Slot machines on the lake

Yesterday was Valentine’s Day. I don’t believe in all the commercial hoopla. In any case, my wife and I took a break from our routine and drove down to Lake Charles, LA (about 2 hours drive) in the afternoon. Destination - Isle of Capri Casinos on the Lake Charles. It was an overcast day w/ occasional drizzle and rain. The drive was fine with Ms Garmin (a GPS navigator) telling us where and when to make turns.

Once we got to our destination, the place was packed even on a gloomy day. People were coming by busloads. RVs were lined up on one row. Once we got inside, it had the Las Vegas’ atmosphere (not quite, although we have not been to Las Vegas or the Atlantic City in eons) from the music coming from thousands of slot machines. There were poker tables. Attendants were passing out drinks. The indoor fountains and neon lights were creating an illusion. After a sumptuous meal (my plate was overflowing with all kinds of sea food, a little beef steak, a piece of sausage, some spicy boiled shrimp ending with a little peach cobbler with ice-cream) I needed to seat down. The ideal place was near a slot machine.

It has been a long time since I confronted a money-eating monster like this. They have changed with time. Now you do not need to get coins from the attendant. You feed “green backs” of any denomination and keep playing with a push of a button. No pulling the lever, no sounds of coins falling on to the tray below making that heavenly sound sending you to cloud nine. One could play for pennies or dimes or quarters or $1, $10, $25, and so on. As usual folks with lots of money to spare (or going broke with a dream of making it big) were literally attached to some machines.

I am not a gambler. I fed the beast a few dollars for my simple pleasure. However, I miss feeding coins, pulling the lever, and the sounds of coin raining on the pan. I do not like the one-finger operation. A push of a button spins the wheel and steals more of your money in a second with less pleasure for people like me compared to that from old style machines. Well, life is full of changes and surprises whether you like it not. So, after feeding a few bucks we headed back home listening to some old time music. It was a good Valentine’s Day. I think my wife had fun too with such a break from our routine and watching me feed those money-eating monsters. Hope fully, we helped the economy too in a small way.