Ask the Readers: Do You Gamble?
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Editor's Note: Congratulations to Kathryn, Ally, and Alice Mecoy for winning this week's contest!
Chances are you've gone to a casino and played the slots or poker. Or maybe you've purchased a lottery ticket when the jackpot has been worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Most people have gambled at least once or twice in their lives. Some people only gamble when they head to Vegas or go on vacation to a destination with a casino. Others play the lottery on a daily basis.
Do You Gamble? If yes, what is your favorite way to gamble? Playing the lottery? Heading to the casinos to play poker? If you don't gamble, what motivates you to keep your money in your pocket?
Tell us whether or not you gamble and we'll enter you in a drawing to win a $20 Amazon Gift Card!
Win 1 of 3 $20 Amazon Gift Cards
We're doing three giveaways — one for random comments, one for random Facebook "Likes", and another one for random tweets.
Mandatory Entry:
- Post your answer in the comments below
For extra entries (1 per action):
- Go to our Facebook page, "Like" us, and leave a comment on this article telling us you did, or
- Tweet your answer. You have to be a follower of our @wisebread account. Include both "@wisebread" and "#WBAsk" in your tweet so we'll see it and count it. Leave a link to your tweet (click the timestamp for the individual URL) in a separate comment.
If you're inspired to write a whole blog post OR you have a photo on flickr to share, please link to it in the comments or tweet it.
Giveaway Rules:
- Contest ends Monday, June 25th at 11:59 pm Pacific. Winners will be announced after June 25th on the original post. Winners will also be contacted via email.
- You can enter all three drawings — once by leaving a comment, once by liking our Facebook update, and once by tweeting.
- This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered, or associated with Facebook.
- You must be 18 and US resident to enter. Void where prohibited.
Good Luck!
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Nope. I've worked too hard to give the money to someone else! Odds are not in your favor when you gamble, ever. If you just saved the money instead, you'd be surprised how quickly it adds up, especially when there is interest involved!
I do not gamble--it is a waste of money
Rarely gamble. At most once a year when someone is doing a bus trip to the casino to raise funds for one of the kids' sports teams or such. Even then, I bring just about $50.00 and when it's gone, it's gone and I am done for the night. Gambling just doesn't interest me.
I only gamble when I go to casinos. I look at it as entertainment only
Not really - I do buy lottery tickets occasionally.
I follow you on Facebook!
I played online poker when it was still legal. I will gamble in vegas if I'm there. I treat it as an entertainment cost and do not expect to win. Never bet more than you're willing to lose and always set a limit.
No, I do not gamble. I did gamble once though, on my first trip to Las Vegas my husband and I played roulette and came out ahead by quite a bit. Neither one of us had any interest in trying to gamble again.
Every two - three years my husband and I set aside around $100 in casino money. We break it into $50 each. Our expectations are to support the other person as they play - and that is what it is - play. That $100 is all we spend on slots, poker, roulette or whatever. The rule of thumb is that playing money goes in one pocket and winnings go in the other and never the two shall meet. Once the $100 is spent we've generally accrued enough points to get comped for one buffet so we enjoy a long meal. We take the time away from the house and chores etc. to simply sit and chat about life, the universe and everything with the ability to gnosh as we chat and enjoy endless refills. Since it is only an hour away from home, this gives us the feeling of getting away without going broke. Oh - and we generally win about 1/4 of the money back so it starts the seed for the next escape night.
Extremely rarely, and then I usually kick myself for it afterward. My husband and I used to go to the casinos (we live an hour from Atlantic City) and I would play video poker while he played roulette. His winnings were bigger than mine, but so were his losses. He buys lottery tickets, I would rather save the dollar, but if he ever wins, we will both enjoy that!
I like Wisebread on FB.
I use to gamble a lot until I moved to a different state and my gambling habit had declined. Where I am now I am more interested and playing the lotto once it hit a certain amount.
I have bought a raffle ticket here or there, but never gambled big time. I think it's a waste of money as a habit!
I tweeted! https://twitter.com/junethomemaker/status/215080380154380289
I like WB on FB!
I follow you on twitter!
I like you on FB!
I gamble maybe one time a year and make sure I have a limit set before I walk in the door!
Yes I do gamble but only in Vegas. I play Roulette and Craps because it's a great way to spend time with friends and new friends while winning or even losing money. As long as you're having fun and don't blow all your money, I have a great time.
Yes, I do. It's a bad habit and I have stopped for the most part. I will take the occasional trip to Vegas still though.
Unfortunately, I do! I enjoy it. However, I only go when I have the funds to support it...and I always have a stopping point.
https://twitter.com/a1exis/status/215106872485744641
I don't gamble very much because I hate to lose money. I did join a lottery group at work ($2/week), but am thinking of dropping out. I'd rather see my money grow than disappear.
NO, I do not gamble.
I consider gambling an idiot tax.
I do not gamble I might as well throw the money out the window than trust to chance. I have known several people who ruined their lives by gambling.
Sometimes I'll buy a lottery ticket for entertainment purposes. I have always wanted to visit a casino just to see what it's like, and I might do that some time.
No, I don't gamble. We're taught to be responsible with money. I don't consider the possibility of losing money on a game of chance as being responsible.
It bothers me to gamble - not the moral issue, but the betting on something that is NOT sure.
Mad(elyn) in Alabama
It bothers me to gamble - not the moral issue, but the betting on something that is NOT sure.
Mad(elyn) in Alabama
I also entered on your FB page.
Yes my husband gambles. He plays Texas Hold'em. He plays online, at a private game and sometimes in a casino. But we have a separate fund for gambling. He has a side job and uses only that money for gambling. Gambling winnings don't pay bills, bill money isn't used for gambling. He doesn't hunt, fish or play golf. Playing cards is his hobby.
Lotto scratch-off tickets are my guilty pleasure! I buy a $5 card every Friday, just for grins. Even if I don't win I try to get $5 worth of cheap thrills!
I never gamble. Life is uncertain enough without adding to it!
I gamble ocassionally. I like lotto tickets around the holiday season and going to the casino a couple times a year and that's pretty much it LOL! ;)
I gamble just a little bit - a game of Hold'em poker with the boys every 2 weeks. $10 buyin, no re-buys. Sometimes I win ($40-70 depending on number of players), sometimes I lose, but coupled with bringing a sixpack it's an amount of money I am willing to spend on an entertaining evening and it's far cheaper than the bars, movies, etc around here.
No gambling for me. I played the lottery in the past, but no more. It's a losing game.
Liked you on facebook
Every now and then a scratch-off lottery ticket provides a dollar's worth of fun imagining what you'd do if you won.
We stimulate the Georgia education system by buying $5 or $10 in lottery tickets anytime we drive over from Alabama.
I'm already a follower on Facebook.
Liked and commented on Facebook
Use to gamble before kids....
No! I think gambling is a waste of money. Since I don't like the atmosphere of casinos anyway, it's not a form of entertainment to me.
I like Wisebread on FB~
yes, I invest in the stock market. $100 a month.
I like to gamble on a small scale - friendly, family card games, penny slots at a casino, raffles, enter sweeps ( cost of mailing & supplies to enter), occasional lottery ticket.
I follow on Facebook as Selene Montgomery
I do, but it's not my money. My hubby and I take his mom a few times a year, and she gives us money. Sometimes I'll use some of it and keep the rest. I don't win good (hardly ever) which is why I'll keep some a lot of the time.
I gambled a little bit when we entered Reno, Nevada. It was so weird to see slots in the grocery store!
My hubby and I gambled a bit on the state lottery that provides college scholarships when our son was in college, we figured that was a win/win. The Hope scholarship sure helped us out with college costs.
I've liked you on FB for a while!
Like you on Facebook!
I don't really gamble - I do play the lottery every once in a while
I like wisebread on facebook
https://twitter.com/elliebunny24/status/215136678862536706
and I hope my first comment went there - got some kind of error when posted - thanks
Yes, I gamble. I look at is as entertainment though. If I lose, it was money I expected to "spend" for the entertainment. ;)
Not in the traditional sense. I'm betting professionally on the startup I work for!
Tweeted!
https://twitter.com/goonyburd/status/215155781811712000
I very rarely gamble. I will buy a lottery ticket once in a while. I go to a casino maybe once a year, and I only take 20 bucks with me. I don't like to waste money.
The only time I ever gamble is if I find myself in a casino in a social situation (friends have held birthdays there, for example). I'll drop some coins in a slot machine for long enough to get a "free" drink or two. But I'm not going to lose much of my hard-earned money to a machine or a casino!
"Liked" on Facebook. Thank you for the chance to win!
I gamble with lottery tickets. I try to play the same numbers every week, but only if I have spare change to use!
Liked you on FB!
https://twitter.com/missluckybreaks/status/215172025457709057
Here's my tweet: https://twitter.com/kroshey/status/215173193785294849
No - never. Waste of my money. Period.
I don't go to casinos to gamble. However, if I'm lucky, my husband and I will go to Saratoga, NY to bet on the horse races in the summer. I usually bring about $40 and will place $1 or $2 bets. If I'm up, I may make a slightly larger bet. If that money runs out, then that's it. The nice thing about Saratoga is you can go with a group of people and bring coolers of food to have a picnic. We usually make a day of it and it's always been a lot of fun.
I used to when I thought it might be a way to get easy money. I have learned that the chances are slim to none. I will say that I will go in on the lottery once in a great while with some friends when it gets large, but that is only a few dollars every 6 months or so.
I will gamble as entertainment-- I love to go to bingo with my aunt! We only will have a little cash to spend but when it's gone were done. Or if we're not having fun. We love neighborhood poker nights- usually just a $5 buy in. Also, we have signed up for casino club cards and won really money from the "$5 free game play". The best way to gamble in my opinion!
I like you on facebook!
No, l don't gamble. I don't have money to waste on gambling, especially when I don't have much luck!
I like buying the $5 scratch off tickets once in a while. If I win 5 bucks, I will trade it for another ticket. If I win 25 bucks, I will get another $5 ticket and use the rest of the money toward an extra treat at the store or grabbing a subway sandwich, or a haircut, or anything else I happen to need or want at the moment.
I don't gamble on a regular basis, for example I don't play the lottery, but I have occasionally gambled. Last year, my husband and I took a weekend trip to Windsor and spent a couple hours at a casino playing the games. We didn't spend much, but it was a fun night, and we spent less than going to the movies!
No. A few of my relations are problem gamblers, and I have seen them lose a lot (both possessions + relationships). My parents, who are now retired, love to play poker (slot) machines a few times a week, for hours at a time. Admittedly, here in Australia, gambling is much more accessible and gaming machines and clubs are everywhere. I can understand the appeal of limiting yourself to a small amount, say, $50, for entertainment's sake, but frankly, I can think of dozens of other ways I'd rather spend my time : )
I will buy the occasional lottery scratch ticket, and I buy one Powerball chance per drawing when it's $100 million or more. I have played slots and blackjack at casinos but haven't been in years.
Tweeted reply:
https://twitter.com/KelRo1/status/215477689035915266
Like you on FB.
NO, I don't gamble! I don't even gamble in the stock market! I hate the risk.
I liked Wise Bread on Facebook.
I play the lottery once in awhile, but never win. I'd like to learn blackjack and craps, which seem like they're more fun and challenging. In the end, however, all forms of gambling are guaranteed to take all of your money. The house always has the edge.
When you consider the odds, lotteries are perhaps the worst bet one can make.
No, I don't gamble. Would rather make extra money in a less risky way!
Also I like you on Facebook.
https://twitter.com/starkeee/status/215593943134515200
I do not gamble
I like you on facebook (Elena Istomina)
Follow you on Twitter and tweeted:
https://twitter.com/ElenaIstomina/status/215631231805698048
I feel lucky because I can take or leave gambling. I do find casinos depressing.
No, I don't gamble. I especially don't buy lottery tickets. For me, a lucky ticket wins $1. 9 times out of 10, I get nothing.
maybe the penny slots once a year, but no, i don't let myself gamble because i know i will get carried away!
tweeted https://twitter.com/oshkoshbgosh123/status/215754312649949186
i like wisebread on fb
I do gamble, but only once every few years. Casinos are a fun out-of-the-ordinary destination. What other activity is fun and gives you a chance to win money with your "throw away" money. Worst case, you have fun. Best case, you win a few bucks.
I do not spend my allowance on gambling. My husband, however, plays the lottery regularly. When he does play he usually picks up scratchers for me. It's nice to win a dollar or two but I totally wouldn't be paying for the tickets if it came out of the money I have for my "extras."
"Angela said she doesn't like to gamble. Of course by saying that she was gambling that I wouldn't smack her." The Office
To answer your question, no I don't.
I have gambled in the past, but I wouldn't consider myself a gambler. I had a surplus of cash once in Vegas in 2007 and decided to budget myself about $100 to play some slot machines and ended up winning pretty big, essentially earning enough money in less than 20 minutes to pay for my entire trip 3 or 4 times over (hotel, flight, food, the whole shebang!). I knew that was rare occurrence, so I considered it a blessing when it happened. But I haven't gambled since. I know for a fact the odds are massively unfavorable and just don't have the money to waste anymore.
I gamble by buying scratchers (and occasionally buying a lottery ticket), and by occasionally playing the video machines if I'm at a casino (my limit is $60 in, and then I'm out, no matter of my winnings!).
I look at it as a small expense for a silly time with friends that could possibly pay out big!
Also - I "like" you on FB!
no
Yes, but not to often. I make sure we have a limit set before we go. We live a pretty frugal life so when the feeling moves us we have money put aside, that is maybe twice a year.
Nope. Well, except with my 401(k).
Not to often, a few times a year.
A new casino just opened a county south of my city. Returning from a hiking trip, I stopped into check out the new facility. It doesn't look like a horse arena with all the ringing bells, flashing lights, plush carpeting and music playing loudly but the developer is promising to put in an even nicer facility soon and add horse racing, thus the arena.
As I promised myself, I took my $5 out of my pocket, walked up to a Slot Machine, inserted the dollar and hit -PLAY-. In 1/4 a second, it said -LOSER-.
As I filled up my recycled water bottle in the water fountain, I noticed a lot of seniors entering the casino. I thought about an older lady with whom I once worked. The lovely lady worked at the emergency services department of a local charity. She lived on social security as she was in her upper 70s. The rest of her income from the office job at the charity went to lotto tickets and gambling trips. The charity, one of the largest emergency charities in the city, could barely keep up with the needs of clients. It shuffled many people around to other charities to try to meet their needs.
This was my stark view of human nature - a lot of which doesn't make much sense. I got in my vehicle in the casino parking lot and drove home while reassured myself that my journey out of debt will not be as easy as winning this slot play. But staying in places like this would make my journey out of debt take much longer.