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HISTORY
OF GAMBLING
Gambling is part of our legends, past and present. Wild Bill
Hickok, Bat Masterson, Wyatt Earp, Howard Hughes, Frank Sinatra
and the Rat Pack, Steve Wynn, and Donald Trump are just a
few of the personalities wrapped up in the story of American
gambling.
Everyone has a
gambling anecdote. Jokes about gambling filter into every
corner of our culture. "This guy walks into a bar with
a horse and a pack of cards... "
Gambling is (and
always has been) all around us. And yet casinos were illegal
everywhere in the US except Nevada for most of the 20th century.
That created an odd cultural contrast. Everyone knew about
gambling, but few people actually did it. The average American
played poker with friends and gambled in a casino once or
twice in a lifetime. People learned about the games from watching
movies.
Then came Atlantic
City, riverboats, Native American casinos, the Internet and
now gambling seems to be everywhere, not just conceptually
but physically. Most Americans have visited a casino at least
once. More than 60% of the adults in the U.S. gamble in some
way at least once a year.
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SUMMING
UP
Casinos have special deals for preferred customers. The deals
and comps vary from casino to casino, but expect the more
opulent establishments to require higher levels of play. In
a Strip casino or a downtown Las Vegas casino such as the,
Golden Nugget, expect to make minimum $100 bets for at least
four hours to get a free room, gourmet meals, and beverages.
That's a lot of action, so, if you can't afford this either
financially or emotionally, don't play at these levels just
for the comps.
If you can afford
it, however, and you like the idea of a fancy suite of rooms
and personal attention, by al means go for it. I suggest that
you study the sections on the table games such as blackjack,
so that you end up a winner because of your skill as a player.
Then everything is doubly sweet. You’re treated like
royalty, and you come home with more money than you started
with.
In smaller and
less fancy casinos, the minimum requirements are lower. Always
ask what they are before playing if you want to be chomped.
It doesn't pay to play at ($25) table for four hours only
to find you're entitled, nothing, if your main reason for
playing at this particular casino was to be chomped to a room
and meals. Once you the limits required, see if they fit into
your financial emotional setup. If uncomfortable with the
limits, let it go. Take a pass and go to another casino. |
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