How this Financial Planner Gambles

I admit it, I love Las Vegas.

The weather, the shows, the restaurants and yes….the casinos.

So how do I reconcile my healthy relationship with, and respect for, money with the fun of slot machines?

Well, as with so many other things I set a budget and stick to it.  Now by most measures my budget is laughable.  I set myself a daily budget of $40.  That’s $20 during daytime hours and $20 during nighttime hours.  It works because of a fabulous invention called the “penny” slot machine.  During a visit to Las Vegas about 6 years ago, I discovered that if I bet 9 cents each time I can make $20 last about 2 hours.  Sometimes that $20 becomes $25 or even $40 and sometimes I lose it all but I figure that if I lose $20 over 2 hours that is pretty good entertainment value at $10 per hour. (and they serve free drinks to me all the while!!!).  When I walk away with more than $20 it is with a skip in my step and the feeling that I “won” by being ahead.

Now when I tell people about my approach, they usually laugh, or roll their eyes.  “You can’t win much that way” they say.  And I tell them that they are absolutely correct, which is fine with me.  That’s because I know that the odds are stacked against me and that all casino games are designed to separate partipants from their money.  I truly don’t believe that I can beat those odds and because of that I don’t put at stake any more than I am comfortable parting with.  Whereas the majority of gamblers cling to the belief that they will be one of the few lucky ones.

The casinos use every psychological trick in the books to encourage visitors to part with more and more cash.  It takes a lot of discipline not to get caught up in it all.  The same kind of discipline is helpful in all financial endeavors, whether it’s saving, investing or spending. 

I’m off to Las Vegas tomorrow morning.  Wish me luck! 😉