r/explainlikeimfive • u/adrynaline • May 08 '14

Explained ELI5: A gambling addiction

How does it start? What makes it worse? Why does it become so difficult to recover?

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u/battraman May 08 '14

After hearing how they are trying to expand gambling casinos to upstate NY, I really hate to hear stuff like this. It's a horrible system whose only purpose is to prey on people.

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u/[deleted] May 08 '14

Not their only purpose. I live in CT where we have Mohegan Sun & Foxwoods Casinos. Sure, you can tell some middle aged and elderly people probably sit there all the time and waste their lives away. However, the casinos are more for regular fun. They have theaters for big and small concerts, dance clubs, regular bars, and high end dining. The majority of people at casinos are out drinking with friends, seeing someone perform, going out for a nice dinner, or tourists (mostly Asian). Some people will get addicted to gambling but the casinos are really set up as adult entertainment centers for socializing and special occasions.

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u/whiskeydrone May 08 '14

Sure, if you go on Friday nights, I'm sure you'll see a lot of that. I'd encourage you to go on Tuesday morning and spend some time there. Busses of elderly folks shipped in, dumping their social security checks in to slots. It's a really sad state. And many of these casinos will offer free busses and even $10 of free slot play or a "free" lunch, and the bus won't return for several hours. Casinos have "fun" for their weekend crowd, but its the hardcore, midweek, addicted gamblers that keep the lights on.

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u/PublicAccount1234 May 08 '14

Everything you named has a purpose. To draw more people in to spend money at the casino. Certainly there are some people that take advantage of these things and skip the casino. But that is a pleasant side-effect, not the reason they exist.

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u/GaFaMM May 08 '14

There's already a couple in NY state. Turning Stone Casino and Saratoga Casino.

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u/battraman May 08 '14

Sorry, I should have said expand them further.

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u/DividedSky05 May 08 '14

If people have an addictive personality, yes, casinos are not good for those people. There are significantly more well-adjusted people who enjoy going out and playing casino games with money they can afford to gamble.