So the other event that I need to speak upon that happened this weekend.
As I was cashing out my last EV for the evening a young man who was shabbily dressed in an oversize jacket (I know it's cool in casinos but still), shorts, socks and sandals was hanging about looking a bit agitated. I'm always aware of who is around me due to the fact that you have people exiting with rather large sums of cash and I don't want to be the victim of some lookout boy. So if someone looks kinda shifty I change my exit behavior. Trust me, people have been stuck for their bankroll. Anyway, as I cashed out the young man asked me for a buck fifty. I wasn't sure I heard him correctly so I gave him a quizzical look.
I need bus fare. I lost a lot of money.
I told him no and thankfully he didn't press the issue.
Don't let this be you.
There's two things here. 1. Anyone who is under control, knows to separate their gambling money from their "life money". Secondly, you come with what you can spend and you leave if it goes up in smoke. Re-up and come back. Why would one spend one's way home?
I won't say that I've never gone on tilt after a major loss and thrown 20 bucks into a slot machine before exiting. But that was $20 bucks I had to spend and in no way affected my life. Going on tilt (getting emotional) happens. It is imperative that you learn to smooth out the emotions if anything to make sure you don't stress yourself ill.
But the main reason I didn't give him the buck 50 is because there was a large chance that since he saw no problem in spending his get home money that he would spend the buck 50 I gave him on yet another grasp at a losing game. a buck fifty represents 4 slot spins. I knew that, he knew that and I wasn't going to feed his habit.
Gambling addicts are like any other addicts. You don't help them by feeding their problem. Don't give them money. Tough love is the only way out. He's lucky it was warm out and if he was in fact one bus ride away from home, he had a nice long walk to think about his problem. Maybe next time he'll get a metro card that doesn't work in the Casino and he'll have a way home on those [many] losing days.
Don't let this be you. The house has an edge over the vast majority of people. All those bells and lights are there to distract you from this fact. Don't get distracted. Know your limits. Stay in your limits and know when to go home!
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