Article, pretty deep, I published on serious gambling

I gambled quite a bit coming up so once I became a journalist I decided to use that perspective, the people I knew and saw, my own experiences and wrote about gambling. Not that this makes it any good but I do have some credentials: I've had stories under contract for Sports Illustrated, Esquire, Rolling Stone, Spin, Vibe, Harper's, US Weekly, NY Times Magazine, etc

So for you younguns' playing college dorm poker on-line; the professional educator or medical technician who goes to AC once in a while but so so loves trying to win at those tables; the regular at that broken down harness track sliding card after card into the ATM because you can’t leave yet — you have to get your money back — it’s impossible to keep on losing on that machine, your luck has to change, it’ impossible to lose so many times in a row. The old folks saying over and over “it’s a night out, it’s just fun.”

I know, I watched you all many many years; many many times — I also got your ghost for a while. This is exactly what it feels like, what happens to you, who you become when you, some of you, play.
Figured you guys might appreciate it -- so for what it's worth, check it if you have 10 minutes. It's on my site
JournalismWorksProject.org

It was published in the New York Press

The Gambler: Down and out at Yonkers Raceway and everywhere else there’s Joker Poker,Jacks or Better, and an ATM


Thanks,
Kevin Heldman

Incredibly well-written article. Also had a look through the site and found some other real gems, including the graffiti article, which floored me.

A bit hard to read, obviously, since we make our living off gambling. However, I'm reminded that with gambling, just like with guns, drugs, junk food, bundgi jumping and so on, it's not the device that is the problem, it's the emotional state behind the addiction which is the real cause. Evidence has shown time and time again that outlawing does nothing to prevent use, where as creating social support infrastructures to deal with the PROBLEM, not the SYMPTOM, is what actually helps people.

bookmarked. will have a look later. thx for posting