I learned that as a teen when I worked my first job at a lumber yard. Gambling was illegal in my state, but where I lived was near a tri-state area where it was only a short trip to one state that had horse racing or another that had dog racing. Most of the men I worked with made minimum wage or a little more. Many of them had large families to support. And yet, every Friday (when I got paid) the majority of my coworkers cashed their paychecks and headed north to bet on the “ponies” or east to bet on the “puppies”, always with ideas of winning big.Usually, they lost. Occasionally, they won a little. And every Monday when I started work I would hear them complain that their bills could not be paid, their utilities were on the verge of being cut off, and how they could not afford to buy milk for their children.
I learned that as a teen when I worked my first job at a lumber yard. Gambling was illegal in my state, but where I lived was near a tri-state area where it was only a short trip to one state that had horse racing or another that had dog racing. Most of the men I worked with made minimum wage or a little more. Many of them had large families to support. And yet, every Friday (when I got paid) the majority of my coworkers cashed their paychecks and headed north to bet on the “ponies” or east to bet on the “puppies”, always with ideas of winning big.Usually, they lost. Occasionally, they won a little. And every Monday when I started work I would hear them complain that their bills could not be paid, their utilities were on the verge of being cut off, and how they could not afford to buy milk for their children.