Blonde4ever: My Personal Gambling History

When I look back over my life, I am sometimes startled to realize that I spent the first 36 years not gambling. I never visited a gambling establishment. I never thought about gambling. I barely knew it existed. Then my husband came home one day in 1991 and said, “I am booking a trip to Vegas.” My first thought was “What the heck am I going to do in Vegas?”

That seems hilarious to me now. The moment I hit a jackpot of 500 nickels I was hooked.

Right from the start gambling seemed to have a different effect on me than it did for my husband. He can take it or leave it. I can’t. Or I don’t want to. There is something about my psychological makeup that causes the thought of gambling to make my pulse race. The tendency to be an addictive personality runs in my family. If a little bit of something is good, then a whole lot of it should be better, right? Jackpots stimulate those lovely pleasure centers in your brain, and you crave more. Maybe the next spin will result in a jackpot or, maybe the next?

My second gambling trip wasn’t until 1998, and my third was seven years after that. Around ten years ago I decided that a Vegas trip every seven years wasn’t frequent enough to suit me, so I took matters into my own hands and started booking trips every six months.

While I adored Vegas for many reasons; the lights, the entertainment, the over the top hotels, I had to admit that being able to gamble for as long as I wanted was the main appeal. I couldn’t wipe the smile off of my face when I was heading for a casino. One of the greatest attractions of gambling is my ability to lose myself in it. A worry-wart by nature, gambling is the one activity I could do where I would FORGET to worry!

Before I ever hit town though I had to ask that important question that all gamblers do, “What would my daily bankroll be?” I never fell into the trap of gambling with bill money, thank goodness, but I had to decide “How much can I lose without feeling bad?” This number will be different for everyone. I wanted to strike a happy medium; a large enough bankroll for the gambling to be thrilling, but not so big as to hurt me financially. Another question I had to ask myself was “Can I stick to my daily allotment?” The temptation to borrow from tomorrow’s stash is strong at times, but you know you will regret it. Avoiding alcohol is a smart thing to do while gambling as well, because as we all know, decisions made while under the influence aren’t the smartest.

I came to the conclusion over the years that although my gambling urges are very strong, I am not a problem gambler. Could I quit if I had to? Yes, but I hope it never comes to that.

My financial situation changed with retirement and I have had to reexamine my gambling habits. Would I still enjoy myself in Vegas if my bankroll was smaller? Would I get as much pleasure playing nickels instead of quarters? Or to use an addict’s terminology, would I still be able to get my “fix”?

I have had two Vegas trips since I retired, and I bring less than half of the money that I used to. I am happy to report that my Vegas visits are still exciting for me, even with a reduced bankroll. I have learned to adjust my expectations and scale things back. I spend more time downtown now due to more frequent room comps and cheaper food costs. I don’t do the top of the line shows anymore. I plan my budget down to the last dollar.

I am relieved that my Vegas trips did not have to end with my working life.I can still go and “have a gas”…with a lot less “fuel”.

[Photos: Living Las Vegas, Michael Movestro, Youtube]

Blonde4ever

Bonnie, aka Blonde4ever, is the admin of one of our favorite Vegas forums: LasVegas4ever. She covers a large spectrum of topics from her personal experiences in Las Vegas.