When the casino becomes the refuge of the poor rather the playground of the rich

[Ann Chovie]

I was wondering what other members views were on Casinos in town centres? Are they plush playgrounds for the well heeled to enjoy their leisure time or rather the last desperate refuge of the poor and desperate?

We have had a Casino open very recently in Milton Keynes. I visited it recently with a group of friends on route for an evening out.

Having only ever visited one Casino before on a cruise ship and having it match up to the movie portrayals of such establishments I was shocked by what I saw.

There were no glamourous croupiers, or even well dressed croupiers. Only tired looking ones in cheap uniforms and scrapped back hair. They had every appearance of someones mum trying to cope with a second job in the evening.

The players were dressed mostly in hoodies, parkas and trainers. No evening wear, glamourous dresses and no atmosphere at all. Just a humourless bustle and a bar.

The whole place seemed desperate and dirty. The refuge of the poor gambling any amount they could afford with a dream of paying of debts or at least the gas bill!

Nothing like the playground of the rich or even the 'quite comfortable really'.

The minimum bet was 5op which seemed to sum up the predicted client market.

It was disturbing to all of us and we left very quickly. It felt like some desperate dream people were chasing of clearing their debts which turned out to be just another way for them to be dragged further into poverty.

As if to prove this point we had a client who came for advice on debt management(CAB) some time back. She had been massively in debt and was being advised on how to get herself out of difficulty and avoid eviction. Following her appointment she had taken out a loan of £5000 and over the course of two weeks had lost the whole lot in the Casino trying to pay off all the previous loans.

One of many I suspect and a matter of great concern. A Casino popping up in Milton Keynes at this time was never going to be a good thing.

 

[Mischief]

Here in the U.S., casinos have long constituted an additional tax on the poor.

 

[Freesia]

Casinos suck.

 

[Blobbenstein]

I think Tony Blair wanted a super casino in the UK....says it all really.

 

[Moll Flanders]

I've only been in one casino in Nice, France and I was fairly underwhelmed as I remember. My husband has been to UK casinos with his family and I thought they were supposed to be quite tacky places. His Mother has a gambling problem so it probably was a bad idea all round. Now she plays bingo online instead.

I live in quite a deprived borough of London with high unemployment and I hate using the local newsagents because I always get stuck behind someone buying lottery tickets, and usually cigarettes.

 

[Freesia]

The piece of crap prime minister that is currently here gave the green light to build a giant casino which had floors of machines, brothels and strip clubs, because, business at all costs.

He also sucks up to the Conservative Party and is trying to get this creepy religious misogynistic, anti gay christian politician as his crony. *shiver* *worst prime minister ever*

 

[Ann Chovie]

I've only been in one casino in Nice, France and I was fairly underwhelmed as I remember. My husband has been to UK casinos with his family and I thought they were supposed to be quite tacky places. His Mother has a gambling problem so it probably was a bad idea all round. Now she plays bingo online instead.

I live in quite a deprived borough of London with high unemployment and I hate using the local newsagents because I always get stuck behind someone buying lottery tickets, and usually cigarettes.

I have a particular issue with the lottery myself as I consider that it is the poor mans dream , a dream he buys into with his last pound coin while others create fortunes benind the scenes.

Nothing sadder than watching someone hand over money you know they cannot afford in a hope of winning their dream.

 

[Ann Chovie]

The piece of crap prime minister that is currently here gave the green light to build a giant casino which had floors of machines, brothels and strip clubs, because, business at all costs.

He also sucks up to the Conservative Party and is trying to get this creepy religious misogynistic, anti gay christian politician as his crony. *shiver* *worst prime minister ever*

Prehaps he could name it Babel?

 

[shyvas]

I'm not a casino girl. We also have a casino in our town centre and I have never been there. I actually walked passed it the other day and I have no incentive of ever visiting it.

I have been to the one in Monte Carlo and Las Vegas during various trips. They are obviously all doing well as they are jam packed with people. I would have thought that people who visit casinos were tourists but I am obviously mistaken.
Gambling is a highly addictive hobby and many spend their entire salary at the bookies, lottery etc;

 

[Clueless Git]

Gambling is a highly addictive hobby and many spend their entire salary at the bookies, lottery etc;

Aye, that is disastrous when that happens

I'm a gambler myself but I have a bit of a twist to the logic I use to keep me out of trouble.

I never expect to win only to lose, in the long term.

All I'm interested in is how many 'entertainment hours' I get for my buck before the buck runs out.

Learning poker cost me nearly £4k before I became competent at it.

Per entertainment hour that was about 1/10 of the 'investment' I made to become competition standard at ten pin bowling though.

 

[shyvas]

Aye, that is disastrous when that happens

I'm a gambler myself but I have a bit of a twist to the logic I use to keep me out of trouble.

I never expect to win only to lose, in the long term.

All I'm interested in is how many 'entertainment hours' I get for my buck before the buck runs out.

Learning poker cost me nearly £4k before I became competent at it.

Per entertainment hour that was about 1/10 of the 'investment' I made to become competition standard at ten pin bowling though.

Would you be an exception CG ?

 

[ledboots]

There's a Hard Rock casino in my town, but I've never been there. In my 20's, I played blackjack in the Bahamas, and we went to Las Vegas once, and I played cards at Ceasars. I had a set amount to lose, as my entertainment money,and wouldn't have gone over that.

In the Bahamas, I was lucky, and put my original $100 back in my purse after winning early, so I gambled free by breaking about even. In Vegas I lost my $75, but got to play all night on it. (Free drinks at the table, and a cheap good buffet, so a fine deal.)

I had fun, but seeing the sad old people at the slot machines bummed me out. I don't care very much about money or expensive things, so I guess I never was at risk for gambling addiction.

About the lottery, years ago my dad, an engineer/mathemetician, told me that the lottery is a voluntary tax on people who are bad at math.

 

[thefadedone]

I was wondering what other members views were on Casinos in town centres? Are they plush playgrounds for the well heeled to enjoy their leisure time or rather the last desperate refuge of the poor and desperate?

Our local casino is a mixture of both. It attracts quite a few celebrities and high profile people on a regular basis. Almost every weekend there is some sort of well known celebrity visiting. The casino also contains a lot of classy night clubs, fancy and expensive restaurants, spas and a huge hotel.

There's also the group of old and desperate people you mentioned. It's quite an interesting mix. You never know who you will run into!

I've been to Trump's casino in Gary, Indiana before it closed. It was on a boat which I wasn't fond of since I get seasick. Being a Trump casino, I was expecting it to be very glamorous and upscale. It was the exact opposite. It was old, dingy, rundown, and dirty. Most of the patrons were elderly, the staff was unprofessional, and the food was a nightmare for a vegan. I remember eating mostly french fries since there weren't many other options.

 

[Clueless Git]

Would you be an exception CG ?

An exception to always losing in the long run?

Not by a long shot, if that's what you meant, Shyvas.

I just get hours of entertainment to the £ rather than minutes is all.

The only ones who can reasonably rely on winning in the long run are the ones whom the odds are stacked in favour of.

The business side of gambling is a business and businesses don't gamble.

That is why the very existence of gambling, as a business, is entirely dependant on the odds always being stacked in favour of the house.


Roulette is an interesting example: If I remember correctly there are 37 places on the wheel and only 36 numbers on the table.

The odds are therefore stacked in favour of the house 37/36.

 

[shyvas]

An exception to always losing in the long run?

Not by a long shot, if that's what you meant, Shyvas.

I just get hours of entertainment to the £ rather than minutes is all.

The only ones who can reasonably rely on winning in the long run are the ones whom the odds are stacked in favour of.

The business side of gambling is a business and businesses don't gamble.

That is why the very existence of gambling, as a business, is entirely dependant on the odds always being stacked in favour of the house.

No, I meant that most gamblers must believe that they are going to win the jackpot.

 

[ledboots]

An exception to always losing in the long run?

Not by a long shot, if that's what you meant, Shyvas.

I just get hours of entertainment to the £ rather than minutes is all.

The only ones who can reasonably rely on winning in the long run are the ones whom the odds are stacked in favour of.

The business side of gambling is a business and businesses don't gamble.

That is why the very existence of gambling, as a business, is entirely dependant on the odds always being stacked in favour of the house.


Roulette is an interesting example: If I remember correctly there are 37 places on the wheel and only 36 numbers on the table.

The odds are therefore stacked in favour of the house 37/36.

In some places they have a 00 as well as a 0, making the odds even worse.

 

[Clueless Git]

No, I meant that most gamblers must believe that they are going to win the jackpot.

And one of them will always be right.

The problem is simply that people can't do math.

Personaly, if I enter a 1000 player tournament, I set my expectation of winning at 999/1 against.

Funny story on that, btw ...

I once played a tourney with something ludicrous like 10,000 players at the start. £3.50(ish) stake, £3.5k top prize.

8 hours later I realised I was on the final table and was holding 3 x the chips of the next player in line.

First 'Flop' gave me a full house, kings and aces. Impossible to beat given the cards already in play.

The 'all ins' started and a split second before I followed BT made a change at my ISP's exchange and cut their entire service off.

 

[shyvas]

And one of them will always be right.

The problem is simply that people can't do math.

Personaly, if I enter a 1000 player tournament, I set my expectation of winning at 999/1 against.

Funny story on that, btw ...

I once played a tourney with something ludicrous like 10,000 players at the start. £3.50(ish) stake, £3.5k top prize.

8 hours later I realised I was on the final table and was holding 3 x the chips of the next player in line.

First 'Flop' gave me a full house, kings and aces. Impossible to beat given the cards already in play.

The 'all ins' started and a split second before I followed BT made a change at my ISP's exchange and cut their entire service off.

I gather from reading the above, that you have to be rich to gamble ?

 

[Clueless Git]

I gather from reading the above, that you have to be rich to gamble ?

You were thinking £3.50 per bet, maybe?

If so, no so.

That kind of tourney; Everyone pays £3.50 for 1500 chips and when they're gone your out.

£3.50 is the absolute maximum it can actualy cost to play any one game.

 

[Moll Flanders]

My uncle had a gambling addiction and he worked as a croupier for a while but I'm not sure if that sparked his interest or he chose the job because of his addiction. He is dead now but he was very gifted in Maths as a student. My husband was addicted to fruit machines for a couple of years when he was younger. I think it is more common a problem than people generally hear about.

There's a Hard Rock casino in my town, but I've never been there. In my 20's, I played blackjack in the Bahamas, and we went to Las Vegas once, and I played cards at Ceasars. I had a set amount to lose, as my entertainment money,and wouldn't have gone over that.

I am not against gambling in principle and probably would go a night out like that, just for entertainment as you said.