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These 25 Casino Dealers Saw People Instantly Destroy Their Lives

16.

Some of the saddest I witnessed were people who just didn’t leave at stayed for upwards of 72 hours at a time just playing and playing, often casing their losses. One in particular that has stuck with me was this older woman who came up with a ticket from a slot machine. The ticket was for $20, so I exchanged it for her. The defeated smile when she said “I might not be able to afford my rent, but at least I can use this to buy some groceries for the month.” Really hit me hard. She had spent hours at the casino just feeding the slot machines with everything she had.

17.

There was this one guy who came in, not a regular gambler. He had some early wins, and got up a couple hundred bucks. Really enjoying himself. Well, he didn’t quit while he was ahead, and ended up losing it all and going into the negatives. Down about a hundred bucks, he said his wife would kill him if he lost money here. So he went to the cash machine and got out more money to bet so he could win it back. No such luck. He stayed at the casino all night, losing more and more money. At about 5 in the morning, he tries the cash machine and his card is maxed. He empties the change out of his pocket and bets away his last few dollars, then goes home penniless and on the verge of tears. Oh, and did I say it was this one guy? Yeah I meant at least one guy every single night.

18.

Saddest thing I’ve seen is the new kid at work try and keep up with the VPs and top sales people at the Blackjack table. Up to $250 a hand. Of course the top sales guy who earns $500k+ a year comes away $8k up, while the new kid on $60k salary comes away $5k down. Told me he didn’t know how he was going to pay his rent and feed his newborn kid for a while.

19.

The saddest thing I saw was probably also the most clever. One guy had a little container which locked with a padlock and his key was at home. If he won money he would put it in the container so that he would not be tempted to gamble it away. It was clever, but also very sad that he had so little control that something that extreme was needed. Made me wonder how bad things for this guy really were.

20.

We have this one dude, probably in his mid-to-late 70s with severe Parkinsons, who comes in almost daily and gambles for up to 7 or 8 hours. He almost never gets anything back either (if he does, it’s usually like $5 or $10). His wife calls after several hours and he says he’ll be home in 15 minutes (which actually means 1-2 hours). When he’s done/run out of cash, he’ll come to the counter and tell me his wife is going to be so mad at him for blowing that money.

Written by Alex Cogen

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.