Casinos have been legally operating in various locations in the world, but I'm concerned with gambling in the US since that's where I'm from and may someday return. Gambling addiction has become more than just a serious problem and I personally believe that the proliferation of the "Native American" casinos to be a catalyst for more problems than just gambling addictions.

Slot Machines

I don't know what it is that draws people to slot machines like a magnet. Maybe it's the flashing lights and the spinning, but I'm not a psychiatric professional so anything I say is merely my opinion.

I went to some Native American casinos years ago, when they first started operating. At first, large payouts at the slots were commonplace, happening every single day. As the clientele started increasing, the casino thieves started "tightening" the slot machines. According to people I've been in contact with, the payouts are no longer frequent and not very large when they happen.

Before the Native American casinos came into existence, the most popular casinos were in the state of Nevada, which was the only state (as far as I know) where both gambling and prostitution (with licensing, of course) were legal in the US. People used to tell me that if you wanted to gamble, go to Laughlin and if you wanted to see shows, go to Las Vegas. This is no longer the case.

There is a reason that a slot machine is called the "one-armed bandit". It's because it's designed to take your money, not give you money.

Mahjong

A tile game like Mahjong is harmless in itself. The problem is that people use it as another gambling device and spend hours upon hours playing the game. It's very popular in the Philippines and in Filipino communities in the US. I'm sure it extends into other sectors, but I'm only familiar with the Filipino sectors.

I'm a workaholic, spending most of my time working at my computer. I can always tell when my in-laws are playing Mahjong because it they play it right next to my house in my "non-garage", the area under my driveway. The noise they make is incredible when you consider all the children running around and trying to get their parents' attention while they're busy playing the game.

Evil in My Eyes

I gave up all forms of gambling several years ago. I saw what it was doing to people and I knew it wasn't good. I have personal contacts that are deeply addicted to slot machines and some of them are in jeopardy of losing their homes, their cars and their health.

It's bad enough when people gamble their entire paychecks on the hope that they'll win the jackpot. It's even worse when people pawn their cars, their jewelry and anything else of value in order to feed their addiction. The addiction is purely psychological, but it has physical manifestations.

Gambling addicts do not know how to set priorities. They will head to the casinos before they'll pay their monthly bills. A simple change in their routines would prevent them from getting behind in house payments and payments on anything else they're required to make monthly (such as utilities, cable TV, etc.). Paying the bills first would prevent credit problems like that, but gamblers don't see it that way. Trust me, I know too many of them and they're almost all like that.

Of the people I know that are gamblers, each one becomes physically ill if he or she can't gamble on a regular basis. There's absolutely nothing healthy about that.

The Hidden Epidemic, Pandemic or Whatever

The US and state governments are all over it when it comes to diseases such as the recent swine flu outbreak. The government looks the other way when the disease isn't defined by a virus and when it feeds the tax coffers. I guarantee you that gambling addictions kill more people than the swine flu does.

You won't read about it in the news or see it publicly disclosed, but a lot of gambling addicts commit suicide. The reporting agencies are careful not to mention, when the suicide is actually reported, that any form of gambling is involved. It isn't good for business.

I stopped going to casinos the day I saw a man praying on one of the benches near a casino exit. What he was saying was loud enough for me to hear it. He wasn't praying for a solution to his gambling problem. He was praying for a big payout to take care of his debts. Such is the mentality of gambling addicts.

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