12 Casinos in Pennsylvania | visitPA

Following the guilty verdict of trainer Murray Rojas for 14 counts of misbranding drugs as part of an illegal effort to administer race-day medications to horses in 2013, Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course banned the trainer, and two others, from the Grantville, Pa., track.
On July 6, Penn National announced plans to eject Rojas, who was recently found guilty in a U.S. District Court of 14 counts of misbranding equine drugs in 2013; her husband, trainer Eduardo Rojas; and trainer Stephanie Beattie, who at the Rojas trial admitted to routinely and illegally administering drugs to horses on race day.
Murray Rojas has not entered a horse at any track since Aug. 8, 2015, but her husband Eduarado is active. This season he has 18 wins from 103 starts and most recently saddled a horse July 5 at Presque Isle Downs.
Beattie, a multiple graded stakes winner, has an 11-6-3 record from 40 starts this season, the most recent being July 1 at Penn National.
The ban from Penn National does not have to be followed by other tracks. Penn National officials said they hope the Pennsylvania State Horse Racing Commission follows Penn National's lead and takes action against all three trainers. Any suspensions by the regulator would typically be recognized in all states.
"Based on our review of the trial transcript and jury's verdict, we have immediately taken all actions within our power against Ms. Rojas; her husband, trainer Eduardo Rojas; and trainer Stephanie Beattie by issuing permanent ejections from the racetrack," said John Finamore, senior vice president of regional operations for Penn National .
Finamore added that he hopes the racing commission revokes the trainers' licenses so that they are unable to compete at other tracks and said that tracks should have greater latitude in excluding licensees.
"We have no ability or right to suspend or revoke their licenses," Finamore said. "We are hopeful the Pennsylvania State Horse Racing Commission will uphold the permanent ejections and take appropriate action with respect to their licenses. We look forward to working with the commission to develop reforms, which provide racetrack operators with greater rights to exclude licensees from their private property and make Pennsylvania a leader in drug testing and detection."
Rojas, 51, of Grantville, Pa., was convicted of 14 felony counts of misbranding prescription drugs on race day and conspiracy. The crimes involved Rojas directing veterinarians to administer drugs to her horses on race day in violation of track rules and state law.
Evidence presented during the trial showed that steps were taken to conceal this conduct by backdating invoices for the sale and administration of drugs to the horses on race day, as well as the submission of fraudulent veterinarian treatment reports to the PSHRC.
The jury returned its verdicts June 30 after one day of deliberation and after an eight-day jury trial in Harrisburg, Pa., before United States District Court Judge Sylvia H. Rambo. Rojas is awaiting sentencing.
Federal prosecutors did not make their case that Rojas' infractions amounted to wire fraud, as the jury found her not guilty of seven counts of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
Rojas was convicted of conspiring with three veterinarians to have the drugs administered to horses on the day they were entered to race. A grand jury in Harrisburg indicted Rojas in August of 2015 on the charges related to 11 races, in which she entered horses from Jan. 19-Feb. 16 in 2013 at Penn National.
The United States Attorney's Office prosecuted several other individuals in federal and state courts as part of this investigation, including:
Danny Robertson, the official clocker, charged with wire fraud, sentenced to one year probation and ordered to pay a $2,500 fine; Craig Lytel, a racing official, charged with wire fraud, sentenced to four months in federal prison and ordered to pay a $1,000 fine; Renée Nodine, veterinarian, charged with misbranding and conspiracy, awaiting sentencing; Kevin Brophy, veterinarian, charged with misbranding and conspiracy, awaiting sentencing; Fernando Motta, veterinarian, charged with misbranding and conspiracy, awaiting sentencing; David Wells, owner and trainer, charged with rigging a publicly exhibited contest, sentenced on Feb. 23, 2015, by Dauphin County Commons Pleas Judge Deborah Curcillo to three months' imprisonment; Patricia Rogers, trainer, charged with rigging a publicly exhibited contest, received an accelerated rehabilitative disposition (ARD) in Dauphin County Court of Common Pleas; Samuel Webb, trainer, charged with rigging a publicly exhibited contest, received an ARD in Dauphin County Court of Common Pleas. (An ARD is a special pre-trial intervention program in Pennsylvania for non-violent offenders with no prior or limited record.)
According to United States Attorney Bruce D. Brandler, the conspiracy took place 2002-14, and involved 58 races.

Mercyhurst University (MU)
Atlantic Hockey Association
Year Founded: 1926
Location: Erie, Pennsylvania
Total Attendance: 13,790
Average Attendance: 862
Nickname: Lakers
Mascot: Louie the Laker. A Laker is a fisherman who has the skill, tenacity, and resourcefulness to meet the challenges of life on the water.
Picture 1 Picture 2 Picture 3
Fight Song: 'Hurst Fight Song (set to the tune of Anchors Aweigh)

Go for it Lakers
Fight for the Hurst
Show us the spirit
that has always made you first
Fight! Fight! Fight!
Win for the Blue and Green
Bring home the game
Look for the lights that burn
forever in the hall of Old Main

Arena: The Mercyhurst Ice Center (MIC)
Exterior Interior 1 Interior 2 Interior 3 Zamboni
The MIC is a 35,280 square foot arena built in 1991 for 1.4 million dollars. Mercyhurst spent 175,000 dollars in 2007 for improvements to the facility. In a unique funding arrangement, Mercyhurst students agreed to pay for the ice center through a 56 dollar increase in their annual building assessment fee. The money generates 80,000 dollars each year and will retire the school-backed bond in 2021.
Uniforms
First Season: 1999 was the first season for Division I hockey. The Lakers spent five years in Division III (1987-1992) and seven years in Division II (1992-99).
All-time Record: 469-330-65 (266-213-50 in Division I)
Championships: 0
Frozen Four Appearances: 1993 (DII), 1995 (DII)
Tournament Appearances: 1991 (DIII), 1993 (DII), 1995 (DII), 2001, 2003, 2005
Conference Tournament Champions: 2001 (MAAC), 2003 (MAAC), 2005
Conference Regular Season Champions: 2002 (MAAC), 2003 (MAAC)
Rivals
Robert Morris A new rivalry, it heated up when RMU joined the Lakers in the AHA. Erie is just a quick drive up from Pittsburgh on I-79. The inital match-up came in the first year of RMU's program during the 2004-05 season when the Lakers won by a score of 8-2. MU currently leads the series 6-4-3.
Canisius The rivalry between the Lakers and the Golden Griffins extends back to club hockey.
Note: To be honest I don't know much about the rivalries and could not find much in the way of information. I'm sure someone out there knows more than I do. If you do, please let me know. Thanks!
2012-2013 Season
Record: 19-17-5 (12-11-4)
Coach: Rick Gotkin
2012-2013 Roster
Season Summary
Improving on their finish in 2012, Mercyhurst made it all the way to the AHA final against Canisius. Big wins along came in the form of a 5-2 victory over Maine in Orono; a 3-2 OT win over Canisius; and in the AHA quarterfinals against Holy Cross. Mercyhurst would finish the regular season in sixth place before catching fire and reaching the AHA championship game. With the quarterfinal series against Holy Cross tied 1-1, goalie Jordan Tibbet stopped all twenty-eight Crusader shots to preserve the 1-0 victory. In the semifinals the Lakers bested the Huskies of UConn, 4-1, setting up the pivotal game with with the Griffs. Ultimately, however, another AHA championship was not meant to be as a disastrous second period doomed the Lakers. Canisius' win propelled their program into the NCAA tournament for the first time in school history. Coach Gotkin would say after the championship game, "The second period was an absolute schmozzle. I've been doing this a long time and it was one of the craziest periods of hockey I've ever been a part of. It was a nightmare second period for us."
2013-2014 Season
Schedule
Drafted Players on Roster: None
Key Games

• Jan. 23 and 25 vs Canisius
• Feb. 7-8 @ Air Force
• Feb. 21-22 vs Niagara

Players to Watch

• Matthew Zay, F, Jr: Finished the 2012-13 winning the AHA scoring title. Named to the Atlantic Hockey Association Third Team. He had at least one point in 26 contests, nine multiple-point games, and two separate scoring streaks of seven consecutive games during the season.
  
• Daniel O'Donoghue, F, Sr: Captain of the team. He finished third on the team in scoring with 12 goals and 24 assists for 36 points. Had career-highs in goals (12), assists (24), points (36), plus/minus rating (+15), and shorthanded goals (3).
  
• Jordan Tibbet, G, RS-Jr: Started 15 games in goal last season, finishing with a 7-7-1 record. He replaces departed starting netminder Max Strang. Last year he posted a .925 save percentage and 2.51 goals against average.
  

Mercyhurst History
Greatest Players:

• Gary Bowels, G: Bowels was the first goalie in program history. During his four years, Mercyhurst went a combined 64-44-6. He still holds the records for most wins (56), most minutes played (5627:55), and most games played (101). He was the goaltender of record when the Lakers won their first playoff game, a 5-4 triumph at Elmira March 8, 1991. He was chosen team captain in both his junior and senior seasons, and played in 101 of 114 games in his four years. Of those 114 games, only 35 were played in Erie.
  
• Scott Burfoot, F: He set nearly every team-scoring record during his career, including most goals, points and assists. In his junior year, 1990-91, Burfoot led all college/university players in points with 96. Twice named ECAC West Player of the Year, 1990-91 and 1991-92, he continued his brilliance on the ice as a member of the Erie Panthers, leading the East Coast Hockey League in points in 1994-95.
  

Note: These are the only two hockey inductees, along with the 2000-01 team, in the Mercyhurst Hall of Fame. If you believe there are other "greatest" players, please let me know who they are and I will add them to the list.
Greatest Coaches:

• Rick Gotkin, 453-323-65 (266-213-50 in Division I): Coach Gotkin returns to Mercyhurst for his 26th year behind the bench. Taking over the program in its second season, Gotkin is the the only coach in NCAA history to lead a school to the NCAA Tournament at all three levels. He has guided the Lakers to more than 400 wins, six NCAA tournament appearance, and four league championships. In his distinguished career he has produced seven All-Americans, four ECAC (Division III) Players of the Year, three ECAC Rookies of the Year, five MAAC First-Team selections, 20 AHA All-Conference selections, and two AHA Rookies of the Year. In 2001, he was named MAAC Coach of the Year and a finalist for the Spencer Penrose Award.

Greatest Games:

• Mar. 17, 2001 vs Quinnipiac, 6-5: Mercyhurst pounced on two defensive breakdowns with ten minutes remaining to claim their first MAAC title. Eric Ellis beat goalie Justin Eddy to tie the game with nine minutes left, and Mike Carter got the winner when two Quinnipiac defensemen went after Ellis in the corner. Ellis fed an open Carter in front with 6:48 left. The MAAC championship secured a spot in the NCAA Tournment, the first time the program had made it to the tournament at the Division I level. The Lakers faced vaunted Michigan in the opening round of the NCAA tournament. Despite stopping 47 Wolverine shots, goalie Peter Aubry and his Mercyhurst teammates were unable to pull off the upset, losing 4-3.
  
• Mar. 23, 2003 vs Quinnipiac, 4-3: Defenseman T.J. Kemp scored on the power play with 11:15 remaining to break a 3-3 tie with the Bobcats to earn the second MAAC championship in program history. Laker David Wrigley was named tournament MVP. A week later the Lakers clashed with eventual NCAA champion Minnesota in the first round of the NCAA tournament, ultimately falling by a score of 9-2.
  
• Mar. 19, 2005 vs Quinnipiac, 3-2 OT: Mercyhurst overcame two separate deficits en route to their first AHA championship. Tournament MVP Scott Champagne scored the game winning goal 4:56 into overtime. The win propelled the Lakers to their third appearance in the NCAA Division I tournament in five years. Facing Boston College in the opening round, the Lakers' Mike Ella made 52 saves against the Eagles, three short of the NCAA record for a non-overtime game. The Lakers would not be able to pull off the victory, however, losing 5-4.
  

School and City Information
City Population: 101,047
School History
Mercyhurst University is a Catholic liberal arts college.

In 1926, Mercyhurst College opened its doors on a wind-swept hill overlooking Lake Erie, just a few blocks away from the city's southern boundary. Today, the college is in its 87th year after being founded by the Sisters of Mercy of the Erie Catholic Diocese, who were led by Mother M. Borgia Egan, first president of Mercyhurst College.
In Mercyhurst history, five dates stand out above all others: Sept. 20, 1926, when the college opened; Oct. 5, 1928, when the school received its charter; Feb. 3, 1969, when the board of trustees voted to admit the first class of men to Mercyhurst; March 27, 1991, when the 100-year old Redemptorist Seminary in North East, Pennsylvania was purchased for use as the North East campus; and May 28, 2005, when Mercyhurst College purchased a 405-acre site in Girard, formerly the site of the Divine Word Seminary, as the future site of Mercyhurst West, now in operation in a temporary facility in Girard, Pennsylvania.
In 2012, Mercyhurst College officially became Mercyhurst University and opened an academic center in Dungarvan, Ireland.

Source
Traditions
I am not aware of any traditions, but if anyone is please let me know.
Local Dining:
Head over to Peach Street, a seven minute drive from campus. There you will find multiple restaurants and stores.

• El Canelo - Mexican
  
• Casablaca Grill - Middle East Mediterranean
  
• Plymouth Tavern
  
• Cornerstone Bar & Grill
  
• Presque Isle Downs is a casino and horse racing track just south of Erie.
  

Random Trivia:

• Rowing is the only other men's sport that competes at the Division I level.
  
• All other sports compete in Division II, primarily in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC).
  
• The music contest at the beginning of the film That Thing You Do! was filmed at Mercyhurst. The fictional band The Wonders were depicted as residents of Erie.
  

Academics
Mercyhurst offers more than 50 undergraduate majors, with 67 concentrations as well as unique adult programs and eight graduate degrees. Its main 75-acre campus is set in Erie, the state's only port city; the campus is approximately 100 miles from Cleveland, OH and Buffalo, NY and 130 miles north of Pittsburgh, PA.
The university is comprised of five schools:

1. The School of Arts & Humanities
2. The Walker School of Business & Communication
3. The Hafenmaier School of Education & Behavioral Sciences
4. The Zurn School of Natural Sciences & Mathematics
5. The School of Social Sciences

Mercyhurst is best known for its programs in archaeology and forensic anthropology, intelligence (Institute for Intelligence Studies and Center for Information Research Analysis and Training), forensic science, dance, music, and art therapy.
Notable Alumni:
James "Buster" Douglas: Former undisputed world heavyweight boxing champion. Knocked out previously undefeated champion Mike Tyson, who was considered to be the best boxer in the world.
Meghan Agosta: Two-time Olympic gold medal winner with for the Canadian women's ice hockey team. In 2010 she was named MVP of the Olympic women's tournament in Vancouver.
What is and what is to come
Expectations are high in Erie to begin the season. The Lakers were picked second in the AHA Coaches poll behind Niagara and tied with Air Force. Falling in the AHA championship to Canisius has left a bitter taste in the players' mouths. Eight of their top ten scorers return this season; their top three forwards (Jay, O'Donohue, and Ryan Misiak) all return as does most of their defense, led by senior Nick Jones and junior Tyler Shiplo. The only question remains in goal with Tibbett; how he performs will account for how far this team is able to go.
It's been eight years since Mercyhurst's last appearance in the NCAA tournament. Can they get over the hump this year and make it back? That remains to be seen. Last year's run to the AHA championship showed that they are a team to be wary of: This year the Lakers will play 25 games against schools currently ranked in the USCHO.com poll. The challenging schedule, coupled with the experience from their AHA tournament run last year, should prove invaluable.
Coach Gotkin knows what he's doing. He's built the program from the beginning and has consistently put winning teams on the ice for twenty-six years. I can't imagine that they would have a significant drop off as long as he is coaching.
Miscellaneous

• Mercyhurst women's hockey also competes in Division I and have appeared numerous times in the NCAA tournament. They have reached the Frozen Four on three occasions (2009, 2010, 2013). In 2009 they finished as runners-up, falling to Wisconsin in the final, 0-5. In 2011 Mercyhurst hosted the women's Frozen Four at Erie Insurance Arena, home of the Erie Otters of the OHL and Erie Bayhawks of the NBA D-League.

Note: I'm not a student or graduate of Mercyhurst. All of this information was culled from around the internet. I can count on one hand the times I've been to Erie. It's a strange but lovely city.
Credit to JohnDoeMonopoly for heading the project. I'm a little late to the party, I realize, but I was surprised to see how many teams were not profiled. These are fun to make and it's interesting to learn about schools I have only been vaguely aware of in the past.
Thanks for reading!

 
Written in 2012, featured on my new blog http://theephemeraleverywhere.blogspot.com/2015/10/test-post-test-post.html (in case reddit makes it a block text)
 
Help Isn't Available
 
Apparently, if you or someone you know has a gambling problem, help is available. No, really, just ask the stickers on the trash cans, or the one peeling off the ATM. There’s a warning on all the ads, and at auctioneer speed during the end of the radio commercial. And while I've only ever been to one casino, Presque Isle Downs and Casino, I go there a lot. Usually it's shortly after payday, but most of the time I go just because I get that itch. You know that itch. It's the same one that presses the snooze and supersizes your fries. It's the force that drives kids to do most of what they do, from sunrise to bed-without-suppertime. Much the same, when I enter the casino, it's Chuck-E-Cheese all over again.
 
If you or someone you know has an epilepsy problem, I hope there is help available. The lights on the ceiling are dim, but the hundreds of slot machines all flicker and blink like mad. Simultaneously I'm hit with enough sound effects from the dozen themed-machines by the door to believe I really am trapped in a castle in the jungle, under the ocean, and in ancient Greece all at once. I'm not a slot person, but my friends, all staring at the screens, live in their spinning worlds. I see no point in differentiating between the computerized games; they all follow similar rules and betting options. Plus, I don't trust them. I used to play them, I really did like the whale game, but the computer deciding whether I keep my paycheck or not gave me a new Orwellian mindset. Besides, I never want to be the hunched, long-haired woman with oxygen mask in one hand and shrinking cigarette in the other, petting her machine and whispering to the characters. She reminds me too much of my mother.
 
If you or someone you know has a smoking problem, an ashtray is available. During the days, the air filtration works fine, but on crowded nights you can't see through the haze even when if you do remember your contacts. I'm not an avid smoker, but I'm probably up a pack by the time I get to the table games. If the five dollar buy-in blackjack tables aren't too crowded I'll claim a seat. The other players cramped shoulder to shoulder will look up hollow-eyed and fancy the idea of how long they've been playing, or how much they've spent, for just enough time that it takes the dealer to clear the last hand and start slinging the next. I'm familiar with a few regulars that haunt these tables. The slim older man, whose hairline could use his goatee, nods at me. His name is Bill, or Bob. He smokes clove cigarettes that will make your stomach ache even if you had eaten breakfast. Before that happens, on a usual night, I'll have to make my first visit to the ATM. The closest one is ten paces across a blue and green floor dancing with Model-T cars and gold swirls. The next is maybe fifteen farther. ATMs in a casino are easily accessible; everything in a casino is easily accessible.
 
A casino designer is equal parts businessman and psychologist; they've spent a lot of your hard earned money to research the proper AC temperature and carpet pattern to ensure that people postpone their bills. They have classic tricks of the trade, namely removing all clocks and windows from the building and allowing gamblers to lose track of time. They also have more subtle avenues to the senses. Recent studies have found red-hued lighting and fast tempo music to increase the speed of gambler's betting. Other scientists have experimented with different aromas being ventilated throughout the casino. To design casinos is to have an innate sense of human nature, and to prey on it. The concept of casinos, by nature, piques any gain-driven brain: put a dollar down here, press this button, and then watch two dollars come of it.
 
A study of Capuchin monkeys by Yale economist Keith Chen has provided wonderful insight into behavioral economics and incentives. Chen, by utilizing a Capuchin monkey's “bottomless stomach of want” has successfully implemented a system of currency with the animals. By training the monkeys to realize the buying power of small silver discs, he was able to conduct economic experiments with them. One such experiment involved two gambling games. The first game involved Chen giving a monkey one grape, and, depending on a coin toss, the Capuchin would either retain the original grape, or win a bonus one. In the second game, the monkey is given two grapes, and depending on the coin toss, keeps the two, or loses one.
 
Essentially, these games are the same economic gamble, only that one is presented as a potential win, and the other as a potential loss. Performed on humans, the outcome of this experiment shows a preference for the first option. Not surprisingly, the monkeys also choose the potential win. What this says about the nature of gambling? That it's in our nature. Now up the ante, from grapes to dollars, and the temptation grows. If a grape is dangled before me, sure, I'll flip a coin for it. If half my paycheck could be doubled and then tripled on the spot? Well, that's the kind of place I could spend all summer at. After all, it's only a gambling problem if I'm losing, right?
 
Honestly, if I go to the casino more than most people, it's because my mom works there. If it's around eight- or nine-o'clock on a weekday, I'll sit at the bar and get a fishbowl-sized drink with my own mother who just got off work at the horse track. If you or some horse you know has a drug problem, help is available. My mother is one of the people who ensure a race is won fairly by drug testing the horses like they do athletes; that is to say, by testing their urine. Once again, to get a racehorse's urine those casino scientists have devised a clever plan. A middle-aged woman is sent into a small stall armed with only a stick and a cup, this pee-catcher then whistles to imitate morning birds, and tries to elicit a typical post wake-up urination. It works surprisingly well. This is also why, if standing by the paddock where they walk the horses before the race (to allow viewers to bet nonsensically on who looks the best) guards will approach anyone whistling and ask them to please stop.
 
I haven't been to the track part of the casino, or even visited my mother, in over a month. The last time that I did, I waited, leaning on the fence near the edge of the racetrack, for her to walk up from the barns and wait for the race she'd been assigned to begin. Eight races are run in the course of the night, and the third was just underway. As the horses and their riders thundered around the second turn and passed the crowd, the lead pair went down, cartwheeling through the sand and kicking up a cloud of dust. As is with any sporting accident, the crowd was instantly frenzied. There was no signature sickening crunch, as oftentimes there is during a horse wreck, so the spooked filly was able to leave her jockey in the dirt and take off after the pack. She was able to reach full speed in her escape, but her brain was in fight or flight mode. Again, she spooked and took a jagged right turn. She slammed full-speed into the metal guard rail that separates the track from the workers from the crowd. Her chest plunged into the metal and she pitched over it. It was all human gasps and horse screams. Kicking violently for a few seconds, a puddle was already formed by the time she righted herself; her sagging chest ran like a faucet. Guards swarmed and hurried her back to the barns, amazed that she hadn't broken any bones. The races went on.
 
I stood by the fence until they hosed off the metal and the ground nearby. I watched an old Mexican man walk the same path the filly did, spraying down the trail she'd left all the way to the barns. In the Erie Times, following the accident that night, the article interviewed the horse's owner. He was quoted saying that her gash required over three hundred stitches to close. The next quote was his disappointment that she wouldn't make the next big stakes race, that she was sidelined until next season. And while I hate his attitude, I know that this 2-year-old race filly, Princess Baby, does want to keep racing. It's what she was trained to do, it's become her instinct. The Casino has manufactured her as a means to their end. I understand that filly. I can cut a three-hundred stitch hole in my wallet and be begging to return next weekend.
 
That night I walked back into the casino and sat at the first blackjack table I found. It was the day I met Bob, or Bill. He offered me a cigarette and I played, numbly, for a few hours. I'd never won so much money than I did that night, probably four hundred dollars, but I wasn't counting. I was feeling smaller than a Capuchin monkey and duller than a horse. I played so much that the man in the suit that oversees the dealers walked over and gave me a coupon for a free Presque Isle Downs and Casino baseball cap. And at the bottom of the coupon, right below the Downs logo, there's a little warning, “If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, help is available.”
 
And I know I do have a gambling problem. If I called 1-800-GAMBLER, right after the nice older lady says, “Pennsylvania problem gamblers helpline, how may I help you?” I could go hoarse over the problems I have with gambling. I'm not the first monkey to get riled and refute this system, throw his feces at the scientists and retreat to the far corner of his cage. I could chain myself to the doors of the Presque Isle Downs and, tear-streaked, carry on about the monkeys and the horses. PETA would put me on posters; that's until my human rights campaign began. Then, everyone would just wonder what I was carrying on about. I can hear them already. “Sure, sometimes you'll lose a hundred bucks, so what? I think I'm smarter than some animal,” or “It doesn't mean I'll go back. I'll just have some self-control.” Then, “well, the place was so colorful, and, wow, come to think of it, I could win next time, and then it wouldn't be like I lost at all, right? Didn't it smell great in there!” Yeah, the men at the door would probably recognize me anyway. They would welcome me in, and sit me at a table. They would give me a hat and validate my parking. I used to wonder why the casino would put up so many warnings about gambling and offer help against their business. I've since realized that you can offer all the help you want, and not make a difference, if you've got people by the hopes.

 
Written in 2012, featured on my new blog http://theephemeraleverywhere.blogspot.com/2015/10/test-post-test-post.html (in case reddit makes it a block text)
 
Help Isn't Available
 
Apparently, if you or someone you know has a gambling problem, help is available. No, really, just ask the stickers on the trash cans, or the one peeling off the ATM. There’s a warning on all the ads, and at auctioneer speed during the end of the radio commercial. And while I've only ever been to one casino, Presque Isle Downs and Casino, I go there a lot. Usually it's shortly after payday, but most of the time I go just because I get that itch. You know that itch. It's the same one that presses the snooze and supersizes your fries. It's the force that drives kids to do most of what they do, from sunrise to bed-without-suppertime. Much the same, when I enter the casino, it's Chuck-E-Cheese all over again.
 
If you or someone you know has an epilepsy problem, I hope there is help available. The lights on the ceiling are dim, but the hundreds of slot machines all flicker and blink like mad. Simultaneously I'm hit with enough sound effects from the dozen themed-machines by the door to believe I really am trapped in a castle in the jungle, under the ocean, and in ancient Greece all at once. I'm not a slot person, but my friends, all staring at the screens, live in their spinning worlds. I see no point in differentiating between the computerized games; they all follow similar rules and betting options. Plus, I don't trust them. I used to play them, I really did like the whale game, but the computer deciding whether I keep my paycheck or not gave me a new Orwellian mindset. Besides, I never want to be the hunched, long-haired woman with oxygen mask in one hand and shrinking cigarette in the other, petting her machine and whispering to the characters. She reminds me too much of my mother.
 
If you or someone you know has a smoking problem, an ashtray is available. During the days, the air filtration works fine, but on crowded nights you can't see through the haze even when if you do remember your contacts. I'm not an avid smoker, but I'm probably up a pack by the time I get to the table games. If the five dollar buy-in blackjack tables aren't too crowded I'll claim a seat. The other players cramped shoulder to shoulder will look up hollow-eyed and fancy the idea of how long they've been playing, or how much they've spent, for just enough time that it takes the dealer to clear the last hand and start slinging the next. I'm familiar with a few regulars that haunt these tables. The slim older man, whose hairline could use his goatee, nods at me. His name is Bill, or Bob. He smokes clove cigarettes that will make your stomach ache even if you had eaten breakfast. Before that happens, on a usual night, I'll have to make my first visit to the ATM. The closest one is ten paces across a blue and green floor dancing with Model-T cars and gold swirls. The next is maybe fifteen farther. ATMs in a casino are easily accessible; everything in a casino is easily accessible.
 
A casino designer is equal parts businessman and psychologist; they've spent a lot of your hard earned money to research the proper AC temperature and carpet pattern to ensure that people postpone their bills. They have classic tricks of the trade, namely removing all clocks and windows from the building and allowing gamblers to lose track of time. They also have more subtle avenues to the senses. Recent studies have found red-hued lighting and fast tempo music to increase the speed of gambler's betting. Other scientists have experimented with different aromas being ventilated throughout the casino. To design casinos is to have an innate sense of human nature, and to prey on it. The concept of casinos, by nature, piques any gain-driven brain: put a dollar down here, press this button, and then watch two dollars come of it.
 
A study of Capuchin monkeys by Yale economist Keith Chen has provided wonderful insight into behavioral economics and incentives. Chen, by utilizing a Capuchin monkey's “bottomless stomach of want” has successfully implemented a system of currency with the animals. By training the monkeys to realize the buying power of small silver discs, he was able to conduct economic experiments with them. One such experiment involved two gambling games. The first game involved Chen giving a monkey one grape, and, depending on a coin toss, the Capuchin would either retain the original grape, or win a bonus one. In the second game, the monkey is given two grapes, and depending on the coin toss, keeps the two, or loses one.
 
Essentially, these games are the same economic gamble, only that one is presented as a potential win, and the other as a potential loss. Performed on humans, the outcome of this experiment shows a preference for the first option. Not surprisingly, the monkeys also choose the potential win. What this says about the nature of gambling? That it's in our nature. Now up the ante, from grapes to dollars, and the temptation grows. If a grape is dangled before me, sure, I'll flip a coin for it. If half my paycheck could be doubled and then tripled on the spot? Well, that's the kind of place I could spend all summer at. After all, it's only a gambling problem if I'm losing, right?
 
Honestly, if I go to the casino more than most people, it's because my mom works there. If it's around eight- or nine-o'clock on a weekday, I'll sit at the bar and get a fishbowl-sized drink with my own mother who just got off work at the horse track. If you or some horse you know has a drug problem, help is available. My mother is one of the people who ensure a race is won fairly by drug testing the horses like they do athletes; that is to say, by testing their urine. Once again, to get a racehorse's urine those casino scientists have devised a clever plan. A middle-aged woman is sent into a small stall armed with only a stick and a cup, this pee-catcher then whistles to imitate morning birds, and tries to elicit a typical post wake-up urination. It works surprisingly well. This is also why, if standing by the paddock where they walk the horses before the race (to allow viewers to bet nonsensically on who looks the best) guards will approach anyone whistling and ask them to please stop.
 
I haven't been to the track part of the casino, or even visited my mother, in over a month. The last time that I did, I waited, leaning on the fence near the edge of the racetrack, for her to walk up from the barns and wait for the race she'd been assigned to begin. Eight races are run in the course of the night, and the third was just underway. As the horses and their riders thundered around the second turn and passed the crowd, the lead pair went down, cartwheeling through the sand and kicking up a cloud of dust. As is with any sporting accident, the crowd was instantly frenzied. There was no signature sickening crunch, as oftentimes there is during a horse wreck, so the spooked filly was able to leave her jockey in the dirt and take off after the pack. She was able to reach full speed in her escape, but her brain was in fight or flight mode. Again, she spooked and took a jagged right turn. She slammed full-speed into the metal guard rail that separates the track from the workers from the crowd. Her chest plunged into the metal and she pitched over it. It was all human gasps and horse screams. Kicking violently for a few seconds, a puddle was already formed by the time she righted herself; her sagging chest ran like a faucet. Guards swarmed and hurried her back to the barns, amazed that she hadn't broken any bones. The races went on.
 
I stood by the fence until they hosed off the metal and the ground nearby. I watched an old Mexican man walk the same path the filly did, spraying down the trail she'd left all the way to the barns. In the Erie Times, following the accident that night, the article interviewed the horse's owner. He was quoted saying that her gash required over three hundred stitches to close. The next quote was his disappointment that she wouldn't make the next big stakes race, that she was sidelined until next season. And while I hate his attitude, I know that this 2-year-old race filly, Princess Baby, does want to keep racing. It's what she was trained to do, it's become her instinct. The Casino has manufactured her as a means to their end. I understand that filly. I can cut a three-hundred stitch hole in my wallet and be begging to return next weekend.
 
That night I walked back into the casino and sat at the first blackjack table I found. It was the day I met Bob, or Bill. He offered me a cigarette and I played, numbly, for a few hours. I'd never won so much money than I did that night, probably four hundred dollars, but I wasn't counting. I was feeling smaller than a Capuchin monkey and duller than a horse. I played so much that the man in the suit that oversees the dealers walked over and gave me a coupon for a free Presque Isle Downs and Casino baseball cap. And at the bottom of the coupon, right below the Downs logo, there's a little warning, “If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, help is available.”
 
And I know I do have a gambling problem. If I called 1-800-GAMBLER, right after the nice older lady says, “Pennsylvania problem gamblers helpline, how may I help you?” I could go hoarse over the problems I have with gambling. I'm not the first monkey to get riled and refute this system, throw his feces at the scientists and retreat to the far corner of his cage. I could chain myself to the doors of the Presque Isle Downs and, tear-streaked, carry on about the monkeys and the horses. PETA would put me on posters; that's until my human rights campaign began. Then, everyone would just wonder what I was carrying on about. I can hear them already. “Sure, sometimes you'll lose a hundred bucks, so what? I think I'm smarter than some animal,” or “It doesn't mean I'll go back. I'll just have some self-control.” Then, “well, the place was so colorful, and, wow, come to think of it, I could win next time, and then it wouldn't be like I lost at all, right? Didn't it smell great in there!” Yeah, the men at the door would probably recognize me anyway. They would welcome me in, and sit me at a table. They would give me a hat and validate my parking. I used to wonder why the casino would put up so many warnings about gambling and offer help against their business. I've since realized that you can offer all the help you want, and not make a difference, if you've got people by the hopes.