OP again. She plays only blackjack and I think gives herself a limit each time. I don’t know exactly what that limit is, but probably no more than a few hundred.

Anonymous wrote:you don't have to go to a casino anymore, all you need is your phone.

True but people in their age group prefer going to casinos to gamble. Casinos will arrange free transportation and perks to lure lonely seniors to gamble on-site.

Anonymous wrote:Butt out
It’s not your money
I’m not a fan of casinos but she’s done this forever leave her be .

She’s an adult

Wrong. She could gamble through her retirement savings. Seen it happen. My former housekeeper used to own a successful business, drive a Mercedes and live in a nice neighborhood before her husband gambled away everything. She cleans houses and lives in crappy apartment in a crime-ridden area of town. Addicts lie to everyone.

Butt out
It’s not your money
I’m not a fan of casinos but she’s done this forever leave her be .

She’s an adult

The problem with gambling, like addictive drugs, is that the dopamine hit gets harder to come by unless you up your bet and play faster/more often. Players seek to enter "the zone" and winning is less important than the escape and stimulation of constant playing.

Read Addiction By Design. The slot machines are designed to addict the player and get them to play until they run out of money. Does your MIL withdraw a set amount of cash to gamble before she goes on the trip or does she replenish her stash at the casino ATM or borrow from the casino when she runs out? How much is she losing each time? Former mayor of San Diego, Maureen O'Connor gambled away her inheritance from her late husband (Jack in the Box founder) and embezzled 2 mil from his nonprofit foundation to the tune of $13mil playing slot machines to deal with her grief and loneliness. Casinos preyed upon her by doing everything they could to get her there and keep her gambling. She is destitute and living with her twin sister. Your MIL needs oversight now, probably by DH.

How much is she going through? Have DH ask his mom. He can explain it is important to know. Maybe it's a big deal, maybe she goes through a hundred buck in slots.

Anonymous wrote:OP here. A little background on my MIL. She is pretty financially secure, at least according to her. FIL was successful and left her money. Don't know how much-maybe $1.5 to 2 million, we think.

House is paid off. There's a fully funded life insurance policy, with grandkids as beneficiaries. She's got long-term health insurance We're not particularly worried that she's gambling away her life savings, as she has assets and doesn't bet huge. However.....

She goes with a friend to a nearby state to a casino at least once a week now that she's widowed. She was a frequent gambler for years and years, but it may have picked up a bit since we lost my FIL. Any vacation she takes must involve casinos, which pretty much limits her to certain Caribbean islands and cruise ships. If you ask her to join you on vacation, that will be her first question and she won't go unless there's gambling.

Because she's financially secure and is not throwing away ungodly sums, I don't know if there's cause to worry. We've talked about it with DH's sister and she thinks it's just an all-consuming hobby. Thoughts?

That is a big red flag.

you don't have to go to a casino anymore, all you need is your phone.

Let her have fun. It’s a hobby.

OP here. A little background on my MIL. She is pretty financially secure, at least according to her. FIL was successful and left her money. Don't know how much-maybe $1.5 to 2 million, we think.

House is paid off. There's a fully funded life insurance policy, with grandkids as beneficiaries. She's got long-term health insurance We're not particularly worried that she's gambling away her life savings, as she has assets and doesn't bet huge. However.....

She goes with a friend to a nearby state to a casino at least once a week now that she's widowed. She was a frequent gambler for years and years, but it may have picked up a bit since we lost my FIL. Any vacation she takes must involve casinos, which pretty much limits her to certain Caribbean islands and cruise ships. If you ask her to join you on vacation, that will be her first question and she won't go unless there's gambling.

Because she's financially secure and is not throwing away ungodly sums, I don't know if there's cause to worry. We've talked about it with DH's sister and she thinks it's just an all-consuming hobby. Thoughts?

I think it would depend a lot on prior habits.

One person might’ve been taking the senior center casino bus a couple or three times a year and blowing $20 on slots and whatever on lunch so they can hang out and gossip with their friends all day and get a change of scenery.

Another person might have no history, but fall into that kind of pattern if they liked the first trip.

A third person, particularly if they tend to be addictive in other areas, could run into a problem fairly fast.

So I agree that casinos are bad for elderly people generally, but I think “how bad” is an individualized assessment.

One. Any at all. These casinos are predators.

Uh ONE?! An old person on a fixed income throwing away money? No. Find another hobby.

What number of trips per week to a casino would you start would make you start worrying about a parent?