Gambling Round America

Bill told this story on day 12 of his "I love Pie" tour in 2003.  We all wonder how this mindless monster we now see before us ever got this way.  Was it sudden?  Was there some kind of incident that triggered it?  Or was this something he has been building up to his entire life?

Now for a little history. In 1977, Boz and I took a six-week driving trip around Europe. We had big plans to finance part of our trip costs with gambling success in Monaco. We set aside a little money, and walked into the very snooty casino there, and we went to a roulette table and put all of our money (probably just $250 or so) on red. It came up black, and they took our money. We went back to our little green Ford Fiesta and felt devastated. We planned to win and then let it ride and win again and live happily ever after. The truth is that we had spent a lot more than we had planned, and we could have really used some cash. We didn't have much money, and thinking back, we have no idea how we could afford the time or the money for the trip. Back to the Ford Fiesta...we sat there and discussed whether we should take our last $250 and go back in and put it on red. We finally decided that Bozzie would go back in and do just that. She returned in a few seconds. It came up GREEN! Losing was bad enough, but there's only one GREEN spot and tons of red and black spots on a roulette wheel, and we hit GREEN. The next day, we learned how you can get a cash advance on a MasterCard. We swore off gambling, though every time we hit an area with a casino, we bet on red, and we almost always lose.

Now, this takes us back 36 years ago.  This isn't about gambling or any of that, this is about the mindset of both Bill and Barbara.  First, he admits that they had planned on their gambling winnings to pay for the trip.  Where have we heard a version of that (I just need a rich person to donate the finances for this trip).  So they decided to put i all on red and notice he says they planned to "let it ride" even if they had won.  They lose and then go to the car and have a discussion about whether they should blow their remaining money on the exact same thing that just took their money.  Barb goes and blows it and Bill complains that it hit green.  He then says it was at this time that he learned about cash advances on MasterCard, this from a guy who ran a credit card business in college.  He then says that they swore off gambling, but directly contradicts himself in the same exact sentence as he goes on to say that they bet red at every casino they crossed paths with.

Bill is a gambler, and a very poor one at that.  He has gambled his life away, his inheritance, his legal battles, his business adventures and now even his own family.  The guilt lies directly with Bill, but he spends his every waking moment of the final few hours he has left on his earth, blaming his failures on everyone BUT himself.