They say what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, but I'm here to blow the lid off that notion. The fact is, a funny experience happened to me in Las Vegas several years ago and I've told the story about a million times.
Of course I've never told it here, so maybe it doesn't count.
Here's what happened:
Many years ago (I honestly can't remember the year) I took a work trip to Vegas. If memory serves (and these days it doesn't) I was there to cover a college basketball tournament of some sort.
Anyway, while I was there I bumped into a couple of kids from one of the schools playing in the tournament. They were student journalists working for the campus newspaper and it was obvious they were thrilled to be on a roadtrip to Vegas.
Just one problem, though: neither of them was old enough to gamble and it seemed each time they tried, somebody from the casino's security staff wanted to see I.D. Consequentially, they were relegated to boring activities like eating, wandering around the Strip and playing lame video games in the arcade.
One night, after a day of watching basketball, I was on my way to get some food when I ran into my two young friends. They informed me they had just come up from the arcade and found a $100 bill laying on the floor.
What should they do with it, they asked. I shrugged my shoulders and suggested they ask the nearest security guard if anyone had reported some lost money. As soon as I made the suggestion I realized how silly it sounded.
Them to the security guard: "Excuse us, Mr. Security Guard, has anyone reported losing $100 around here?"
Security guard to them: "This is a casino, fellas. Lots of people have lost $100 today."
The guys had a better idea and who was I to crush their youthful notions?
They asked me to bet the entire sum on one spin of the roulette wheel. I think they asked me to put it on red. Me being old enough to gamble, I walked over to the nearest wheel and put the money down.
I won! Or rather, they won! I suppose that's what happens when you're playing with house money.
When I returned to the guys and told them what happened, they were shocked. I honestly think they were expecting me to keep the cash for myself. Instead, I told them they doubled their money.
Feeling fearless, they asked if I'd mind trying to win a little more, perhaps at the blackjack table. I've never been much of a gambler, but I figured "What the heck?" Amazingly, I spent the next half hour on a terrific hot streak.
When I returned, I handed them a fistful of casino chips and said, "Maybe I should cash these in for you while there's still some money to be had." They agreed, so I cashed out and soon handed over a big wad of bills.
They offered to split the money with me since I did all the actual gambling. I refused it, but they insisted and, looking back on it, I'm sure they didn't have to push very hard.
I asked them what they were going to do with the money. One said he was going to buy groceries when he got back home. The other said something about buying books for next semester.
When they asked what I was going to do with my share, I said, "I'm going back to the casino."
If memory serves (and, like I said, these days it doesn't) my lucky streak didn't last much longer.
I guess that's what happens when you stop playing with house money.
Just remember, sometimes what you win in Vegas stay in Vegas, but you still get a great story to tell.
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