A story about too much alcohol, a casino, and a life lesson learned

So I've been doing a lot of writing for casinos recently. It's my new gig. Technically it keeps me under a roof. It tops the part of my earnings that I fall short of. It couldn't have come at a better time.

Now I was browsing Best Bitcoin Casinos a little while back, because let's be real, all of that writing about it makes me want to play them. I do dabble in a little here and there. Anyway, it's reminded me about a part of my life that I had forgotten, and, it's also brought to the surface the implications that could have happened were I young today and doing this. 

Confused? Okay, let's talk about it.

I was sixteen years old. It was probably about three months before the most important exams I'd ever take in my life, or that's what I thought at the time at least. We were all stressed and we needed to let go a little. So, a few of our friends decided that it would be a good idea to get some alcohol to relieve the stress and tension of what was to come. To celebrate we'd invite two of the girls that all of us fancied at the time. Great idea, not!

Alcohol was bought, and we spent about an hour drinking a bottle cider and a bottle of vodka between four of us.  I don't know what encouraged us to drink that much, but nonetheless we ended up pretty legless that night. I can't remember much but I do remember the part when we all decided that it would be a good idea to have a go at the casino -- for context this was like a small amusement arcade in a seaside town. There was a bingo hall upstairs which kids weren't allowed to go to.

Anyway, drunk and disorderly my friends and I decided to sink our money into god knows what by god knows how. I can just remember happily tapping on the button not realising that I was winning and some chucklehead stealing my money. One of the older boys tied my friends shoelaces together and I passed out a wrapped my head off the fruit machine I was playing, and when I came to I started swearing at the boss-lady. It's safe to say that we got a two week ban and laughed at in school for years afterwards.

A crazy old story, but what sent the shivers down my spine was the idea that if it were today and I was 16 I'm sure I could have stolen my mum's credit card and set up an account for her as I swigged down the bottle of vodka. Back then her maximum limit was quite wild and I was a bit of a loose cannon back then. I could just see me smashing in the dollars with my friends as we all spent the money. Not realising what we were doing as we were drunk off our heads. Perhaps not getting into as much trouble from the casino vendor as we would our Mum's.

Anyway, we were a little wayward in our youth. I was rebelling big time as was my friends. I'm sure that's not a good combination with the easy access to the online casino portals. I mean don't get me wrong, kids will be kids. We never used to block our card payments on our tabs before Alex started purchasing crazy stuff for his games and not realising what he was doing. Back then he didn't have the concept of money.

I guess I'm saying that the lesson I learned was one of boundaries. When I was a kid it was a lesson of friendship and comradery, but as an adult I look back and I think to my own son and his financial safety and emotional wellbeing, and what kind of things could he get up to if we weren't as strict on him as we are. This is why I say parents, or parents to be, lock your phones, computers, games consoles, tabs, whatever when there's access to money. Kids will be kids!

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