The color of money

I am not much of a gambler. But I like visiting a casino. Like I did this Labor Day weekend. We were in Atlantic City, a good 350 miles drive south of Boston.

I like going to a casino for several reasons. One- it amazes me that people who haggle for pennies outside are so willing to bet 5 or 10 dollar bills in hoards on a roulette where the probability of winning is heavily stacked against them. Yet, people flock to these games. Again and again.
Second- the wide range of people you see at a casino is only topped by a good sports game. You see old women, young women, flashing young men to older people well into retirement, all playing hoping their luck would turn just at the instant that they are there.

Playing in a casino is clearly something more than just playing a game. It is fact trying to chase a dream- the easy way out! Little or no sweat, little thought, a few colored coins that represent money and people chase it- day in and day out. It gives people hope, of instant gratification, of fast forwarding their dreams, of a better lifestyle, a newer car, a better home. There is an adrenalin rush- knowing that it could all be done in a matter of hours, not months or years of hard work, but in a few moments of instant luck and literally good fortune. In that sense, the crowd at the casino represents our faith in miracles, our eternal hope of a better future and our optimism even in the face of adversity. Casinos succeed because despite everything that probability has to say, we still feel we could be the chosen ones and have a fortune that will make our dreams come true. They succeed because of our faith in ourselves and each repeated failure at it only strengthens our resolve that good fortune is just round the corner. At a more visceral level, they represent our urge to splurge, feel good about it and just have a good time in a scenario where everybody is willing to bet a little bit hoping the tide would turn. Whether it is the notoriously fickle roulette or the more steady black jack, the thinking is still the same and the pump of adrenalin almost unmatched by any other activity.

I have played in different casinos from Genting Highlands in Malaysia to Cebu in the Philippines to Atlantic City now and it seems there is a universal appeal to the casinos which in my view represents a certain yearning to make our futures and fortunes better- as quickly as we possibly can; and though we all know in our heart of hearts that sustainable fortune is more than just getting a few numbers right, we still keep hoping. And thats what works! We are eternal optimists, arent we and thats not a bad way to be at all!