A sure bet for fun Gambling not the only point of visiting casinos, racinos

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January 28, 2012

By Terry Hannum Contributing Writer The Daily Star Sat Jan 28, 2012, 02:30 AM EST

The allure of casinos and racinos (horse-track betting) is tantalizing to many, and the popularity of gaming and betting seems ingrained in many of us.

There is not a part of human history that does not have a form of competition that involved wagers _ some good-natured and trivial payoffs such as deciding who goes first in lunch line by choosing a number or tossing rings over milk bottles for prizes at a carnival _ while others were for weighty matters of fortunes or even life and death. Today's gaming establishments and tracks strive to keep guests wagering responsibly while providing a fun-filled atmosphere.

Here are five key ways to making a trip to a casino or race track an outing of fun, good food, entertainment and excitement while feeling like a winner regardless of financial gain or loss.

Easy Accessibility

A two-hour drive to Turning Stone Casino makes it an easy full day or weekend getaway for Donna Anderson of Delhi, who said she goes about once a month. Anderson explained that Turning Stone has several hotel options that she and her husband enjoy. They often stay overnight for free with coupons that they have been receiving since their first visit.

"It's a nice and actually inexpensive way to get out of town without spending a lot and it is fairly close by," she said. Free parking and free admission are included, except for special shows.

Other nearby casinos or racinos are Tioga Downs Casino and Harness Racing, about a 1½-hour drive and less than 100 miles from Oneonta in the town of Nichols; Monticello Casino and Raceway is about a two-hour drive and 80 miles away; and Saratoga Casino and Racetrack is a similar distance and boasts horse racing from March through December. Harness racing is exciting to watch, a fascinating combination of power, elegance and strategy to many. Harness race horses usually leave the starting gates at speeds up to 35 miles per hour and maintain a 25 to 30 mph pace throughout the race.

Fun and Games

There is something for everyone 18 years and older. Bingo, lots of different style poker games, Keno, slot machines and the gaming tables are just the beginning of possibilities.

The Monticello, Tioga, Saratoga and Turning Stone casinos all feature the newest games, such as Wheel of Fortune, Red Hot Jackpots, video poker, electronic roulette and electronic craps. Whether electronic or with cards, when you learn to play poker, you learn a game that can be played for a lifetime, with players gathering more skill and experience as the years go by.

Thomas Kelley of Delhi learned to play poker from his parents and has been playing a more serious and focused game for about 25 years. When asked how long it takes to learn how to play poker, Kelley laughed. "I will let you know when I have learned!"

Poker is a game of skill and experience where mental agility is a necessary trait of players. "The closest casino I go to is Turning Stone, and I play only poker. I have not tried the electronic poker games," Thomas said.

The People

It's a great time seeing people you know, meeting people and watching people.

"I always see someone I know from Delaware County. It's a strange feeling when you run into someone you know at the large and busy casinos," Anderson said.

Interactions with these friends or with perfect strangers seem to add to the excitement. Turning Stone Casino is listed as New York state's fifth-largest tourist attraction, which has hosted about 4.5 million visitor. With all of these crowds, it is a common report for people to meet up with familiar faces by sheer happenstance.

When Anderson takes a break from the penny slots or bingo, she enjoys walking around and watching other people at the game tables.

"It is fun and exciting to watch other people betting, sometimes large amounts of money, at the game tables and seeing people get excited about slot machine payoffs," she said.

The Challenge

It seems we have a natural pull toward competition.

Many of the visitors to Saratoga Harness Races are horse and track enthusiasts. They know who is racing, the trainers and cart drivers as well as the horses' track records, ages, lineage and temperaments. The betting is based on gathering this information, evaluating all of the horses and drivers, weather and track conditions to make predictions. Also enter into the calculated wager are any additional bits of information, such as reports of how the horse or driver have been doing during warm ups and the previous days trials.

These experienced track fans may have plenty of information, but newcomers to harness race tracks can make very lucky guesses with their bets, since anything can happen.

The poker table is an entirely different challenge, and there are casino enthusiasts who believe poker is the only true casino game of skill and calculated betting. Possibly derived from similar games in other parts of the world, poker is an American-born pastime that had its start in the early- to mid-1800s. Kelley said he usually goes to Turning Stone every few months with friends, to keep his skills tuned and enjoy the intense challenge of the game.

The Possibility and Fun of Winning

That's the nature of games. Anderson stressed the importance of sticking to a budget of spending with this advice:

"Have the idea that what money you bring to the casino will be spent. Have an amount that you will be comfortable spending, knowing that it is about having a great time. Of course, it's fun to win and when I do, I take my winning money home with me. There are some people who take their winning money and continue to play but I stick with the spending budget I set. When I go with a friend of mine, we have a rule that whatever amount one of us may win, we divide it in half between ourselves."

Many people don't want to talk about their gambling, which brings up an interesting point about its nature.

Today's casinos and racinos work hard to de-stigmatize what can still be considered a vice by some.

The establishments are able to cater to huge business and society conventions while introducing those with trepidations to the inexpensive fun to be had with top-notch entertainment, activities and excitement all under one roof.

Modern casino gaming areas do not even function with actual money except in the card games. Anderson said that she deposits the amount she is willing to spend in an account at Turning Stone and is given a play card. For someone who might be tempted to go a bit overboard with spending, the account is automatically a limiting factor, a pause in the excitement.

Gambling can become a problem of excess for some, a destructive addiction, and casinos recognize this.

Responsible gambling works for these businesses as well by ensuring return customers who had a great time and want to return, not those who lost more than they can handle and vow to never come back again.

The stories of great loss from excess gambling are very damaging to their business and it is not in their best interest to foster addictive betting.

That does not mean that everybody wins at the casinos, but they strive to keep a gaming mentality, it is a game and fun is the priority.

Casino and racino visitors, seasoned or trying the establishment out for the first time, will consider the idea of carrying a lucky charm around with them. Kelley said he does not have a lucky charm but stated that many, many players do.

Anderson had dvice about holding on to a specific lucky charm:

"Luck is just what it is called 'luck' but I do wear a necklace that has five letter beads that spell out BINGO and it does seem that I win when I wear my BINGO necklace. It's not like I wouldn't play if I forgot my necklace or that I really believe it has anything at all to do with winning, its just a fun conversation piece."

Bingo is her favorite game, she said, and she supports local organizations by playing Bingo close to home.

Take a break from the limited sun days of winter with an adventurous trip to the casinos and racinos in the region. The odds are all in your favor of having fun.