Are They Having Fun?

26 January 2021

By Frank Scoblete

I had a reader ask me a very interesting question, although at first, I thought it was a silly question with an obvious answer. It wasn’t.

“Mr. Scoblete, do you think that casino gamblers have fun just about every time they go to the casinos? Or is the fun just whether they win or lose?”

My first answer was that they have fun each and every time that they go, maybe with some exceptions such as illness or some horrible loss at the tables or machines. My second answer was that winning and losing dictate whether fun is being had. Neither of those answers seemed right as my questioner showed me.

“But if winning and losing dictate happiness or sadness, don’t most players lose? How could that be fun then? Why would they keep coming back? If they looked over their wins and losses over time, they would have to see that they are down – or at least most of them are down. I just don’t see how that state of affairs is what I would call fun.”

I thought to myself, I’ve been in casinos for over 30 years, and I have had losses many times. I have had wins many times. Yet either way I still go back. Winning and losing was not the impetus for me. So, what was?

Okay, let me quickly make a list: I enjoyed the meals in great restaurants. I enjoyed the shows. I enjoyed some of the parties. I enjoyed being with my wife through the games’ thick and thin moments. I certainly enjoyed our romance. I enjoyed our tourist stuff and people watching. I enjoyed my friends. The atmosphere was so-so; good during the weekdays when the casinos were not overflowing with people but not so hot on the weekends when most were mob scenes. But that’s me; I prefer some space between me and the next player so I played less on the weekends and far more during the week.

I can say I enjoyed my visits. I must have because some years I went about 130 days. Yes, the big losses felt like being hit in the head by George Foreman but the big wins felt like Muhammed Ali knocking out George Foreman. I guess I could say the playing was an even proposition; some good, some bad, most somewhere in between.

Do other players have their own lists of the good and the not-so-good? I really don’t know. I am guessing that they do, even if only in a hazy way.

“Therefore,” said my questioner, “you think it is the whole experience?”

Probably yes. I do think there are many players who just want to play the games and don’t care about the other stuff. So maybe for them winning or losing is the big thing.

“But those players still come back time and again don’t they?”

He was right. Yes, those players come back time and again – even if it is just to play the games. Losing doesn't stop them.

So, what is it? I guess the players who come just to play do have fun. Maybe it is the thrill of the whole experience whether they win or lose. Maybe "thrill" is the right word.

I am, indeed, about to give this some thought. It was not an easy question.

All the best in and out of the casinos!


Frank Scoblete’s web site is www.frankscoblete.com. His books are available on Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, Kindle, e-books and at bookstores.