I’d Give Anything to Get Her Back
I am writing this hoping that by sharing my story someone might learn from it and hopefully prevent gambling from destroying their family. I remember growing up thinking that I had the best family in the world. A mother who could kiss away all the hurt in this world and a father who could work an 80 hour week, show up for his son’s baseball practice, and never complain. We had our troubles as all families do, but it was nothing we couldn’t overcome together. Things changed, slowly at first, and then faster, much faster. It all started when my mom took a job at an automotive plant an exit away from Hollywood Casino (then called The Argosy) in Lawrenceburg, Indiana. She began going there once a month with coworkers and only on weekends. Eventually it became every weekend. I remember her coming home with wads of cash on several occasions and passing out money like she was an heiress. I could tell it made her happy and frankly, who wouldn’t be. However, eventually the winning slowed to a non-existent trickle and her friends/coworkers stopped going because they were losing too much money. Her once weekly trips became daily events. My loving, attentive mother came home later and later, sometimes getting as little as 3 or 4 hours of sleep before having to go right back to work. My father, basically a single parent now, struggles alone to put 2 kids through college and, being the good man he is, still has never complained. I watch him struggle and think of how much better it could be if he had his best friend back, my mom. As I write this to you now, I haven’t seen or heard from her in 3 days. How could something so inherently evil be allowed to take a mother away from her kids and husband? How can I get my mom back? Sadder still, Ohio has passed new legislation legalizing state gambling to raise revenue and will now be building a new casino less than 5 minutes from our home. I wonder whose revenue they are raising because it obviously isn’t my family’s. They say it will bring jobs to the city but what about my mom’s job? Before she gambled she used to buy clothes, cars, and other retail items. Now the money, along with my mom, goes to one place and one place only. A casino…..