Ever been to casinos around Christmas time? What are they like?

[bbernardini]

Those of you who have been paying attention to my endless kicks know that I'm playing at Harrah's in Atlantic City tonight. I'm wondering if the crowd will be bigger or smaller, rowdier or more subdued...you get the idea.

[Lochloosa]

1. HUGH!!!!!!!!

[KitchenWitch]

2. The Indian casinos around here are slow in the early evening

but very very busy late at night!

[Dangerously Amused]

3. A friend I was visiting and I went to a casino on Christmas Eve one year

...for a late lunch because we couldn't find a restaurant open anywhere else. Neither of us gamble, but after lunch we decided to hang out for a little while and do some people watching while we caught up. The one thing that struck us above all else was how depressed everyone looked as they left the casino area. I mean, like near tears. We finally speculated that it was because a lot of the people came to gamble what little money they had in hopes of getting a payoff to make a nice Christmas for their families, but then lost even that. It was very sad.

[KitchenWitch]

4. It is really sad

The people around early are the very compulsive ones, the people who come later are the ones sick of the "Family Dysfunction on Parade" in their lives.