Gas or Gamble

Gas or gamble? Economy forces some to choose

Yahoo! Buzz Digg Newsvine Reddit FacebookWhat’s this?By Gary Stoller, USA TODAY
Carlos Bueno and his wife, Mayra, drove three times last year from their home in Houston to a casino in Lake Charles, La., but they won’t be making the two-hour drive this summer.
“Gas prices are the main reason,” says the 32-year-old father of three children who works for a utility company and also is canceling the family’s annual vacation to the Dominican Republic. “The economy is harsh right now, and the little money saved for vacation will have to be spent on fuel for our vehicle.”

UP, UP, UP: Gas average expected to hit $3.73 a gallon in June

Bueno says he spent about $1,500 on his casino trips last year, and it costs about $70 a week to fill the gas tank of his Nissan Altima.

The pressures of a weak economy — concerns about job security and rising prices for gas, food, home heating oil and other goods and services — are causing many gamblers to cancel or reduce the number of casino trips. Those who go are gambling less money than in the past: At the traditional gambling Meccas of Atlantic City and Las Vegas, and in other states, casino revenue is down. Employees are being laid off, and there’s concern about future growth.

xxxhttp://www.usatoday.com/money/economy/2008-05-06-casinos-economy_N.htm