Sunday, June 22, 2008

We're not gamblers........

We went to Niagara Falls on our mini trip. Been to Niagara Falls a few times, and we had intended parking and walking to the Falls, however when we got there it was cold and drizzling, plus it was going to cost $18 to park the car............excuse me, $18 are they crazy???? So needless to say we decided to move on.

We decided that while we were in Niagara, why not pop into the Casino and see what every one is talking about. I think everyone has been to a casino other than me and dh. So we park in the Casino parking lot, and guess what its FREE...okay I am liking this Casino experience so far.

There was a couple of people before us going in, and they had their id out, so figured we had better get our id out. However, the security guard said no need for us to show our id as we are obviously over the age of 19....okay.....

So in we walk, I am quite sure both me and dh would have had that deer looking into the headlights look on our face, as we had never seen anything like it before. So we wandered around trying to figure out what to do without any success. Luckily I have a tongue in my head and not afraid to use it. So the first employee that passed by I asked him to explain the ins and outs of gambling, or using the slots.

Both me and dh listened to what this guy had to say and basically we were none the wiser, other than you put a money bill in the machine and play. I only had $20 bills, and decided that was too steep for us, so we got four $5 bills and we each had $10 each.

We decided on the 2 cent game, as that seemed rich enough for us. Our first $5 each of us had went by in seconds. Then dh decided to try another machine, while I stayed on my machine. I ended up winning $12.50, I have no idea how, and decided at that point to cash in my winnings. Dh lost his second $5 and we decided we had, had enough of this gambling lark.

Both me and dh decided that gambling in a casino was not for us. To watch that money disappear just like that just doesn't make sense. It was frightening to watch people just sitting there, constantly playing the games. It was also disturbing to see these same people with these cards on a bungee cord, that they inserted in the machine and they just kept playing and playing.

We were there around 10.30am on a Thursday morning and there seemed to be a lot of people in the casino. A lot of them were elderly. We stayed probably half an hour if that. At the end of it all, we can say we have been in a casino. Probably won't be in another ever again though!!!!! In the scheme of things it only cost us $7.50, but I can easily see why people spend hundred's of dollars in these places.

6 comments:

akalittleeva said...

Funny story Gill. DH and I are not gamblers either, but have been to casinos maybe 6 times - each time, dh manages to win a couple hundred dollars on the roulette wheel - we only allow $20 each per visit and haven't been in years - refused to get sucked in, because at some point, our luck would run out. Sounds like you had a nice weekend.

Gill - That British Woman said...

As you know me so well Cheryl, this is typical of me, right!!!!!

Anonymous said...

LOL, I had my first ever casino experience last summer. I only had a $100 bill in my pocket, stuck it in a $1 slot machine, and won $36 on the first pull! I then withdrew my money and moved on. You see, the way most people lose all their money is because they don't know when to stop. They're not satisfied with a little $36 win, they want a $10,000 win!

We had a lot of fun that day...the next morning I went again and ended up winning $88. I've heard of people who win thousands, but I can't bring myself to gamble that much of my money. I guess I can kind of see how people could get addicted to it, but it's not really my thing.

By the way, what made me laugh about your post is when you said you were scared by the people who had cards on bungee cords. Those are "player's club" cards that you can get absolutely free at any casino. You get points and you are entered into little contests. Depending on how much you gamble, or how much you win, you could earn anything from free meals to a free room in the hotel. If I ever go again, I'll definitely be getting one of those, LOL.

Gill - That British Woman said...

Kim, my son also explained to me after the fact that they were points cards not credit cards. I was so close to running up to some of these elderly people and saying why are you running up credit card debt on slots!!!!

AmyK said...

My parents are gamblers, and my grandparents enjoyed trips to casinos, as well. They've got stacks and stacks of players' club cards from various casinos, even ones down in Reno, NV. I however, haven't really ever seen a purpose in gambling (even aside from convictions and whatnot). When I was a kid I LOVED going to these two casinos in Oregon (one on the coast, one in central OR) 'cause they had the COOLEST play places, with arcades and playgrounds and all kinds of fun stuff.

Unknown said...

I too love the ease of menu planning but cannot for the life of me sit down and get it done... lol. I usually rush to do it at the last minute. But it sure helps with the budget. No running off to the store for items in the middle of the week.

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