Indulging in various forms of literature has always been essential, as fiction, especially, broadens your perspective and gives you an understanding of how the world works. Gaining an overview of various experiences is a great way to cultivate empathy, foster your imagination, and, most importantly, develop critical thinking skills.
After reading about all the books we will explore in this article, there is a high probability that you will also want to explore a casino bonus. If you are a newly registered player, it’s best to start with one that has no deposit requirements, so you don’t put your funds at risk from the start.
The Gambler by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Written in 1866, The Gambler features a private tutor for a Russian family, named Alexis Ivanovitch, as its main character. At first, our character is not interested in gambling at all, and has a sort of judgmental attitude towards people who gamble in the first part of the novel.
Dostoyevsky introduces the idea that there are two kinds of gamblers: those who gamble for fun, and those who gamble for money. As Alexei is studying his surroundings, he agrees that gambling is fine if you do it “solely out of curiosity, and for the pleasure of watching the play of chances and of calculations, and not because of any vulgar desire to win.”
The irony of it is that he himself falls into addiction, trying to gain wins. But, he also argues regarding the idea of affordability and states that “For instance, a gentleman may stake, say, five or ten louis d’or—seldom more, unless he is a wealthy man, when he may stake, say, a thousand francs”. This quote illustrates how responsible gambling and budgeting should be approached according to one’s means.
Recently, the UK Gambling Commission has introduced strict affordability checks to ensure that gamblers are not overspending. In such cases, the casino requests documents such as bank statements, proof of funds, and proof of wealth to verify that players can afford their gambling habits.
The relevance of Dostoyevsky’s work to modern days doesn’t only reside in this aspect. While playing roulette, he wins a substantial amount of money, which he splits with Polina Alexandrovna, the woman who initially encouraged him to gamble. Thereafter, he gets an urge to keep gambling and loses that amount and his money as well.
In chapter 17, another character notices that Alexis “not only renounced life, with its interests and social ties, but also the duties of a citizen and a man”. At this point in the story, Alexis only thinks about how he can win by playing roulette. Constant preoccupation with betting is a significant pattern of gambling addiction, and so is withdrawal from society, which Alexis is also doing.
Casino Royale by Ian Fleming
This suspenseful thriller, published in 1953, marks the debut of the beloved character James Bond, also known as Agent 007. The main premise of the book is that Bond has to play a baccarat game with the famous gambler, Le Chiffre, and win against him.
Because this book is the starting point of what became a popular series, Fleming sets the tone and discusses what kind of gambler Bond is:
“Bond had always been a gambler. He loved the dry riffle of the cards and the constant unemphatic drama of the quiet figures around the green tables. He liked the solid, studied comfort of card-rooms and casinos, the well-padded arms of the chairs, the glass of champagne or whisky at the elbow, the quiet unhurried attention of good servants. He was amused by the impartiality of the roulette ball and of the playing cards – and their eternal bias.”
If we were to trace some correlation between the book’s views regarding gambling and how we regard it today, we would stumble on this quote: “[Luck] had to be understood and recognized for what it was and not confused with a faulty appreciation of the odds, for, at gambling, the deadly sin is mistaking bad play for bad luck.”
During that time, when casino table games were the primary form of gambling, this quote is fair, as such activities could involve certain strategies. For instance, in poker, you can learn to count cards, and so on.
However, due to modern advancements, gambling has become fairer, especially with the rise of online slot machines. Those are based on an RNG (random number generator), meaning that your winnings are strictly based on luck and you cannot use any strategies or predictions.
Last Call by Tim Powers
Published in 1992, Last Call by Tim Powers explores the psychological worlds of a former professional gambler, Scott Crane. This is a fantasy story in which the main character discovers that he is the son of a magician who killed the owner of a Las Vegas hotel, thereby taking control of a Tarot magical system.
The novel follows Crane as he tries to win back his soul, which he lost in a card game years earlier. The gambling atmosphere is also accentuated by the fact that the story takes place in Vegas’ underworld.
In chapter 8, Powers comes to a conclusion about betting as follows: “Gambling was the place where statistics and profound human consequences met most nakedly, after all, and cards, even more than dice or the numbers on a roulette wheel, seemed able to define and perhaps even dictate a player’s… luck.” This evokes the combination of the magical realism elements and the real-world nature of gambling.
Bringing Down the House by Ben Mezrich
If you’re more into non-fiction, then let us tell you more about Ben Mezrich’s Bringing Down the House. This book tells the true story of a select group of bold MIT mathematicians who legally won well over three million dollars from casinos. The main plot point is that they create an underground blackjack club to learn the secrets of counting cards and beating all odds at the most popular international casinos.
Eventually, after experiencing the high-stakes lifestyle so much, the team acknowledged that their gambling habits were out of control many times. They acknowledge that everything they did had a profoundly negative impact on their personal life and relationships.
It’s important always to keep responsible gambling in mind and not try to beat any casino. Online platforms provide games which you cannot use strategies for, especially for slot machines. Don’t focus on winnings, and only try to keep the sessions fun!
Conclusion
What we can learn from all these fiction and non-fiction experiences is that gambling responsibly is always important, regardless of what kind of casino activity one engages in. Setting a budget, not attempting to win back losses, and spending time with family and friends are some of the most important aspects that you should consider.
