The Senior's Column by Cricket on 8/9/00

Article Discussion Forum

Game reviews are fun. You write the review in a set format and explore the software, looking for faults and strengths. Work and play combined can make it a fun experience. But when WG asked me to review the game Caesar's Palace 2000, I had a few qualms. "But it is just a game," I told myself, pushing back the uncomfortable feelings in my head. My hesitance arose from the many articles and facts about gambling I have come across in my travels online. So while I did do a review of the game as just that - a game - I also wish now to point out the dangers that can come from gambling online or in RL. So I researched the subject as thoroughly as I could, reading over 50 articles on the subject and visiting as many sites I could find until the endless links to addiction research, government organizations, self-help groups and facts blurred. And yet, I had only scratched the surface.

Over the course of several weeks, I kept going back, linking further and further into the problem. What follows are a few things I uncovered during the course of my research.

Current statistics show that in areas with casinos, 2-6 percent of compulsive gamblers are seniors. As our population ages, this statistic will increase. Seniors are the most vulnerable to the hype of gambling because, among other things, Retired individuals have the time to gamble. A Rhode Island researcher has noted that the third and fourth of the month are the busiest days; this is when social security cheques arrive. Since gambling has become socially acceptable and is no longer viewed as a vice, lonely, depressed seniors are going to casinos in record numbers. They are hopping on free buses with the promise of a fun-filled day at the casino with a free lunch even. In reality, however, there is no "free lunch." Life savings can go into slots or may be laid down on tables.

Having never been to a casino, I cannot speak from personal experience, so I quizzed as many people as I could about their experiences and they all said the same things. First and foremost, there is the noise. Casinos are noisy places; the slot machines deafening clank and clatter assaults you as you enter. Sometimes, the air is oxygenated so players will not get sleepy. There are no clocks, no windows, no sense of time, and food and drink are plentiful. For some seniors whose physical limitations prevent many outings and walking, the free transportation and a day at the casino is within the range of their physical ability and serves as a social activity. In addition, many slot machines now have buttons to push so seniors do not have to pull handles for endless hours.

One of the saddest truths is that compulsive gambling causes normally law-abiding individuals, seniors included, to write bad cheques after their money is gone. Bankruptcy, and for some, prison is the only alternative. Suicide can follow. This problem is particularly acute in seniors because retirees cannot go out and rebuild their lives and reclaim their loses with a job.

Unlike alcoholism, which ravages its victim over time, gambling can destroy a life in a matter of hours. Most of the money spent in casinos is not brought in; it is withdrawn from the many bank machines available onsite.

Ever notice that the game sites that offer free video poker, blackjack or other casino games are sponsored by online casinos? Here too is a special risk for seniors. In the comfort of their home, they can gamble away the hours with no guarantee of a payout in the unlikely event of a win, since many internet casinos are offshore and unregulated. The odds are against the player in an online casino, more so in an offshore casino online. Ninety percent of people who walk into a casino walk out losers, and there is nothing in the literature to indicate that the same doesn't hold true for online casinos.

I cannot help but wonder if free online casino play in a game site has led people into internet gambling. That is one statistic that was not available in any link I could find. When I wrote a game site for information, asking how many "hits" the casino ads had and if it led to online gambling, the response was, "I suppose a certain amount of free gambling could lead to a certain amount of not free gambling". I suppose? What kind of non-answer is that?

Sites where you register to play can also have "tracking cookies" if you call up the page; you do not even have to click the ad to get the cookie. The site can then use that information for marketing purposes. And if the ads attract enough attention and are innocuous enough, they will get hits. I was unable to get any real statistics on this because no one would give me a straight answer.

One thing to think about is that the generation of young people coming into adulthood today is the first to grow up with legalized gambling. What kind of social impact is that making?

It has been my experience that earning money is not easy; losing money is. Not everyone who puts down money to gamble will have a problem, but is it worth the risk to find out if you are that one? Two-thirds of the world goes to bed hungry; deaf children in our local schools do not have anyone to sign for them because there is no funding. I am sure you get my drift here. My own backyard and the world at large have tangible needs, so it is easy for me to think of better places for my disposable income than a casino.

What do you think?

Stay safe out there! Cricket :))