photo credit: lasky_michael
So I’m back from my meeting in Indiana. All in all a good trip. I didn’t drop a cent into Caesar’s pocket. The first night I went along with a group of people from work and looked over their shoulder as they played poker helped fund the new carpet being laid throughout the sprawling complex. Casinos are built on the perfect business model, you know. That’s why they thrive in any economy. The House will always eventually win.
As I walked through four decks of clanging slot machines, craps tables, high stakes poker and the like, I couldn’t help but notice faces. No smiles. No excitement. Cigarettes dangling from lips or propped in ashtrays pumped smoke that overcame any oxygen in the room. These one armed bandit slaves were lower class, older, overweight and very unhealthy looking. One of the women in my group said sarcastically, “Doesn’t anyone walk normally?” It did appear that most had a waddle, gimp, off-kilter-lean-to variation of some kind. One woman skirted by in her electric scooter chair armed with an evenings supply of oxygen tanks.
There was nary a vibe of entertainment to be found. I didn’t hear any slot machines pay out, nor did I hear the elated scream of someone who just realized they could pay their next months rent – compliments of Harrah’s.
I woke up the next morning with a sore throat, pissed that I might be coming down with something. It soon passed and I can only account for the fact that, as a non-smoker, I had inhaled at least half a pack of Marlboro Reds the previous evening.
Although I didn’t go back to the boat the next day, I was still seeing the steady flow of wanna-be self made thousandaires being pulled back to the money machines. There was no lilt in their step. They did not walk with their heads held high. They did not great each other with smiles or a friendly nod.
They came with only one thought: to receive more than what they put in. And not have to work to make it happen.
Gambling has a close cousin called ‘work ethic’. They enjoy each other’s company. That’s why casinos thrive – in any economy. The House will eventually win the game and the faces will remain the same.
