The Politics of Gambling

Harrah's 2004 Profile of the American Casino Gambler is intended as an exploration of the average gambler. We're not talking Stu Unger or Texas Dolly here. We're talking about the guy that works his job, pays his mortgage, drinks his beer, and, within the last year, has gone out of his way to visit a casino and lay a little money on the line. In other words, we're talking about That Fat Bastard.

It's an interesting study. In particular, I found the section in the middle, where they surveyed players at the World Series of Poker, extremely informative. Check out the section on "Tells" and note the difference between what the pros and the amateurs think is important. For the most part, though, it's a political document, intended to filter over to some congressman's aide or support some lobbyist's agenda. Filled with demographics, color coded maps, and bar graphs, it attempts to put a handle on the casino gambler. "This is That Fat Bastard," it says, "and here's why you should pay attention to him."

So, who is That Fat Bastard when we compare him to the average non-gambler, Johnny Safebet? The answer might surprise you. Gamblers trend Democratic while non-gamblers trend Republican, so no real surprise there. That Fat Bastard is more likely to indicate intent to vote then Johnny is, though, and he's less likely to care about issues like gay marriage and abortion, focusing instead on the economy and taxes. In fact, the report says, "Casino gamblers are more politically active than non-gamblers. They are more likely to have signed a petition (51% to 42%), to contribute money (26% to 19%), or to have attended a public meeting (19% to 15%) on behalf of a political candidate or cause." There's another statistic that should cause Washington to sit up and take notice: That Fat Bastard is more inclined (17% to 11%) to contribute money to political organizations then Mr. Safebet.

Score one for Fatty.

Not surprising is that casino gamblers are more likely to invest money, and more likely to be prepared financially for retirement. They're more likely to consult financial professionals and experts, and tend to more actively manage their finances then Johnny does, too. In fact, when the numbers come in, That Fat Bastard is more likely to be flexing his financial muscle. He travels more, eats out, pays to entertain himself, buys more cars, and then goes to a bar (39% to 22%) to wind down after a long day of spending his hard won money. The casino gambler is what this country needs. He's fuelling the economy while the non-gamblers sit at home complaining about the price of gas. He's taking a risk while Johnny Safebet waits for someone else to fix the problem.

That Fat Bastard is saving America, one bet at a time.