[shelfy]

all i have to say i be careful. i work in a casino and i've seen people lose everything. this is an extreme case, but i used to rent an apartment and the lady down a floor and across the stairwell got a job at a casino (not mine) and starting gambling a lot. i finally bought a place and moved away, but i'd eat lunch at her casino and see her on occassion. one of my job duties at the time was to monitor my casino's returned checks. she had written us a bad check and i didn't think much about it until it came back from our collection agency as uncollectible. we'd get a reason as to why they stop the collection process and this time was because she died. i even got a copy of the death certificate. it appeared she committed suicide. my mother was friends with her and got a hold of the woman's sister. turns out she was like $60k in debt from gambling and saw no other way out but to kill herself.

on a happier note, i have many fun casino stories from back in the day. well most of them involved too much booze or bad weather, but at least no harm came out of the experiences. i would have to say that in the long run, i'm sure i am down money in my gambling adventures.