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Whichever time you look at, there has always been gambling. For example, there is evidence of keno, dice and mahjong being played in Ancient China from 2,000 B.C. onward. Different forms of gaming were also a popular pastime in the other major ancient civilizations of India, Egypt, Persia, Greece and Rome. Despite attempts to ban or control gambling because of its addictive nature, it has persisted until today. Sometimes it went underground, while other governments allowed commercialisation. Throughout, gambling has been seen as a social activity. The rich would gather in each others palaces and mansions to play or attend exclusive clubs. The poor would flock to “dens of iniquity” which were often run by criminal gangs tied into the worlds of prostitution and street drugs. This history is one long transfer of wealth from one individual to another. Before regulation, it was usually the criminal gangs that became rich. After regulation, those in positions of power took their commissions while governments subsidized the taxpayers through levies and taxes. But there was one constant thread. Whether you were an aristocrat lounging in a casino in an exclusive spa town in Europe or panning for gold in the 1840’s and 50’s, the majority of games depended on live dealing or the supervision of the betting by an employee of the House. In the more modern clubs and casinos, the dealers and croupiers have often been beautiful women, dressed attractively. In their own right, they were part of the attraction of the “place”. The men would come, leaving their wives at home, to lose their money while ogling the girls.

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OK, so here’s a question for everyone who has ever been into a casino to play a slot machine or who has played online. Why did you do it? The answers will all have differences in the detail, but the simple truth is easy to write. You want to win some money. There’s this machine. It’s got a simple system for deciding when you win. In old technology, there were physical reels turning. Now we have video technology. You get to see the representation of the different characters turning. There’s an air of breathless excitement. You watch the key numbers or symbols pass ever more slowly in front of your eyes. Just one or two more turns and you’ll hit the jackpot. Ah, so close! You were within touching distance of millions of dollars. If only you’d been able to reach out with your mind to just push one wheel through one more turn to the pay line. But the fact you did come so close means you could win next time. If your luck is in. And the stake for each spin of the virtual wheels is so small. And the winnings are so much, they will clear all your losses to date and leave you with cash in hand. Some of those combinations make you rich. But then there are the few combinations that make you even richer. And then there’s the jackpot itself. Your heart races and you think what you could do with that big a pile of cash. Yes, your answers would be something like that – it’ exciting to anticipate a win.

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Just as we all used to follow the form of horses – think the Great Depression and the success of Seabiscuit to see we all love a champion – the latest form book covers the race among US states to balance their budgets. Of course, everyone has been focussing on California with Arnold Schwarzenegger leading the charge to the winning post on getting the budget signed into law. He has enough strength for arm twisting and ‘gator wrassling to bulldoze the bill through. But Pennsylvania is just as interesting with the Governor’s office matching California’s use of IOUs by refusing to pay funds to the four state universities. Probably someone somewhere is running a book on which US state will be the first to declare itself bankrupt. These would be the front runners among an alarming number of states lacking initial prudence and the political will to raise taxes, to cut spending, or both.

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