As for gambling at a casino you own, I guess it would come back to you, but only about a billionth as fast as you lost it. Maybe if you’re a major shareholder you get perks.

As for casino ownership, I was not aware they (or some) were publicly traded — that’s interesting.

So if you own equity in a casino, do you gamble at it, knowing that any loss “comes back” to you?

@Barbara: I agree that most casinos are designed to stimulate the senses — all the blinking lights, beeping sounds, and exclaimations of joy from winners all serve to raise the hopes of others, to make them think, “Maybe I’ll be next!”

I find it ironic that Donald Trump built casinos, as well. But, I bet you wouldn’t find him participating in the games.

I don’t see anything wrong with casinos, however, the gambling process is very tempting to those who don’t have a lot of money, or are struggling financially. They see pictures of past winners, or hear about the latest kazillion dollar Mega Bucks winner, and may tell themselves, “that could be me”.

I have played slot machines (poor payouts), but what I find fascinating, is that they are almost like a form of electronic “therapy”. You sit, watch the colorful characters spin around, wait to see if you win a coin or two, and are concentrating so much on that, that your brain lets you forget about your other problems. With that being said, if one was not careful, you could also end up spending more time and/or money than you had planned, and end up in GA (Gamblers Anonymous) or another 12 step program.

Hunter has a great point about being able to invest in a casino…anyone know if you get a good return on your investment?

I wanted to add a note to your final point about how gambling doesn’t help anyone except whoever owns the casinos. Keep in mind that the stocks of many casinos are publicly traded, so we can own them if we want!