By Carol Stanley

Gambling is a most interesting sport, amusement, vocation or wherever it fits in your vocabulary. People either love it or hate it. As boomers are aging and have more free time…many are learning poker and enjoying casino gaming. The question is gambling dangerous or fun?

It is said that during a downturn economy more people head to the casinos. It is not that they have a ton of money. There is hope at the casinos. Even though the chances of winning big dollars are quite slim, people are willing to allocate a certain amount of their discretionary income to this continuing popular activity. The question here are more boomers gambling, as they see their money evaporating in the stock market? Are they trying to make up their losses? All of us out there any age always have the hopes of hitting it big whether in a casino or by purchasing a lottery ticket.

Playing poker is a great way to spend an afternoon. I do speak from experience. However, I take a certain amount of dollars with me, and when they are gone I go home. I am now on a poker budget of $200.00 per month…I am hoping my winning ratio will improve so I can play more often. The rest of my free time is spent working on the computer to market my book. I am extremely health conscious so I do spend a lot of time cooking healthy foods. I also spend a lot of time reading about vitamins and supplements, and feel this adds a lot to our healthy lifestyle.

Gambling can be a lot of fun for people who are careful not to let it become an addiction. I feel that I have a mild addiction because I take only the money I can afford to lose to the casino. Sitting at the poker table chatting with the guys (and a few gals) is really fun. We laugh, make jokes and enjoy the game. Other people must feel the same as I do, because there are lots of people visiting the casinos and enjoying poker. People who hate gambling are extremely vocal about it. Everyone has the right to their opinion. Also for single baby boomers this is a great place to meet new people…For women only here, there are lots of nice looking, successful men playing poker.

One thing in favor of poker for the aging boomer population is that it is great for the mind. You are constantly thinking, figuring and working on your odds. So before you knock it..why not try it? So if you control your spending you do not have to ask the question is gambling dangerous or fun?

Carol Stanley speaker and author of For Kids 59.99& Over. She has been writing and speaking on various topics for over thirty years… She is an avid poker player… [http://www.boomercarol.com], [http://www.babyboomerpower.com]