The news is just full of stories about our ailing economy. And I am always interested in what they say about how this is affecting gamblers. In today’s R-J (taken from the Philadelphia Inquirer) there is an article about gamblers in Philadelphia and how they are changing the way they gamble. Some seemed to be sensible about this, but others look like they are problem gamblers, or even severely addicted ones, and need to stop gambling entirely. 

But this article got me thinking about ways a responsible recreational gambler whose discretionary income has decreased might choose to continue this entertainment option but find ways to cut the cost.

     1. Transportation to the casino. This article told how some avoided the high cost of gas by carpooling with friends or taking a casino shuttle bus instead of driving. Some would go to a casino closer to their home. And I would add here that we have always shunned valet parking. This is a little frugal trick to save the cost of a tip, with the added benefit of providing some exercise.

     2. Frequency of visits. Gamblers still go to casinos in rough economic times, but many will cut down on the number of visits they make. Bill Burton recently ran a poll on his About.com gambling site, asking his readers if the economy had changed the number of times that they visited the casino in the last few months. The results were not surprising: 52% said that they had gone fewer times, and 13% said they were planning to reduce their visits in the future. 

     3. Non-gambling spending. Some of the people interviewed for the newspaper article mentioned skipping shopping during a casino visit and snacking on burgers instead of splurging on high-end restaurants. Several mentioned using comps, reinforcing my constant message for 23 years that every dollar you save because of a freebie means a dollar more in your pocket for a gambling bankroll. And some people will give up other entertainment choices or look for ways to cut other items from their discretionary spending to save their money for their casino visits. 

      4. Lowering bets.   This was another method used by those interviewed and it is something I have longtime recommended for people who want to stretch their gambling bankroll so they can have more casino entertainment time. It is the #1 way to cut your spending in a casino. You can order the same free drinks playing pennies that you do playing dollar machines. The same for a red-chip table player and the black-chip high roller. The minimum-bet keno player or sports better can enjoy the exciting casino atmosphere for hours with a very small investment. 

Obviously, if your income and/or expenses have taken a major hit and you are scrambling to cover even the bare necessities of life, the wise decision would be to not even consider gambling. However, if you have some discretionary income and want to get more bang for your buck in a casino, stay tuned to this blog. In the coming days I am going to start discussing “How to Lose Less,” to give some help to those who pose the #1 question I am asked.

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