I havenÂ’t given up gambling for new year.
I had been a bit depressed all day, and so to cheer myself up I re-downloaded Ladbrokes casino. I have already taken it off my computer twice, although I genuinely have (and I know this cos IÂ’ve got the credit card bills) broken even in the past.
For a man who enjoys gambling this is a dangerous exercise. To have a casino ready to roll at any time day or night in the confines of your own flat could be an expensive business.
Yet this evening I had very good luck. I set my limit at £100, but immediately won £60 on blackjack (the good thing about the internet is that it is supremely easy to bank your winnings- though unfortunately just as easy to unbank them). Then I played roulette with my “system” of £5 on my age (35), my girlfriend’s age (28- cradle snatcher), 17 (for no good reason) and also whichever number came up last.
35 came up on the first roll, giving me £175. Within the next 7 or 8 rolls, 17, 28 and another 35 came up and I had banked over £500. I played on for a bit and got another win when a 15 came up for a second time in a row. At the end of it I had £575, a profit of £475, not a bad evening’s work.
Of course, this was quite exceptionally lucky. Stupidly I went back a couple of hours later, convinced I was on a lucky streak and lost another £100, mainly trying to win the £700,000 jackpot on one of the fruit machines – a fool’s game (unlike all the other games of chance which are played by extremely clever people).
Obviously, this is a fairly unusual occurrence, and I will probably go on tonight and lose again and then so on for the rest of the week, until I get back to zilch and then take the software off my computer again. Gambling is for idiots. Though it did totally cheer me up.
Going to a real casino occasionally is quite an exciting and fun thing to do. You also get to observe the different types of people who go and the joy or desperation on their faces. You see the people who are hooked and believe that they are going to make their fortune one of these days, the people who are desperately alone (it’s no coincidence that depression drove me to play tonight). As long as you limit your visits and keep an eye on how much you’re spending then it’s an entertaining pastime. (Last year, I played quite a lot in Melbourne and maybe lost about £100 over the course of the month. In Edinburgh I went about five times and came out about £200 and before Christmas I went to one on Shaftsbury Avenue after our boys’ meal and won £280, so it pretty much evens out, or you get a little profit or loss if you’re careful)
Playing it on a computer is a bit sadder as you lose that sense of occasion and you donÂ’t have the thrill of seeing how other people behave, but on the good side you are usually sober, and as I say more likely to bank. ItÂ’s just when you start believing in fate or luck being on your side that it can all go to shit.
I’ve decided to keep a record of my gambling this year and see if I end up up, or (much more likely) down. It’s a mug’s game. It could destroy your life. But what the hey, I’ve given up drinking for new year and that is also expensive and life threatening and you rarely end the evening £375 up (unless you drunkenly decide to rob a bank).
