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Casino Madness

One of biggest vices in this world is gambling. Just like the sex trade, alcohol, and tobacco, gambling will persist whether it's legal or not. If the government makes it illegal, the vice thrives in the underground and makes huge amounts for the operator. I guess this is why in most countries, gambling operations have been taken over or controlled by the government. This way, something that is relatively a harmless vice, can be turned into a government fund raiser. It reminds me of the popular 1970's movie, The Godfather. The lead actor playing Don Corleone, a mob big boss, only operated in the gambling circles and refused to go into drugs because gambling is relatively harmless.

Should one exercise a good degree of self-control, perhaps gambling may be considered as the least harmful among the legal vices. Whereas alcohol, tobacco and random sex may affect your health, gambling will only possibly cost you your wealth if you're not careful. Then again, if you gamble enough to be borrowing from gang-type loan sharks, you could also end up dead if you can't eventually pay-up. Casinos can be found all over the world and the city that has them will almost always be a prime tourist spot.

One country that did not have any casinos was Singapore. It was illegal and operating one was considered a criminal offense. But the human need for gambling persisted. Floating casinos docked in the piers of Singapore and the citizens who wanted to enjoy a bit of gambling would board them. Once the ship sail past the marker into international waters, they open the casino. A lot of them would travel to Macau, Philippines and other neighboring countries just to play at the casino tables. I guess this made the Singaporean government realize the reality that if the Singaporeans, or people in general, love to gamble, they will find the ways and means and gamble anyway and the government will miss out on the revenues.

A little bit of gambling with disposable income for the fun of it is comparable to social drinking. A couple of beers, a shot of scotch or a couple of glasses of wine can actually be beneficial to your health. Likewise, an occasional enjoyment at the Baccarat tables can uplift one's mood and relax one's disposition. The greatest mistake is the notion that one can get rich in the casinos. Winning can be addicting. The more you win, the more you want to play. Sadly, the odds are, you'll start losing if you don' stop. The problem is, losing has the same effect as winning. You want to keep going. So its really a trap if you don't have self-control. Let's face it. How many people do we know that are rich today because of winning in the casinos? On the other hand, there are more stories about people who have lost everything when they got addicted to gambling. I think statistics will show that nobody really wins in a casino. That's why casino owners are so rich. What's really worrisome is that in most cases, people do not know they are already addicted to gambling before it's too late. They would always be in denial at the beginning and only accept it when they're already deep in debt. This fact has given casinos a bad image especially in the eyes of religious groups. Whatever it is, casinos are here to stay, and gambling will always persist, legal or not.