It's Still Gambling

During the later part of the 1900s the term "Political Correctness" became synonymous with a way of speaking or writing in a manner to avoid offending anyone. Any words or labels that could be considered offensive or stereotypical were replaced with by what some would call a "neutral" language.

It seems to me that as a society we have become overly sensitive and gone too far to make sure every word we speak is "politically correct." However, you can't argue with the fact that certain words or phrases can evoke a strong feeling in people. These feelings can be either positive or negative. Marketing and advertising companies do their best to use this to their advantage and often will use neutral language to change our perception or feelings toward a product or topic.

From Gambler to Player

Decades ago the only place in the United States where you could legally gamble was in Nevada. If you gambled anywhere outside of Nevada on cards, dice, sporting events or other activities you were breaking the law. It was also a known fact that organized crime ran most of the casinos so while it was "legal" to gamble in Las Vegas the word gambling still evoked negative feelings for many people. If you said that someone was a gambler this brought up images of degenerate individuals who were wasting their livee away.

When major business corporations took over the gambling industry and casinos started spreading throughout the country, there was concern about the negative feeling that was evoked by the word GAMBLING. Something needed to be done to sanitize the activity and change the perception for the people who might be offended by the idea of gambling. Adopting a politically correct term was a start to changing the way people felt about casino gambling.

The gambling industry became the "Gaming Industry" and the main attraction of the casinos was the games that people could play for entertainment. To draw focus away from any offensive perception of the people who went to the casinos, the gamblers became "players."

You no longer went to the casino to gamble but merely to play the games. There were even player's clubs that offered patrons valuable rewards for their patronage. This was pleasant way of saying "we are giving you a rebate on your theoretical losses that you incur while gambling."

Changing from gambling to gaming and gambler to player changed the whole perception of the industry almost in a very short time.

It Is Still Gambling

There is nothing wrong with visiting the casinos and playing the games as a form of entertainment. The casino is an exciting place but the idea that we are only playing games can cause some players to get caught up in the excitement of the atmosphere. When this happens it is easy to get carried away and gamble more than you should.

We need to remember that when we play any casino game or slot machine we are gambling. The casino has the edge on all the games and in the long run we will more than likely lose more that we will win.

Gambling is a form of entertainment and you can spend a little or you can spend a lot. In some instances you might even get paid for your entertainment when you win at the games. Set your entertainment price before you go to the casino and don't take more than you can afford to lose. Whether you are playing or gaming, it's still gambling.

To me the term gambling puts things into the proper perspective. Reminding ourselves of this from time to time will help us play responsibly and get the most enjoyment out of our casino visits.