FSE #3

Gambling is based on a system in which the casino will always have an advantage over the player, no matter how good or lucky they might be. The fictitious world of television and movie gambling doesn't occur in real life. It is impossible to make a living off of gambling. The player rarely comes out of the casino with the same amount of money they started with, and the chances that they walk out with more money then what they started with is even rarer. There are different standards between the movies and real life. In the movies and television, the gamblers try to earn money, while in real life, they try to stay afloat. This is the reason why casinos are located in these extravagant locations in high-rise buildings. They can maintain these buildings because they are making money, which they get from people losing. Casinos are not fair, the coin slots are rigged to ensure that you never win more than you put in, roulette wheel payouts are designed so that the player loses more money than they can gain. Another version of the casino is the lottery, where great rewards are paraded, yet so very few people actually win. One of my favorite quotes from a television series of mine was "I like the lottery. It's sort of like an idiot tax." which was even better since the speaker was the devil.

To me, there's a sort of duality to gambling. On one side of the spectrum, there's these glamorous and pristine casinos that offer luxuries and just seems to radiate fun and excitement, while on the other end, we have people who struggle with gambling addictions that drive them into poverty. And this whole theme of fair is foul and foul is fair fits perfectly with this topic because gambling is very deceptive. Gambling is like the real world's Lady Macbeth, with a smile on their faces and their hands in your wallets. Casinos never talk about how they're going to take your money but rather they talk about how much fun it is to be with your friends in their gambling areas. It has that shiny exterior that lures people in, while also hiding its intent to swindle people out of money. Gambling is not about how much money you can win, but rather how long you can stop yourself from losing your money.