I woke up in a cold and shameful sweat with the realization that I didn’t post yesterday.

This is somewhat unfortunate, I have intentions to keep up with this blog. In response to that shame, I’ll write something that I’ve wanted to create for awhile. The timing is great because of a World Event that takes place tomorrow.

XX Gambling

Of all the vices and addiction in the world, gambling is a curiosity of mine. Gambler’s will know that the house is in favor, and do it anyways. Gambling is sold as a product to children with no consequences for those who sell that fantasy. On a personal level, one of the happiest moments of my life was when I won a gamble as a teenager.

It’s hard to find a gambler who doesn’t know that the house is going to win. The house is playing the game of large numbers, and they set the odds. However, I’ve met mathematical geniuses and economic minds that love the vice. People who consider and understand the long-term predictability of gambling still find pleasure in the short-term unpredictability of the practice. The word “vice” comes from a dead language’s word for “flaw.” With that considered, it makes sense that the vice of a mathematical or economic mind would be to gamble. People’s weaknesses often mirror their strengths.

On the other side of the spectrum, children are sold gambling products often. I’ve seen children beg and cry for packs of trading cards, and parents struggling to refuse. For some time I’ve worked in an arcade, and I’ve seen kids overjoyed and completely saddened by games of chance. Nicotine and alcohol companies are often criticized for packaging and commercials that seem to indoctrinate children and adolescents. With gambling products, children can be the intended audience with no negative consequences given to the companies that sell and advertise gambling. If anything, arcades, game cards, and video game lootboxes are sold more and more to children and adolescents.

Personally, I think that gambling fun and also that it is terrifying. When I was 17, I opened a valuable item from a videogame loot box. Almost 10 years later, I remember this as intensely pleasurable. And I’ve had a bunch of great, pleasurable, and PG memories in the meantime! But the dopamine release and happiness I felt in that moment feels scary to remember. To me, this is what vices are. Most of the time, they are a form of instant gratification that involves unbalanced risk.

With the Superbowl tomorrow, I’m glad to see some sportsbooks leaning into the fun side of things. It’s fun to see Taylor Swift references all over these sites. I don’t think that modest gambling is really that bad, and it can be a genuine way to connect with friends and strangers. However, I hope for a world where this vice isn’t started as early. I hope for less glorification of the wishfully thought upside when the downsides are far more realistic. More than anything though, I hope that Travis Kelce is the SuperBowl MVP tomorrow. I’ll make around $100 if that happens!! $100!!!