I was raised on stories of my maternal grandfather, who I never met because in addition to being such an unrepentant alcoholic that he killed himself from drink by his early 50s, was also a chronic gambler. My grandmother never mentioned any of this, but my mom did because the combo of alcohol and betting meant they were constantly cash-strapped, leading to any number of humiliations and constricted choices for my mother.
It was Grandpa DM I was thinking of when I was let loose into the county fair outside of Charlestown, WV one summer afternoon in the early '80s with $5 in my pocket and the instruction to entertain myself and make that money last until dinner, when we would all reconnect, because there would NOT be any more money.
It took me less than a half an hour to blow all $5 on that simple carnival game where there are rubber ducks with something (a star, maybe?) printed on their bottoms. You pay your dollar for a chance to pick a duck, and if you pick one with the right marking you double your money. If you pick one with no marking you're out a dollar. Was I thinking that I had 5-6 hours to kill and I'd already lost 20% of the money to do it in 30 seconds when I turned over that first rubber duck with no marking? NOPE. I just felt flushed and hungry and handed them another dollar. And another. And another.
I spent most of that afternoon napping in a dejected and desultory way in the unair-conditioned back of the family 16 passenger van of our hillbilly Brady Bunch friends that we were visiting that weekend. I can still remember the sickness and regret that sat on me all afternoon. It was SO painful. But I will say this. On the LONG list of poor parenting choices my folks made over the years, not bailing me out that afternoon and letting me sit with the consequences of my choices (or lay in the brutal southern summer humidity, in fact) wasn't one of them. It was one of the best object lessons they ever offered. I have never, EVER gambled again, nor wanted to. Unless you count my marriage (also a losing bet), but that's another story.
If only there had been a massive sports betting scandal at some point in our nation’s past that captured the attention of generations and spawned books and movies and articles and baseball mythology galore to serve as a warning about this whole sports betting thing…
HIGHLY recommend this podcast series about the Massachusetts lottery from GBH: https://www.wgbh.org/podcasts/scratch-win. The last bonus episode is about sports betting and it's really great. (The team also did a podcast series about The Big Dig that may appeal to your new england followers!)
The most recent season of Michael Lewis' podcast Against the Rules is about sports betting and the rise of a small number of online gambling companies.
I went to a casino when I still lived in Iowa, because I'd heard the restaurant there was really good. It was. The food was great. But I had to walk through the casino to get in and out, and they allowed smoking inside the casino. That part was so gross that I never went back to the restaurant.
I remember seeing the film "Lost in America" when I was a teenager and it made me so uncomfortable that I never wanted to gamble after that! (It's a comedy about a couple who liquidate their assets so they can drop out of society and travel the country in a Winnebago; almost immediately, the wife winds up losing all of their money playing roulette in a Las Vegas casino.)
I was raised on stories of my maternal grandfather, who I never met because in addition to being such an unrepentant alcoholic that he killed himself from drink by his early 50s, was also a chronic gambler. My grandmother never mentioned any of this, but my mom did because the combo of alcohol and betting meant they were constantly cash-strapped, leading to any number of humiliations and constricted choices for my mother.
It was Grandpa DM I was thinking of when I was let loose into the county fair outside of Charlestown, WV one summer afternoon in the early '80s with $5 in my pocket and the instruction to entertain myself and make that money last until dinner, when we would all reconnect, because there would NOT be any more money.
It took me less than a half an hour to blow all $5 on that simple carnival game where there are rubber ducks with something (a star, maybe?) printed on their bottoms. You pay your dollar for a chance to pick a duck, and if you pick one with the right marking you double your money. If you pick one with no marking you're out a dollar. Was I thinking that I had 5-6 hours to kill and I'd already lost 20% of the money to do it in 30 seconds when I turned over that first rubber duck with no marking? NOPE. I just felt flushed and hungry and handed them another dollar. And another. And another.
I spent most of that afternoon napping in a dejected and desultory way in the unair-conditioned back of the family 16 passenger van of our hillbilly Brady Bunch friends that we were visiting that weekend. I can still remember the sickness and regret that sat on me all afternoon. It was SO painful. But I will say this. On the LONG list of poor parenting choices my folks made over the years, not bailing me out that afternoon and letting me sit with the consequences of my choices (or lay in the brutal southern summer humidity, in fact) wasn't one of them. It was one of the best object lessons they ever offered. I have never, EVER gambled again, nor wanted to. Unless you count my marriage (also a losing bet), but that's another story.
What a story, Asha (and what a kicker!).
If only there had been a massive sports betting scandal at some point in our nation’s past that captured the attention of generations and spawned books and movies and articles and baseball mythology galore to serve as a warning about this whole sports betting thing…
If only!
HIGHLY recommend this podcast series about the Massachusetts lottery from GBH: https://www.wgbh.org/podcasts/scratch-win. The last bonus episode is about sports betting and it's really great. (The team also did a podcast series about The Big Dig that may appeal to your new england followers!)
Ooh, thank you! And I am not a New Englander but have long been fascinated by the Big Dig so will check that out as well.
The most recent season of Michael Lewis' podcast Against the Rules is about sports betting and the rise of a small number of online gambling companies.
Thanks for the rec!
ooo I'll check it out, thanks!
Haven’t listened to the sports betting podcast yet, but the Big Dig podcast is so good!
I went to a casino when I still lived in Iowa, because I'd heard the restaurant there was really good. It was. The food was great. But I had to walk through the casino to get in and out, and they allowed smoking inside the casino. That part was so gross that I never went back to the restaurant.
Hey, happy spring break!
I'm super sensitive to smoke, so I will definitely give the Potawatomi Casino this-- they went smoke-free a few years back, which is terrific.
I remember seeing the film "Lost in America" when I was a teenager and it made me so uncomfortable that I never wanted to gamble after that! (It's a comedy about a couple who liquidate their assets so they can drop out of society and travel the country in a Winnebago; almost immediately, the wife winds up losing all of their money playing roulette in a Las Vegas casino.)
Have never heard of that one!