It is sad.

My parents are upper middle class Boomers. Retired professionals with advanced degrees and everything. And also deeply religious. I believe both are addicted to gambling. Their favorite semi-monthly treat is to dump tons of money into a casino. They rotate through three or four different ones.

Sometimes I will be talking to my mother on the phone and in the background I will hear beeping noises. I know that means one of two things. The two of them are at a casino playing slots. Or she is at the gas station up the road from their suburban subdivision full of McMansions, playing the machine there. I have learned to keep mouth shut and not ask where she is. I tell myself that we all have our vices so who am I to judge.

So...it isn't just poor and working-class people wasting money on these things. It also (supposedly) well-to-do people. If my parents weren't addicts, they wouldn't have to borrow money from their kids. To be fair, they are awesome in that they always pay us back when their pension checks come in. But it is still sad to me.