
Have you ever committed or considered committing an illegal act to finance __________?
Do arguments, disappointments or frustrations create within you an urge to __________?
Have you ever considered self-destruction as a result of your __________?
..
