S.L. FULLER
News Editor
Last Saturday, I went to a casino for the second time in my entire life. The first time was about two weeks prior to that and ever since then, I haven’t been able to get slot machines out of my mind.
I have only been to the casino in Salamanca and I feel as though that’s one hell of a place to start out. It’s huge! (At least, I think it’s huge. I have nothing to compare it to). All the “blings,” “bloops” and flashing lights from the machines get the adrenaline going and for the few hours you’re there, you feel like you could actually win big money.
But that’s the thing. It’s only a feeling — not reality. My very first time at the casino, I won $7 and was so pissed that that was all I had managed to get out of my trip there. Granted, I got a free $20 to play with just for signing up for a membership, but still! Gambling, I decided, was just not for me.
Then one day not too long after, blings, bloops and flashing lights entered my brain and decided to take up residency. Maybe I could actually win big money…
And I downloaded a slot machine app on my tablet.
My God I am good at virtual gambling! I have thousands of tokens at my fingertips and have strategies for getting the most out of every bonus round. And last Saturday, I was on fire. I won 46,000 tokens off of a 450 token bet, and I just knew that it was my lucky day. It was time to go back to the casino.
Sam Simpson, the New Media Editor for The Leader, basically lives at the Salamanca casino with his mother over the summer. He’s one lucky dude and always seems to win big at every game he plays. Gambling is not an exception. I told him I wanted to try round two at the casino, so he and I met up with his mom and tried not to lose our life savings.
The thing about being 20 years old is that you’re not 21. And you need to be 21 to enjoy the full casino. But in Salamanca, there is a gated area where guests 18-and-over can play. There are only about five different types of slot machines so if one game is giving you trouble, you’re S.O.L and just have to bite the blinging, blooping bullet.
I only brought $10 with me last Saturday while Sam put in none because he’s lucky and got a promotional $5 from the casino just for being himself, (what a jerk), and his mom — who’s no joke when it comes to the casino — put in $100. While I figured the $10 would last me only a half hour, the blings and bloops were beckoning me and I headed in.
There’s nothing quite like watching your hard-earned cash being eaten by a cold-hearted slot machine and knowing deep down you’re going to lose it all. Why do we continue to gamble? Why do we not just stop right there, keep our $10 and call it a good day? I’ll tell you why. It’s because the feel of the smooth plastic “bet” button is just too tempting and the fact that there’s a slight chance in hell that you could win the jackpot is worth losing that money.
But I’m still a college kid and $10 is a small fortune. That’s why Sam and I only bet 30 cents for 30 lines at the slot machines. As soon as I spent my first 30 cents at a flashing machine, I remembered why I swore off gambling after the first time I went to the Salamanca casino.
Off of the five dollars that the casino gave Sam for being a member, he won $30 in the first five minutes of playing. His mom, who isn’t a college kid and therefore can afford to bet $1.50 instead of 30 cents, was collecting good amounts with every play. Then there I was, winning 10 cents once in a while. After playing at that first machine, I was up about $2. Not a good start.
For the next hour, Sam played with reserve after winning his $30 while his mom was funneling money into the machines and getting money back out like a pro. I, on the other hand, who sat at just about every single machine there was hoping to get a lucky one and win some money. Spoiler alert: I didn’t.
At the end of our time at the Salamanca casino, I won 14 cents. But Sam’s mom bought us dinner so I guess I won a free meal and 14 cents. If you’re me, feeling like you could actually win money is never reality.