I’m not a gambler. I find the idea weird and intriguing in a story, but in real life I just don’t get it. I’ve played penny Poker (in college) and my mom taught us how to play blackjack on a rainy day at a beach house in my childhood when beach houses didn’t have TVs—let alone a myriad of portable entertainment devices. In general, I think being a writer, being a single woman, dancing Tango, investing in the stock market, and living in New York City is enough risk for me.
Because I’m home recovering from Covid (yup, it’s my turn and at least it’s the milder upper respiratory Omicron version), I’m watching more television and noticing that New York State now allows online sports betting. It’s been around in our neighbor New Jersey for a while, but New York was holding out. The ads—online and on TV—are obnoxious and, as I know I’m not the target market—that’s probably on purpose. Still, I’m mystified.
During my one visit to Las Vegas—a business trip many years ago—I went to the hotel’s casino to “play” with the money a friend gave me. I’d been instructed to go to the slot machines on her behalf. I couldn’t do it. Really… I wound up at the coffee cart at the edge of the floor, getting a hot chocolate and chatting with the guy operating the cart. He told me his life story… He was a serious gambler. He won big on his first visit to a casino. Loved it. Got a job at the casino and from then on, he was betting—and losing—most of his salary. I thought he sounded like a character out of a story. I bought my friend a souvenir and we laughed about it at home in New York.
I was thinking about the conversation at the coffee cart during another kind of gambling commercial. This one touted a betting app that enables you to “WIN BIG” when you lose weight. I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, but, having Covid, I simply coughed. The prospect of winning money as a prize for losing weight is nuts. Isn’t it? In my frame of reference, you lose a couple of extra pounds to feel better, or to look better, or to lower your cholesterol. The motivations are personal and not monetary. Maybe it’s just a vacation coming up and you’re planning on feasting on pasta for two weeks?
Being paid to change your personal habits, using the lure of the WIN, competing with whomever it is that’s betting against you… um…I’m not liking the way this is going. Turning everything into a contest feels threatening—a little ‘Hunger Games’ adjacent. I’ve avoided the big hit ‘Squid Game.’ I really don’t need to go that dystopian as ‘year three’ of a pandemic, looms.
Isn’t there enough gambling just getting on the subway and having control over only ONE mask? (My own…)
Perhaps a companion for starting a diet?
And for rebooting after Covid?
Oh Candy…I’m so sorry you caught Covid. Are you sure you’re okay? It seems as if stepping outside the house is gamble enough these days. The Offspring and I are still Covid-free, but we had to go to the chemist [pharmacy] today so who knows what the next few days may bring.
My ex and I stopped off at an RSL club during our honeymoon and allowed ourselves a $20 bet on the pokies – that’s what we call the slot machines. We won and treated ourselves to a nice dinner. Haven’t bet since. Like you, I can understand the addiction at an intellectual level but not at a gut level. I should probably give thanks daily.
Please look after yourself and get well soon. -hugs-
Yes, right now going out to a theater full of masked and vaccinated people is “gamble” so the gambling advertisements have been especially amusing. Life is a gamble! Do you need to add the “thrill” of winning and the fear of loss to the mix? It’s an interesting question. The people pulling slot machine handles have always fascinated me. Playing a game that combines skill and luck——like Poker—— I get. I’m not interested, but I get it. Having “skin in the game” aka money on the table may make it more exciting for many people, but not me. The all-luck games just mystify me. I also don’t buy lottery tickets.
Please don’t worry about me. I’m on the mend after a bought with the Omicron variation AND… most critical… I am fully vaccinated and boosted. The cough was “wicked” (body wracking), but my fever was never particularly high and my oxygen levels were always fine. Omicron is an upper respiratory experience. The cough and sore throat linger, the congestion is obnoxious, but for fully vaccinated people without an underlying condition, this is NOT a big deal. I stayed in my apartment. Friends and neighbors bough my groceries. Except for the first couple of days, I was able to cook and even do some cleaning. My voice and my brain followed a few days after that. The low energy is still lingering—–almost two weeks since the symptoms hit and that will pass soon, I’m sure.
I worry about more vulnerable people with underlying health conditions AND I’m trying to understand the vaccine hesitant. I don’t understand the folks who believe the elaborate lies about the vaccines. Their combination of “it’s my body no one can tell me what to do” and elaborate dystopian fantasies about the vaccines and the virus, make a deadly situation worse. No wonder, I’m not up for watching or reading dystopian fiction right now.