Author Topic: Waah! Millennials aren't gambling anymore!  (Read 22910 times)

FireLane

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Waah! Millennials aren't gambling anymore!
« on: April 24, 2017, 04:30:24 PM »
Those typical spoiled millennial brats, not wanting to... um... throw their money away on casino gambling like their parents and grandparents did?

Quote
But that's not the Vegas Strip where the Raiders will play after owners on March 27 approved the team's relocation by a shockingly lopsided 31-1 vote. They're moving in either 2019 or 2020 to a Vegas that is fading, thanks to the continuing fallout from the real estate crash a decade ago and millennials' deep distaste for casino games. Wide swaths of craps tables and roulette wheels sit empty on casino floors as 20-somethings, mesmerized by their smartphones, idle on leather chairs with their backs turned to the pulsating penny slot machines. Deep debt hangs over most gaming corporations, and a handful are untangling themselves from multibillion-dollar bankruptcies. Many casinos now charge for parking, once unheard of in an industry designed to make it easy for customers to enter and all but impossible to leave.

You always hear people accusing us millennials of being the entitled ones, but here the casino owners are the ones showing a sense of entitlement. Even though we're making a financially savvy decision, they use the same language to attack us for it. They think it's rude of us to not waste money on games where the odds are in the house's favor, as if they had a right to presume that every generation would be as mathematically illiterate as the one before it.

Dave1442397

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Re: Waah! Millennials aren't gambling anymore!
« Reply #1 on: April 25, 2017, 06:30:56 AM »
The first time I went to a Casino was when my Aunt dragged me to the Tropicana in Atlantic City, New Year's Eve 1987. I had no interest in gambling, but got $20 in quarters just for something to do. $14 later, the slot machine I was playing lit up - I had hit the jackpot, yay! Because I was only playing one quarter at a time, I only won $125. If I had been throwing my money away at the rate of five quarters per throw, it would have been $12,500. I was quite happy to walk away with $111.

I've been back there many times over the years, only because my in-laws live in Atlantic City, so we often ate (free on their points) at the Tropicana restaurants. It still blows my mind to see people huddled over machines, pouring money into them.

We were walking past a roped-off slot machine area one day when a woman hit the jackpot on the dollar slot machine. I forget how much she won, but the guy guarding the entrance told me she'd been there for hours, playing five dollars at a time. I'm sure nobody heard about that part later on, just the winnings.

radram

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Re: Waah! Millennials aren't gambling anymore!
« Reply #2 on: April 25, 2017, 06:43:23 AM »
If I had been throwing my money away at the rate of five quarters per throw, it would have been come up as something other than a payout of $12,500. I was quite happy to walk away with $111.


FTFY :)


MightyAl

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Re: Waah! Millennials aren't gambling anymore!
« Reply #3 on: April 25, 2017, 06:46:11 AM »
The first time I went to a Casino was when my Aunt dragged me to the Tropicana in Atlantic City, New Year's Eve 1987. I had no interest in gambling, but got $20 in quarters just for something to do. $14 later, the slot machine I was playing lit up - I had hit the jackpot, yay! Because I was only playing one quarter at a time, I only won $125. If I had been throwing my money away at the rate of five quarters per throw, it would have been $12,500. I was quite happy to walk away with $111.

I've been back there many times over the years, only because my in-laws live in Atlantic City, so we often ate (free on their points) at the Tropicana restaurants. It still blows my mind to see people huddled over machines, pouring money into them.

We were walking past a roped-off slot machine area one day when a woman hit the jackpot on the dollar slot machine. I forget how much she won, but the guy guarding the entrance told me she'd been there for hours, playing five dollars at a time. I'm sure nobody heard about that part later on, just the winnings.

Have you ever seen a slot tournament?  Just hundreds of people slumped over machines hitting the buttons as fast as they can.  I still don't completely understand what that is all about.

I hear about retirees spending time at the casino.  I don't get it.  If I wanted to sit in a windowless room all the time with people I barely know I would stay at work.

KungfuRabbit

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Re: Waah! Millennials aren't gambling anymore!
« Reply #4 on: April 25, 2017, 07:03:41 AM »
Good for you millenials. Good for you.

Gondolin

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Re: Waah! Millennials aren't gambling anymore!
« Reply #5 on: April 25, 2017, 08:22:32 AM »
Casinos are dumb. Gambling is dumb.

That said, you're really reaching for the "entitlement" here. If I had a business model that worked for decades and made tons of money, I would be confused and frustrated if it suddenly stopped working. The whiny ones will go bankrupt. The smart ones will innovative to a new normal.

Dave1442397

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Re: Waah! Millennials aren't gambling anymore!
« Reply #6 on: April 25, 2017, 10:36:36 AM »
The first time I went to a Casino was when my Aunt dragged me to the Tropicana in Atlantic City, New Year's Eve 1987. I had no interest in gambling, but got $20 in quarters just for something to do. $14 later, the slot machine I was playing lit up - I had hit the jackpot, yay! Because I was only playing one quarter at a time, I only won $125. If I had been throwing my money away at the rate of five quarters per throw, it would have been $12,500. I was quite happy to walk away with $111.

I've been back there many times over the years, only because my in-laws live in Atlantic City, so we often ate (free on their points) at the Tropicana restaurants. It still blows my mind to see people huddled over machines, pouring money into them.

We were walking past a roped-off slot machine area one day when a woman hit the jackpot on the dollar slot machine. I forget how much she won, but the guy guarding the entrance told me she'd been there for hours, playing five dollars at a time. I'm sure nobody heard about that part later on, just the winnings.

Have you ever seen a slot tournament?  Just hundreds of people slumped over machines hitting the buttons as fast as they can.  I still don't completely understand what that is all about.

I hear about retirees spending time at the casino.  I don't get it.  If I wanted to sit in a windowless room all the time with people I barely know I would stay at work.

I've never seen (or even heard of) a slot tournament, but it sounds terrible.

The biggest disconnect for me was when we were enjoying a day at South Lake Tahoe, and my SIL got us a free room at Harrah's for the night. It was just so weird to come indoors after riding horses and being at the beach, just to see all these zombie people at the slots, looking as if they raided the Goodfellas wardrobe. How does that vacation discussion go? "Hey, let's go spend some time in one of the most beautiful places in the US, but stay indoors breathing secondhand smoke and eating casino food!"


Just Joe

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Re: Waah! Millennials aren't gambling anymore!
« Reply #7 on: April 25, 2017, 10:38:59 AM »
I'm GenX, not exactly the subject demographic.

I was encouraged to go to the races with a group of family and friends one evening. They seemed shocked that I wouldn't gamble. Yeah, I'm a little weird like that. ;)

At the time DW and I were working pretty hard and some of DW and our money was literally sweaty odd-job manual labor. I just couldn't enjoy throwing it at the (unlikely) chance that I would win something.

I didn't understand then or now how it all worked anyhow so any bet would truly be a shot in the dark.

I was content to sip on something cold and watch the races. ;) 

Davids

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Re: Waah! Millennials aren't gambling anymore!
« Reply #8 on: April 25, 2017, 10:43:18 AM »
A lot of millennials are gambling but not in the casino sense. Instead they are playing fantasy sports on sites like fanduel or draftkings.

slugline

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Re: Waah! Millennials aren't gambling anymore!
« Reply #9 on: April 25, 2017, 10:44:44 AM »
I'm skeptical of the idea that this is purely a story of millenials turning away from gambling. Another trend that has been happening over the last couple of decades is the spread of legalized gambling in other states and the availability of online gambling. In other words, fewer Americans need to physically travel to Nevada to scratch that itch.


Chris22

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Re: Waah! Millennials aren't gambling anymore!
« Reply #10 on: April 25, 2017, 10:57:06 AM »
I'm skeptical of the idea that this is purely a story of millenials turning away from gambling. Another trend that has been happening over the last couple of decades is the spread of legalized gambling in other states and the availability of online gambling. In other words, fewer Americans need to physically travel to Nevada to scratch that itch.

Millennials are also all about 'authentic' experiences, they don't want something manufactured and marketed.  And there's nothing less authentic than Las Vegas.

I do think though there are plenty of millennials who enjoy 'real' gaming, like playing poker (maybe online) and blackjack and other games where this is some skill or thought behind it. But blindly jabbing at slot machines?  No. 

Me, I'm not opposed to gambling if I can have some fun with it; I went to an off-strip casino in Vegas once and put down $40 and played blackjack for like 4 hours while downing endless pitchers of free Miller Lite, THAT is fun.  But I went in assuming I would lose all $40, and that was acceptable; there's never any fantasy of a "big win" for me because I'll never wager enough to win much.  I'd rather play a long time for $40 and walk away with $20 than put in $400 and hope to turn it into $10,000. 

Dicey

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Re: Waah! Millennials aren't gambling anymore!
« Reply #11 on: April 25, 2017, 11:11:59 AM »
I'm older than most, I do remember going to Vegas for fun in the eighties. I learned to play the Don't Pass Line in Craps, because that's where the odds were "best". I never spent more than a couple of twenties, and I made it last a long time, occasionally winning a little, but nothing spectacular.

What killed Vegas for me was the sprawl and having to travel there for Trade Shows 2-3 x per year. We walked and stood so much all damn day that there was no energy for anything else by close of business.

The rise of state lotteries, Internet gaming, and flashing light games on smartphones have all contributed to the slowdown in Vegas*. Have no fear, they will morph themselves into something else that sells. Millennial just have different hot buttons.

*ETA: Totally forgot about Indian Casinos and Gaming Parlors. Those, too.
« Last Edit: April 25, 2017, 06:37:36 PM by Dicey »

Fu Mainechu

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Re: Waah! Millennials aren't gambling anymore!
« Reply #12 on: April 25, 2017, 12:43:46 PM »
I'm in my 30s.  I went to a casino for the first time ever a few months ago (not in Vegas) just to see what it was like.  I decided to goof around with the penny and nickel video slot machines because I have no idea how to play any of the real games. 

After playing for a few minutes I realized that I had no idea what was going on.  Things that looked like they should be winners weren't, and things that looked like losers were winners.  Then every so often there would be a special item or something, and it would go to some sort of mini-game where you did stuff on the touch screen.  The whole thing was just kind of tedious, and I felt kind of silly and frustrated so I cashed out and left.  I realized then that this is probably how my parents feel when they have to use a smartphone or any other "new" technology.

Reynold

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Re: Waah! Millennials aren't gambling anymore!
« Reply #13 on: April 25, 2017, 01:04:23 PM »
After playing for a few minutes I realized that I had no idea what was going on.  Things that looked like they should be winners weren't, and things that looked like losers were winners.  Then every so often there would be a special item or something, and it would go to some sort of mini-game where you did stuff on the touch screen.  The whole thing was just kind of tedious, and I felt kind of silly and frustrated so I cashed out and left.  I realized then that this is probably how my parents feel when they have to use a smartphone or any other "new" technology.

DW and I went to a casino a couple of months ago, because someone who wanted to thank her took her for lunch at one and she had gotten a "free introductory money" card which she was still carrying around.  It took us quite a while to figure out how to work the slot machine, it is not that easy, and I do have a smart phone.  We finally discovered we had turned the $20 in "free" money we couldn't cash in into something like $11 in money we could, so we cashed in and went, woot! :) 

I do agree with one of the earlier posters that part of what is killing Vegas is much more legalized gambling in more places as more states either authorize Native Americans to build casinos, or just cave completely and allow it anywhere.  I was showed a casino in Mississippi that was a "riverboat" casino.  It was a large, multistory concrete building with a moat you could only see looking over the side of the walkway entrance.  Apparently it floated on an artificial pond, pylons holding it in place, with a ditch connecting the pond to a river miles away, and was officially licensed as a boat.  Probably a fairly boring job as captain. . .

The other thing is a lot of other online entertainment options without even leaving your house, including probably any kind of gambling you could think of.  I suspect more people gamble than ever before, but it is less visible and concentrated. 

Zikoris

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Re: Waah! Millennials aren't gambling anymore!
« Reply #14 on: April 25, 2017, 01:57:58 PM »
I was in Vegas for the first time last fall. I don't gamble or drink alcohol. But it was fun being in casinos - I like the lights and sounds. We spent our trip checking out the city and local veg restaurants, going to shows, and heading out to the Grand Canyon. It was a blast, but it sure would seem strange to a lot of people, I bet.

Yankuba

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Re: Waah! Millennials aren't gambling anymore!
« Reply #15 on: April 25, 2017, 02:02:59 PM »
A lot of millennials are gambling but not in the casino sense. Instead they are playing fantasy sports on sites like fanduel or draftkings.

+1

Poker is also popular, but if you play with a group of friends it's zero sum. Winners and losers net out.

Cowardly Toaster

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Re: Waah! Millennials aren't gambling anymore!
« Reply #16 on: April 25, 2017, 02:49:50 PM »
I went on a vacay to Vegas once or twice. I had always heard how cheap it was. Well that's not the case, at least on the strip. Most young people are going to Vegas as a destination, and you pay through the nose for restaurants, drinks (unless you're on the casino floor), and even hotel rooms. The strip has lots of nightclubs now too that make $1000s in cover charges and bottle services. Now I can't imagine that millennial tourism is making up for gambling decline. Not really sure the exact profits from gambling, I feel it must be very profitable? but the tourism must be easing the pain at least a little.
<br>
PS there's a YUGE casino at the end of the strip that's half finished, apparently construction was stopped in 2008 and never resumed.

marty998

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Re: Waah! Millennials aren't gambling anymore!
« Reply #17 on: April 25, 2017, 03:15:40 PM »
A lot of millennials are gambling but not in the casino sense. Instead they are playing fantasy sports on sites like fanduel or draftkings.

Sports betting on mobile apps is also a massive problem now.

The major sporting codes take tens of millions of dollars in sponsorship from the betting shops, under the guise that the wagering companies will monitor things like match fixing and unusual betting patterns.

In return, our TV screens are completely saturated with ads for gambling. The language used is totally inappropriate: a stake is now an "investment", a payout is now a "return", various aspects of the game e.g. first/last pointscorer, total overs/unders are now called "markets".

The mute button on my TV remote is destined to break soon... it's insidious.

zolotiyeruki

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Re: Waah! Millennials aren't gambling anymore!
« Reply #18 on: April 25, 2017, 04:02:06 PM »
PS there's a YUGE casino at the end of the strip that's half finished, apparently construction was stopped in 2008 and never resumed.
It's the Fantainebleau Resort.  The story is pretty interesting--What stopped the construction was that Bank of America, representing the creditors, refused to give them more money to finish construction in May 2009. It sounds like the project itself was progressing as expected, but the long-term financials suddenly didn't look so good after the crash :)

paddedhat

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Re: Waah! Millennials aren't gambling anymore!
« Reply #19 on: April 26, 2017, 06:23:49 AM »
Horse racing, golf, motorcycles catering to the "dress up like a pirate and pretend I'm Billy Badass" crowd, and now casinos.  Yea, it's starting to look like an intelligence test, and millenials  seem to be testing pretty well.

Just Joe

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Re: Waah! Millennials aren't gambling anymore!
« Reply #20 on: April 26, 2017, 07:45:38 AM »
Perhaps the American character types are getting tired?

zolotiyeruki

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Re: Waah! Millennials aren't gambling anymore!
« Reply #21 on: April 26, 2017, 08:19:16 AM »
With Millennials not going to casinos, would this thread find a better place in the "Mustachianism around the web" subforum? :P

prudent_one

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Re: Waah! Millennials aren't gambling anymore!
« Reply #22 on: April 26, 2017, 01:09:10 PM »
I went to Vegas for a trade show once. Wasn't interested that much in gambling but I fell into the "When in Rome..." mindset and thought I'd play some blackjack. I convinced myself that although it was technically gambling, I was doing it as entertainment.

About the fourth hand, I took a card and busted. The guy two over from me took a card and busted, pointed to me and said "If you hadn't hit like an idiot, I would have gotten the card I needed." Entertainment time now over, I left and really had no desire to do it again.

I think gambling is like investing in a way... if you do stupid things when starting out and you get real lucky anyway, that's about the worst thing that could happen. You'll believe your "system" is better whether it's blackjack, poker, or stock-picking - and stick to it doggedly. But stupidity will overcome luck in the long run.

eljefe-speaks

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Re: Waah! Millennials aren't gambling anymore!
« Reply #23 on: April 26, 2017, 01:38:05 PM »
Horse racing, golf, motorcycles catering to the "dress up like a pirate and pretend I'm Billy Badass" crowd, and now casinos.  Yea, it's starting to look like an intelligence test, and millenials  seem to be testing pretty well.

Don't forget car ownership.

eljefe-speaks

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Re: Waah! Millennials aren't gambling anymore!
« Reply #24 on: April 26, 2017, 01:40:49 PM »
The guy two over from me took a card and busted, pointed to me and said "If you hadn't hit like an idiot, I would have gotten the card I needed."

What a complete dick. If you hit like you did, and he ended up with 21, I am guessing he would not have thanked you.

eljefe-speaks

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Re: Waah! Millennials aren't gambling anymore!
« Reply #25 on: April 26, 2017, 01:49:06 PM »
Last time I was in Vegas I sat down at a $1 Roulette Table with $20. I was with my wife and some old friends. I played for about 3 hours, we made pals with our table mates, got free drinks (except for the tip of course) and had a crack.

On the other hand I quit my local monthly poker game. I am not very good at it (which is fine by me), but people were constant dicks about it (which is not). So, they drove away their easy money by being dicks. 

zoltani

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Re: Waah! Millennials aren't gambling anymore!
« Reply #26 on: April 26, 2017, 01:54:03 PM »
Vegaas can be fun, with or without gambling. If you sit down at a bar and put $20 in a video poker machine you get a "free" $14 cocktail. You might even win some money. Last time I was in vegas I think I spent a total of about $22 on gambling. My favorite thing to do is fill a water bottle full of booze and go walking around people watching. Gets more and more entertaining as you finish your "water".


Vertical Mode

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Re: Waah! Millennials aren't gambling anymore!
« Reply #27 on: April 26, 2017, 02:05:24 PM »
The guy two over from me took a card and busted, pointed to me and said "If you hadn't hit like an idiot, I would have gotten the card I needed."

What a complete dick. If you hit like you did, and he ended up with 21, I am guessing he would not have thanked you.

From what I gather (and I am definitely no expert), there is an etiquette that comes into play with respect to taking and not taking cards in blackjack. I'm not really sure what these rules even are (I think it has something to do with the odds of drawing face cards), but some people get really bent out of shape if they perceive your deviation from this standard to be affecting their draw. I've been to Vegas twice, and both times I've encountered that exact behavior at the table. The first time, the dude was standing by the table with his entourage wanting to fight me, until security stepped in and politely asked them to move along.

patchyfacialhair

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Re: Waah! Millennials aren't gambling anymore!
« Reply #28 on: April 26, 2017, 02:12:52 PM »
Ah yes another "snake people are ruining the world" article. I'm doing my part by not contributing! I'm currently on my third week in Vegas for work, and I've spent $0 on gambling. I went to one strip hotel for dinner once (Yardbird at the Venetian...super good fried chicken and waffles...but super pricey...so it tasted even better putting it on my corporate card)...parking and walking a mile just to eat was a just a super annoying experience.

The Vegas strip has it's place among vacation experiences, and I've done the partying thing, and will probably return for a future drunk vacation, but I'm of the opinion that it's way more fun to bring your own alcohol and engage in shenanigans than to mindlessly gamble away your hard earned money.

Digital Dogma

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Re: Waah! Millennials aren't gambling anymore!
« Reply #29 on: April 26, 2017, 02:50:52 PM »
I've been to the local casinos 6 or 7 times, had a great time, but never put a dime into gambling there. The casinos here have the best restaurants around in a mall-like setting, I love heading that way with friends just to try out a new place to eat. They get their fair share of money from me, but I demand to receive SOMETHING in return, a show a meal or an overnight stay.

To me, gambling on games at the casino is lame. I'll only bet on poker games outside of a casino setting.

AlanStache

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Re: Waah! Millennials aren't gambling anymore!
« Reply #30 on: April 26, 2017, 03:22:22 PM »
Vegas is about entertainment not just gambling; it will survive just fine (so long as it has water).

I would strongly consider moving there for work if an opportunity presented itself.  LOTS of cool stuff to see and do. 

re personal gambling - meh.  Cant say I really like trying to do math while drinking at 2am. 

Abe

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Re: Waah! Millennials aren't gambling anymore!
« Reply #31 on: April 26, 2017, 06:52:55 PM »
Once they stop trying to water the desert we'll all be better off. Moving there, in my opinion, is foolish unless you're there to make a quick buck and get out.

NoVa

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Re: Waah! Millennials aren't gambling anymore!
« Reply #32 on: April 27, 2017, 10:35:50 AM »
This was a while ago. My mother (RIP) would take the free senior center bus trip to Atlantic City (she wasn't living at the senior center, volunteered there). Free trip back and forth, and they would give you a $10 roll of quarters. The bus dropped you directly in front of the casino. She would walk through the casino, exit the back side that faced the boardwalk, spend a lovely 4-5 hours on the boardwalk, eat lunch with the roll of quarters and get back on the bus at the end of the day. A lovely day at the beach for free. From what she could tell, everyone else spent the entire day inside the casino and most would spend way more than the $10 they were "given."

WildJager

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Re: Waah! Millennials aren't gambling anymore!
« Reply #33 on: April 27, 2017, 01:34:58 PM »
The guy two over from me took a card and busted, pointed to me and said "If you hadn't hit like an idiot, I would have gotten the card I needed."

What a complete dick. If you hit like you did, and he ended up with 21, I am guessing he would not have thanked you.

From what I gather (and I am definitely no expert), there is an etiquette that comes into play with respect to taking and not taking cards in blackjack. I'm not really sure what these rules even are (I think it has something to do with the odds of drawing face cards), but some people get really bent out of shape if they perceive your deviation from this standard to be affecting their draw. I've been to Vegas twice, and both times I've encountered that exact behavior at the table. The first time, the dude was standing by the table with his entourage wanting to fight me, until security stepped in and politely asked them to move along.

Haha, I love those people.  They're so delusional.  I've had my fair share of blackjack playing when I happen to be somewhere with casinos for work.  I go in expecting to lose money, but consider it a win if the money spent/drink ratio breaks even.  The characters at the tables are fun to interact with, in a schadenfreude kind of way.  The people who get upset are the people who actually think playing cards is a viable way to make money.  When they're down on their luck, many of them take out the pain on others who "aren't playing right" according to the books.  While there is a slight statistical advantage when everyone plays "properly", in order for those stats to play out you have to play a ridiculous number of hands.  The house definitely has the advantage when it comes to the number of hands they deal vs the number of hands an individual plays. 

On the other hand, it is quite sad when you realize the person next to you isn't going to be able to pay rent this month because they lost the last money they had on the hopes of winning.  Casinos are a dark place when you get past the flashy lights.

paddedhat

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Re: Waah! Millennials aren't gambling anymore!
« Reply #34 on: April 27, 2017, 01:57:27 PM »
This was a while ago. My mother (RIP) would take the free senior center bus trip to Atlantic City (she wasn't living at the senior center, volunteered there). Free trip back and forth, and they would give you a $10 roll of quarters. The bus dropped you directly in front of the casino. She would walk through the casino, exit the back side that faced the boardwalk, spend a lovely 4-5 hours on the boardwalk, eat lunch with the roll of quarters and get back on the bus at the end of the day. A lovely day at the beach for free. From what she could tell, everyone else spent the entire day inside the casino and most would spend way more than the $10 they were "given."

This made me smile. My wife's grandmother was a little old Russian lady. Stereotypical, to the point that if you were casting for a movie and needed a little old Russian lady, you could do no better. She was hunched over a cane, house dress with support stockings and what could pass for men's dress shoes,  babushka tied tight, a proudly permanent scowl, and a no bullshit outlook on life.  Once a week she would jump on the free AC Casino bus, departing from the lobby of her elderly high rise. Once there, she would grab the roll of quarters, and  head for a cheap lunch. If it was nice outside,  she would spend the day on a boardwalk bench facing the waves, then head back to the bus. She was a thrifty old bird. When she passed, there as about $10K in cash hidden in every nook, book and hat box in her little apartment. Best job she ever had was as the cleaning lady at a rough corner bar, in a bad neighborhood, in the shadow of a steel mill.
« Last Edit: April 27, 2017, 04:08:32 PM by paddedhat »

pachnik

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Re: Waah! Millennials aren't gambling anymore!
« Reply #35 on: April 27, 2017, 02:16:50 PM »
This was a while ago. My mother (RIP) would take the free senior center bus trip to Atlantic City (she wasn't living at the senior center, volunteered there). Free trip back and forth, and they would give you a $10 roll of quarters. The bus dropped you directly in front of the casino. She would walk through the casino, exit the back side that faced the boardwalk, spend a lovely 4-5 hours on the boardwalk, eat lunch with the roll of quarters and get back on the bus at the end of the day. A lovely day at the beach for free. From what she could tell, everyone else spent the entire day inside the casino and most would spend way more than the $10 they were "given."

This made me smile. My wife's grandmother was a little old Russian lady. Stereotypical, to the point that if you were casting for a movie and needed a little old Russian lady, you could do no better. She was hunched over a cane, house dress with support stockings and what could pass for men's dress shoes,  babushka tied tight, a proudly permanent scowl, and a no bullshit outlook on life.  Once a week she would jump on the free AC Casino bus, departing from the lobby of her elderly high rise. Once there, she would grab the roll of quarters, and  head for a cheap lunch. If it was nice outside,  she would spend the day on a boardwalk bench facing the waves, then head back to the bus. She was a thrifty old bird. When she passed, there as about $10K in cash hidden in every nook, book and hat box in her little apartment. Best job she ever had was as the cleaning lady fat a rough corner bar, in a bad neighborhood, in the shadow of a steel mill.

Great description of the Russian grandma!   My family came from E. Europe so I had a grandma a bit like this too.  Being thrifty wasn't an option for them.  I remember once grandma found a fur coat at a yard sale - it was black and possibly something like shorn lamb.  Apparently this was her 'dream coat' and she was so happy to finally get one.  :) 

I will keep this in mind when I am a senior - free bus to a casino,  possibly a freebee thrown in and an inexpensive lunch.   

Dave1442397

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Re: Waah! Millennials aren't gambling anymore!
« Reply #36 on: April 27, 2017, 03:50:40 PM »
This was a while ago. My mother (RIP) would take the free senior center bus trip to Atlantic City (she wasn't living at the senior center, volunteered there). Free trip back and forth, and they would give you a $10 roll of quarters. The bus dropped you directly in front of the casino. She would walk through the casino, exit the back side that faced the boardwalk, spend a lovely 4-5 hours on the boardwalk, eat lunch with the roll of quarters and get back on the bus at the end of the day. A lovely day at the beach for free. From what she could tell, everyone else spent the entire day inside the casino and most would spend way more than the $10 they were "given."

This made me smile. My wife's grandmother was a little old Russian lady. Stereotypical, to the point that if you were casting for a movie and needed a little old Russian lady, you could do no better. She was hunched over a cane, house dress with support stockings and what could pass for men's dress shoes,  babushka tied tight, a proudly permanent scowl, and a no bullshit outlook on life.  Once a week she would jump on the free AC Casino bus, departing from the lobby of her elderly high rise. Once there, she would grab the roll of quarters, and  head for a cheap lunch. If it was nice outside,  she would spend the day on a boardwalk bench facing the waves, then head back to the bus. She was a thrifty old bird. When she passed, there as about $10K in cash hidden in every nook, book and hat box in her little apartment. Best job she ever had was as the cleaning lady fat a rough corner bar, in a bad neighborhood, in the shadow of a steel mill.

Great description of the Russian grandma!   My family came from E. Europe so I had a grandma a bit like this too.  Being thrifty wasn't an option for them.  I remember once grandma found a fur coat at a yard sale - it was black and possibly something like shorn lamb.  Apparently this was her 'dream coat' and she was so happy to finally get one.  :) 

I will keep this in mind when I am a senior - free bus to a casino,  possibly a freebee thrown in and an inexpensive lunch.

My MIL lives next door to the Tropicana in Atlantic City. She gets a lot of visitors who are there to gamble, so she makes them use her casino card so that she gets all the points. She takes us out to eat at one of the nicer restaurants sometimes, and it's always free when she uses her points.

ice_beard

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Re: Waah! Millennials aren't gambling anymore!
« Reply #37 on: April 28, 2017, 12:27:44 AM »
I used to go to Vegas to rock climb a lot.  It was great.  You could get a cheap room, climb hard all day, come back to your room (after running through the stink cocktail of smoke, bad food and old people), shower, go to the pool and have a real meal instead of the usual campground groveling and no showering of all non-Vegas climbing trips.  Not to mention Red Rocks was my favorite place to climb. 

At the end of the trip I would ceremoniously and tongue in cheekily gamble the pocket change from the trip at the airport.  The cashier (?) person smirked at me one time as I cashed in my $7 something in coins.  I got the last laugh when about 15 minutes later I gave him my payout slip for $54. 
Casinos are soul sucking places.  I learned this when my parents took me to one of those third rate "riverboats" the midwestern and southern states use to get around their self imposed, biblical based hangups so they can do unholy things like play games of chance.  It was full of retirees playing slots, looking like zombies.  I lived in South Lake Tahoe for four years too and only went to the casinos to catch movies or something and they made me feel the same way.  Yuck.   

I was born in 1978 so I don't think that makes me a millenial, but I don't give my hard earned money away either. 


joleran

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Re: Waah! Millennials aren't gambling anymore!
« Reply #38 on: April 28, 2017, 02:40:50 PM »
Casinos are supremely depressing, filled with geriatrics that probably have no business being there, and just sleazy feeling.  I'd have fun with poker or something (and have done random pickup games at various points in my life), but the casinos I've seen don't seem to offer that outside of high rollers.

Cowardly Toaster

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Re: Waah! Millennials aren't gambling anymore!
« Reply #39 on: April 28, 2017, 05:28:09 PM »
I was in Vegas last week.

I can't help but notice how freaking serious people look when they gamble. Even it's "for fun" they don't look like they're having much!

TheGrimSqueaker

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Re: Waah! Millennials aren't gambling anymore!
« Reply #40 on: April 28, 2017, 09:41:43 PM »
I was in Vegas last week.

I can't help but notice how freaking serious people look when they gamble. Even it's "for fun" they don't look like they're having much!

In this respect it's much like golf. For people playing a "relaxing" sport "for fun", they sure get upset a lot. When I was 18 I got paid USD$100 for writing a 4-line poem mocking the fact; I sold the poem to Golf Digest. Best 10 minutes I ever spent and more than worth the paper and postage.

Debonair

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Re: Waah! Millennials aren't gambling anymore!
« Reply #41 on: April 28, 2017, 10:27:20 PM »
Local to me the casinos in Macau are faceing a slow down too. Some people blame the crack down in China others changing tastes. It's also a lot less international and aimed at the higher end market then Los Vegas. Also it just does not look fun, lots of guys with intense looks on their faces loseing money playing Fan Tan.  Even the bad looking prostitutes outside look more fun.

Just Joe

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Re: Waah! Millennials aren't gambling anymore!
« Reply #42 on: April 30, 2017, 09:06:42 AM »
I'd rather sit in our quiet, sunny kitchen and read something... ;)

Zikoris

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Re: Waah! Millennials aren't gambling anymore!
« Reply #43 on: April 30, 2017, 03:14:00 PM »
Local to me the casinos in Macau are faceing a slow down too. Some people blame the crack down in China others changing tastes. It's also a lot less international and aimed at the higher end market then Los Vegas. Also it just does not look fun, lots of guys with intense looks on their faces loseing money playing Fan Tan.  Even the bad looking prostitutes outside look more fun.

I went to Macau a few years back and tried using a slot machine for the first time - it wasn't fun at all, and the casinos sure were not fun places to be in! I had way more fun checking out the places where local people hung out, visiting the big church ruins (forget what it was called), and strolling along the waterfront.

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Re: Waah! Millennials aren't gambling anymore!
« Reply #44 on: April 30, 2017, 04:32:51 PM »
Millenials should not be expected to gamble as much as older demographic groups as gambling tends to correlate with age.  Las Vegas is dominated by those over 65 who have both the time and discretionary cash to enjoy gaming.  I think average visitor spends about $600 per trip to Vegas and four hours per day playing games.  It can be a lot of fun for relatively little money and a huge amount of fun if you win!

talltexan

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Re: Waah! Millennials aren't gambling anymore!
« Reply #45 on: May 01, 2017, 07:31:57 AM »
Agreed that maybe Millennials would gamble more if only they were making real $$$. The economy is more to blame by giving them short shrift.

Debonair

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Re: Waah! Millennials aren't gambling anymore!
« Reply #46 on: May 01, 2017, 08:08:26 AM »
Local to me the casinos in Macau are faceing a slow down too. Some people blame the crack down in China others changing tastes. It's also a lot less international and aimed at the higher end market then Los Vegas. Also it just does not look fun, lots of guys with intense looks on their faces loseing money playing Fan Tan.  Even the bad looking prostitutes outside look more fun.

I went to Macau a few years back and tried using a slot machine for the first time - it wasn't fun at all, and the casinos sure were not fun places to be in! I had way more fun checking out the places where local people hung out, visiting the big church ruins (forget what it was called), and strolling along the waterfront.

Yeah St. Paul's ruins are a popular place for the SEA that live in the Peninsula. Interesting fact. That is the third St. Paul's, the previous two burnt down too.

Iron Mike Sharpe

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Re: Waah! Millennials aren't gambling anymore!
« Reply #47 on: May 01, 2017, 09:00:56 AM »
I'm in a casino a few days a week.  Side hustle is playing poker on nights / weekends.  It is depressing seeing all of the zombies around the slot machines.  Occasionally you hear stories about some elderly zombie that just pisses themselves at the machine because they don't want to get up.

farmecologist

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Re: Waah! Millennials aren't gambling anymore!
« Reply #48 on: May 01, 2017, 09:12:45 AM »
I'm in a casino a few days a week.  Side hustle is playing poker on nights / weekends.  It is depressing seeing all of the zombies around the slot machines.  Occasionally you hear stories about some elderly zombie that just pisses themselves at the machine because they don't want to get up.

You can say what you want about native American casinos.  However, the slot machines at the casinos in my area are a sad and surreal experience to see.  Zombies is a good term to use.   

   

TheGrimSqueaker

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Re: Waah! Millennials aren't gambling anymore!
« Reply #49 on: May 01, 2017, 10:22:03 AM »
I'm in a casino a few days a week.  Side hustle is playing poker on nights / weekends.  It is depressing seeing all of the zombies around the slot machines.  Occasionally you hear stories about some elderly zombie that just pisses themselves at the machine because they don't want to get up.

You can say what you want about native American casinos.  However, the slot machines at the casinos in my area are a sad and surreal experience to see.  Zombies is a good term to use.   

 

It doesn't seem to me that the ownership of the casinos is a factor in how zombie-fied regular slot and VLT players can be.

Besides tuning all the machines in the key of C, optimizing colors, rhythms, and patterns to have a more hypnotic effect, and the very well known intermittent reward conditioning technique, would it be possible for game designers to do much *more* to make them mesmerizing? Especially with people serving them free alcohol while they play? It sounds to me like a recipe for inducing zombie behavior.