Gambling in Rhode Island?! $30 later and $11 Richer
Yes, I know this post is a bit more unconventional, but Rhode Island state law allows 18-year-olds to gamble! I went with my mom and grandmother to gamble at Bally's Twin River Casino in Lincoln, Rhode Island. I went into gambling confused by the entire premise of gambling. No one would open a casino to lose money, so how could both the patrons and the business win money? It made no sense. Knowing this, I set a comfortable limit for myself of $30. I would not spend a dime more.
I would highly recommend going to a casino with someone who you trust and who has experience going to casinos, like a family member. Initially walking in is very overwhelming and if this is your first time in an adult-only space, you might feel more comfortable being with someone who knows exactly how to get started. Casinos are generally filled with senior citizens and most of the people we interacted with were very nice.
We started on the non-smoking side of the casino, playing some of the slot machines. I prefer the penny machines because you get more tries to spin, press, and play your luck. I ended up winning $41 after playing $30, so I was happy to go home with an additional $11 that I did not have when I walked in.
The more time I spent in the casino, the more I realized that the casino was essentially the grown-up version of Dave & Busters. You don’t walk into Dave & Busters expecting to win the XBox, you go to Dave & Busters to have some fun and if you win, you win. Once I saw the casino as a place akin to an arcade, it made sense why people enjoyed spending time there. Some people develop problems from gambling, however, most of the people around me had a handle on their spending and were just enjoying themselves.
The entire experience helped me to reflect on what I want to do with my money as a new adult. It made me think deeply about how we can position money to make more money or to lose it. I thought about the machines and how their logic works. I thought about how the casino makes money. And most of all I thought about how I could continue to be responsible with money. This entire series of trips for cheap has put into perspective how to use my money, how to save money, and what money means to me. I hope this post inspires you to try new things, think about money, and maybe try to gamble responsibly!
