The other day, an ebook author contacted me with a new gambling eBook on Amazon, made for Kindle users, and asked if I’d like to review it. Alan Samonte’s most recent book on gambling; “Game system that works” sounds interesting, and I think you’re hitting a real uptrend here. It’s like we’ve recently seen a bit of growth in player numbers in the last few months.
Interestingly, I have written quite a bit on the subject of gambling. You see, after traveling across the US, I have visited all the major game areas, and some small ones too, mostly on Indian reservations or near state lines, rivers, or other areas in the gray area of the law. , allowing such.
In fact, I have seen seniors entranced at slot machines, brought in by the packed bus, Asian tourists, and high rollers. I have also visited the outskirts of Las Vegas where the “slums” are similar to the reenactments of the movie “Pay it Forward” and have met gambling addicts as well as those who love to have fun in moderation. so my experiences and observations do indeed run the gambit. Still, things seem to be on the rise in the game world, why I can only guess.
My conclusion is that the economy and future prospects are causing some of this. Of course the rest is just good casino marketing, branding and all the special offers, player clubs and incentives. For those who just like to have a little fun and not go broke or play beyond their means, it’s a great way to entertain. For others, well, there are some sad stories of course, but since we live in a free country, we must also understand choice.
Why do I see the game on the rise? Well, everywhere I look, in the media, online, and in the real world, there is growth in the gaming industry, and it’s very competitive, not just in the US, but all over the world, and not just In the real world. but online too.
There was a story in Japan Today recently about how Japan wants to open up gambling in the country and claims that the government needs the money and could tax the revenue, rather than lose when Japanese travel to Macau, Singapore and Las Vegas.
There have been reports that the US Congress may cave to pressure to legalize online gambling in the US as they first clean up the current illegal online gaming industry. For example, the WSJ published on February 28, 2012 an article “Bodog Gambling Site Shut Down Amid Ongoing Crackdown” and “US Shuts Down Sports Betting Site, Indicts Bodog Founder.”
There was an interesting article in the Atlanta Business Journal about Leap Day 2012 titled; “Developer Proposes Billion-Dollar Gaming Complex” written by Carla Caldwell, who stated that a GA developer “wants to build a hotel, theater and arcade with 7,500 video lottery machines, which could generate $350 million annually for the struggling state’s HOPE Grant program. Despite state legislators looking for ways to help HOPE, betting proposals often don’t garner widespread support.”
There was another segment on CBS News on March 1, 2012 titled; “Florida House of Representatives Votes to Ban So-Called Internet Cafes,” which discussed how people go online at Internet cafes and gamble online, which is against Florida and US law for the people do that, while the Cafe stated that they don’t tell people what they can and can’t do online, even though the place is set up to bet online like this. The segment stated that FL legislators voted to shut down 1,000 of these types of ‘front-end operations’ and one legislator dramatically stated;
“These are truly gambling crack cocaine,” the segment went on to say; Internet cafes sell phone cards or Internet time to customers. But they also offer customers the opportunity to redeem electronic sweepstakes on computers using software that mimics casino-style gaming.”
Okay, so what is it about the game that intrigues humans so much? It turns out that there is a very real psychological reason for human gambling, and I bet it will increase as the human minds in our society continue down the path of instant information, entertainment, and the need to be globally connected in real time, and having continuous mental stimulation – something that the game definitely provides with all its excitement, fear and fun.
In CA we have many Indian casinos that offer deals on dining and fun gambling although gambling is not allowed in CA but these are on Indian properties of course which is common all over the US due Because the game is so much fun, it appeals to people from all walks of life; grandmothers, CEOs, unemployed and even the enforcers. It breaks all barriers of race, religion, nationality, socioeconomic planes and levels of intelligence. The game is a human thing, I doubt we can stop it if we try.
If people don’t gamble in casinos, they will gamble at the racetrack, the stock market, in business, or in some other activity where they can balance opportunity against the possible eventuality of monetary gain. In fact, I hope you will please consider all this and think about it.