The "House" Is Not A Home!

      We figured the "Two For One Sale" at Timber's
 Buffet was a good bet so we opted in!  You got a
 great buffet for, essentially, half price plus $25 of
 slot play at the Mohegan Sun Casino. My wife
 called "Dibs" on the twenty five buck offer and we
 both enjoyed the meal.
      But there was another deal to be found!
      If I signed up for a Casino "Player's Club Card"
I'd get $10 worth of slot play for myself! What a
great opportunity!
      I could work off the roast beef, Maui Maui, and
bread pudding by pulling the "One Armed Bandit's"
one arm with one of my arms while I collected all
my winnings with my other arm!
      Imagine my surprise when I realized the
"Gaming Industry" has evolved over the years.
      When I was just a little kid back in Hazleton
my Dad used to take me to a Barber Shop where,
after getting a trim, I'd be allowed to put a quarter
into this neat looking machine then pull the lever
on the side and watch as these little bells, cherries,
and such spun around and around till they finally
stopped. I'm told if those little symbols ended up
in just the right configuration your quarter, and
perhaps a few others, would be dispensed from
the machine. I don't ever remember that
happening. Just the spinning and the Italian Ice
Cream my Dad bought me later.
     Anyhow, you can't put a quarter in the slot
machines anymore! Even the so-called "Penny
Slots" want five dollar bills. Although they'll also
gladly accept tens and twenties!
     I had a notion of taking my free ten dollars
in cash, just like the machines, but the won't let
you do that. They put the ten on a sort of credit
card which you, in turn, put into the slot machine
instead of the old fashion quarter.
    The symbols still spin. But they're not limited
to cherries and bells these days. The big arm is
still there on the side of most machines. But these
days most people just push little buttons to get
the same result.....without the exercise!
     If  you win, I'm told, a small paper receipt can
be retrieved from the machine. You take it to
still another machine from which you can get
your money! I didn't get to try that yesterday.
    I lost the ten dollars. But the laugh is on them
because it was their money. Right?
    Hope every thing's coming up Bells and
Cherries for you and that all your NEWS is
good!

The machines I remember

The new guys in town