“A GAMBLER’S CHRISTMAS”

“A GAMBLER’S CHRISTMAS”



T’was the night before Christmas when all through the house
The only sound heard came from my mouse
While the stockings where hung from the chimney with care
They were all empty barren and bare

My youngest was nestled all snug in his bed
While the piles of bills rose above my head
His mother and sister along with Aunt Bea
Were on they’re way back from a trip to AC

My other son James was locked in a gaze
As Chris Moneymaker considered a raise
Not even a Yule Log on our TV set
As he watched Phil Ivey check the last bet

The World Series of Poker on every TV
Had replaced all the classics that we used to see
No Frosty or Rudolph or Charlie Brown’s tree
Just Texas Hold'em on four channels not three

As I clicked all around to find my next site
To play online poker and cover last night
All the games that I lost both college and pro
Outside of my window it started to snow

I thought of the call I received just last night
From my dear old mom who had missed the last flight
It appears the she didn’t notice the time
While playing the slots where she lost her last dime

And the letter I got from my brother Bob
Letting me know that he just lost his job.
He had gone out to lunch and didn’t come back
Losing his pay check again at the track

I closed my eyes but I couldn’t sleep
Thinking of promises I wouldn’t keep
And Johnny would wake tomorrow to see
Not one single present under the tree

And I would have to think of a really good lie
To explain why Santa had passed us by
I would explain it was just a mistake
While thinking of even more bets I could make

But as if by magic I saw my way out
And I started to leap and dance about
For from the radio I heard a voice scream

“The New Christmas Lottery A Dollar and a Dream”







Although many of you may think that the poem above is an exaggeration it is a lot closer to the truth they you may believe.

Gambling is becoming more of the norm then the exception to the rule.

Families are losing their houses because of compulsive gambling.

Seniors on a fixed income are losing their life’s savings on repeated trips to Atlantic City and other casinos.

You cannot turn on the TV without seeing one version of a poker match or another.

Children in their teens and younger are playing at on line sites and losing real money.

Texas Hold’em tournaments are sponsored by schools and churches and teenagers are playing with alarming regularity.

Nights at the Races and Casino Nights are now regular events.

And the worst offender is New York State.

They spend millions a year advertising to lure more innocent people in with promises of millions.

Gambling is now at epidemic levels especially with teens and seniors.

Recent studies indicate that more than 70 percent of youth between the ages of 10 and 17 gambled in the past year, up from 45 percent in 1988. Almost one in three high school students gamble on a regular basis, according to the National Academy of Sciences.

Researchers at Pennsylvania State College of Medicine and the University of Pennsylvania surveyed 843 elderly people 65 years and older and discovered that 70 percent had been involved in at least one gambling activity in the past year and 11 percent fit the criteria of at-risk gamblers: they had recently laid down more than $100 on a single bet and/or they had bet more than they could afford to lose.



We would like to work with Gambler’s Anonymous next year and develop some seminars to address these issues. We will offer these to both schools as well as senior groups.



Anyone wishing to participate can contact us at info@where-to-turn.org.



In the meantime we need to get the Government out of the recruitment business.



If people want to gamble that is their prerogative but we do not need to be barraged with lottery ads.



The state should get out of the gambling business all together. Just look what a great job they did with OTB. I never heard of a bookie losing money.



If they need to keep the lottery they should at least cut the advertising. The reduced cost would probably compensate for the lost revenue from new gamblers.



If you know of someone with a gambling problem call 1-800-GAMBLER

Dennis

BETTING THEIR LIVES Kids as young as 8 are getting caught up in the new spin on an old problem

http://www.parentsknow.com/newarticle.cfm?colid=7281