When most people think of casinos, they think of bright lights, lots of booze, and MONEY MONEY MONEY MOOONNAAAY. Casinos are a chance to escape from your normal mundane life, and perhaps change your luck. They’re where dreams are made.
Or are they? You see, movies and tv shows make casinos out to be these fantastic places full of happy memories, but they’re really not like that for most people. Sure, a casino can be fun every once in a while, but only if you have self-control. A person without self-control walks into a casino and spends every penny they have, and that’s just not fun.
But the biggest problem with casinos is that they’re addictive. Gambling is a serious issue that has the power to destroy lives. People that once went occasionally for fun end up withering away in casinos, spending all their money, and losing their loved ones along the way.
Once you read what these casino dealers have to say, you’ll realize casinos are actually pretty depressing places. These dealers have witnessed countless people destroy their lives, and confess the absolute saddest cases they have witnessed. Consider these a cautionary tale, and don’t get swept away by the glitz and glamour, ’cause those casino games will ruin your life eventually.
These 25 casino workers witnessed people destroy their lives:
1.
The one that stuck out to me the most is some dude that arrived at my table at about 3 pm. He sat down saying generally to me/other people at the table, “I only have about two hours to play. I get to see my son tonight!” Basically divorce, it was his turn to spend time with/have his son AND tonight was his son’s first sports game (I don’t at all remember which one). He had to leave at 6. I mention when it’s 5:30 that he only has 30 minutes left. I tell him when it’s 6. He says he can be a few minutes late, he wants to finish the shoe (the rest of the cards). I tell him when it’s 7 because I’m actually fucking mad, as someone that barely saw my father growing up. At 8 I go home. I come into work the next day at 10 am and see him, he never went home.
2.
A normal, slightly overweight guy has a heart attack. He drops. It happened across from me in a different pit, but I saw it just the same. Concerned crowd, EMTs arrive, all of what you would expect. But he had this misfortune of dying on a live craps table. In the middle of a good roll. People complained that the game stopped, so they kept the game going as EMTs were doing their thing. People were straight stepping over the guy’s legs to place bets.
3.
Coming into work to see some of the same people still playing that were there when i left the previous night.
4.
A guy they call “The Greek” sits down with £5k. First hand, he doesn’t look at his cards & open raises to £200. Over the course of the next 30 minutes, he punts off £5k around the table to almost everyone. Hes dumped around £12k into this game. Everyone is super deep stacked in winnings off this guy. He doesn’t seem bothered, in fact he seems happy & to be enjoying himself. We are all confused. Apparently this guy is prone to huge blow ups & tantrums when he doesn’t win. I overheard the game owner talking to him on a break from the game, turns out he had an inoperable brain tumor & he was enjoying his last few months. I felt sad for the dude because he was a lovely guy & was generous, but also because he chose to spend one of his last nights gambling a card table in an underground poker room, when he could be spending quality time with his family.
5.
I used to work at this little gambling place consisting of 30-40 slot machines. I never played myself, but one coworker did once in a while. It was mostly regulars that played there, and I got to know most of them. There was this lady that had played there for some months, and eventually I asked her what she did for living. Turns out she owned a slot machine joint herself. It made no sense to me, since no one but the owner is winning on this. So all the money she earned from others gambling, she gambled away to us.
Alex is a New Yorker currently living in Austin. She loves cats, grass, and latex but unfortunately is allergic to all 3. She makes mom and dad jokes more than she cares to admit (jk she'll admit it loud and proud). She isn't as funny as she thinks she is. She is the founder of thelazygurl.com.
