Sojourners,

Every now and then you will read a post here that seems out of the ordinary for SjP's. Such posts are generally "requested" and filed under: "the hook up". This is one of those "hook up" posts.

While I take full responsibility for this post, YOU must take full responsibility for YOUR actions.

Gaming is a tough thing for me to address. I am an addict, and it has an allure that I dare not taste. But that is me. Should I ban it for others? Certainly not.

On the other hand, my brain says that gambling at casinos, much like buying lotto tickets, is a voluntary tax on people who are bad at math. If the house lost money - ever - it would not be still in business. The odds are stacked against the player. Always.

But it seems that buying lottery tickets and gambling on long odds is much like renting a dream. It is putting down a dollar for the temporary thrill of being able to consider "what if?".

I don't do it often. But sometimes I'll plunk my dollar down and let the dream happen.

I find it telling that in the poorest areas, those places with the least amount of hope, gambling and lottery sales are astronomical. In Maine, those areas are the very rural and undeveloped regions of Hancock and Washington counties. Jobs left long ago, and our young people leave each fall for college and most never return. So those who stay buy lottery tickets, hoping against hope for a ticket out of the poverty and despair. Nobody hopes for the money to build something here, they want a ticket out - to a place with promise and opportunity.

Thank you Sojourner, for reminding me of this lesson today.

In the UK many people (I know several) are in great debt from gambling and it has ruined their lives. Some live in denial. Slot machine gambling is far worse than many peole think. Many peole commit crime to make up the debt they have racked up on their credit cards from gambling on line. I think caling gambling "gaming" should be outlawed. In fact casinos should be renamed "Loser Emporioms"

My old gambling habits are the reason I had to leave Cali. and move to Texas.
Vegas was a bit too close out there and my homeboy had a gaming site based in Costa Rica.
The only real winners are the owners.