Losing My Gambling Virginity
Gambling is a rite of passage for many young people today. You are told that you can’t drive until you’re 16, vote until you’re 18, or drink until you’re 21, but what are the rules for gambling? Well for most of the 50 states the legal gambling age is 21, however, my first time gambling was when I was 19 in the state of Minnesota where the legal age is 18. Of course I had bought scratch offs and a power-ball ticket before, but I’d never been to a casino and I was excited to try it!
I went on this exciting excursion with my older brother and cousins who had been to the casino before. My cousins, who are from Minnesota, had been to the Mystic Lake Casino many times before and had experience with slots and cosmic bingo, and were excited to show me all that I had been missing out on. My brother had been to Las Vegas the previous summer and was ready to show me the ropes and nudged me to play my first round of slots. I won $55 on the first slot machine I sat down at, and soon won another $25 at another machine!
Towards the end of the night we played my cousins favorite game at the casino, cosmic bingo! You are given a packet of bingo cards and a dobber to stamp with. The coolest part about cosmic bingo? By far, the room that it’s played in. It is filled with large tv screens that show what spaces have been called and has a great sound system, but my favorite part was the black lights that made the bingo cards and dobber dots glow! People of all ages gather into the room and sit on the edge of their seat filled with excitement and hope that they will be the next person to jump up and yell BINGO!
It was a great first gambling experience for me. I lost most of what I won but ended up with $8 more than what I came with! I never sat at any card tables or played roulette, but I had to save something for next time right?! So if you’re looking for a fun new experience to try I would definitely recommend cosmic bingo or trying your hand at the slots. Just don’t forget to set a budget before you go!
