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California Casinos Offer Elderly Respite9 November 2004CALIFORNIA – As reported by the LA Times: "It's barely noon, and 78-year-old Rose Kario is already $300 in the hole. With each puff of her cigarette and each losing spin, she grows more agitated. "…A few minutes later, Kario's patience is gone. She swears as another spin comes up empty. "Two seats over, 80-year-old Clara Stern isn't having much luck either. But as she watches the last of her $200 in credits spin away, Stern says she is getting her money's worth. "Cost what it may — and gambling has cost her plenty — the casino visit is a welcome respite from what for her is the monotony of old age. "…Kario and Stern are among thousands of senior citizens in California who have become regular customers of the state's growing number of Indian casinos, which now look to the elderly for half their business, experts say. Casinos actively encourage the trend by dispatching fleets of buses to retirement communities and senior centers and by offering incentives such as buffet vouchers. "…It's still unclear, however, what easy access to casino gambling means for senior citizens in California, where Native American tribes have opened 54 casinos jammed with as many as 60,000 slot machines. "Although some experts worry about gambling addictions, many retirees say casinos have improved the quality of their lives by providing a change of pace and intellectual stimulation. "…Experts on gambling and aging agree with many senior gamblers that casinos do offer a change of scene that is attractive — even, perhaps, beneficial. "…One recent study concluded that recreational gamblers older than 65 reported better overall health than their non-gambling peers. The social, physical and cognitive stimulation of gambling could be part of the reason, said Yale epidemiologist Rani Desai, one of the study authors…" |