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Is Gambling for Elderly People too?

ByDave Stopher

Feb 9, 2021

As long as you are above the legal gambling age, there truly is no age limit. In fact, sometimes elderly people are better gamblers because they know the tricks of the trade a little better than younger people. And, they might have more money to spend, meaning they can play longer.

As you age, you might find that some of your joints don’t work the way they used to. It might not be easy to run a mile anymore. That said, your mind has probably stayed just as sharp as ever. When you are gambling, the mind is what matters, not your joints. There is no reason you can’t continue to gamble as you age.

Socialising is more important for the elderly than any other demographic. Gambling can help bring friendships together. Don’t give up the poker tournament you have been hosting every Saturday night for decades! It’s a great way to continue to socialise with your friends.

Some gambling games are games of skill. Learning all the ins and outs of poker, for example, will help you win more and beat the weaker competition. If you have been playing poker for 50 years, you can really outsmart some younger players. Take advantage of all the knowledge you have collected in your years!

Casinos have actually been targeting the elderly with advertising campaigns in an effort to encourage gambling. This is ok, and there are some great deals to be had, but seniors should be aware of gambling addiction and the potential pitfalls of gambling too much.

Mind over Matter

Plenty of elderly people have learned to gamble online at USA casinos. While you might have to stop running marathons because your joints are wearing out, you don’t have to stop doing any activities that use your brain. In fact, reading books, doing crosswords, and playing other games that use your brain could help keep your brain sharp. 

Think about all the different types of poker games you can play, and then within poker everything you need to learn to understand which card sets are worth more than others. That’s a lot of juggling in your mind, and if you have been playing for years that’s going to give you an advantage over someone who doesn’t have as much experience learning all the tricks relating to casino games and gambling.

Great Socialising Activity

Keeping close friendships and relationships with your family can help keep you healthy as you age. Surrounding yourself with people is a great way to fight off loneliness that can come with aging.

Gambling nights like poker tournaments or a night out to the casino should absolutely be something the elderly population participates in. It might be more important for them than for younger generations. 

Having something to look forward to be a vital component of happiness for people of every generation. There’s no reason the elderly cannot look forward to a night of gambling with their friends. 

Some elderly gamblers report that playing at casinos help them feel seen and not forgotten about. Gambling can actually help the mental health of elderly gamblers, as long as they don’t spend all of their money and enter a depression. 

Take Advantage of what you have learned

If you think about it, the elderly can actually have an advantage when gambling over their younger counterparts. Sure, there is such thing as beginner’s luck, and you might win a hand or two when you are first starting out.

But, for games of skill, the more skills and talent you have the more likely you will be to win big. If you have spent 30 years hosting a weekly poker tournament you are going to have more in the line of poker skills than someone just starting out.

Use those skills and enter tournaments. You’ll find that the joy of competition helps keep you feeling invigorated! And, you might just win a couple of more bucks than you had when you started!

With age also comes wisdom and you have likely learned when to walk away and call it a day. Sometimes it can be hard to walk away if you have lost money, but that is also when it is most important to walk away and not be tempted to throw more money into the pot that you are not going to win back.

Let Gambling bring Generations together

While gambling certainly is not for children, card games are activities that the elderly can pass down the line in their families. Playing for pennies is a great way to teach young adults the ins and outs of enjoyable card games.

Cards can serve as quality family time and a way of bonding when different generations might not have much else in common. There’s nothing wrong with passing down your skills to the next generation. While you shouldn’t take children to the casino, playing Old Maid for pennies could be a great way to responsibly introduce card games.

Fixed Income and other Downsides of Gambling

The only real downside of gambling as you age is that you might be on a fixed income. If you have retired, you only have access now to social security and your retirement accounts. You aren’t getting any more bonuses or raises from your job. 

This is ok as long as you have budgeted accordingly. Don’t blow your entire retirement budget on gambling. Give yourself an allowance and a budget that you could afford to spend whenever you want to gamble and don’t exceed that.

Hopefully, as people age they gain the ability to have some restraint and some willpower and can keep themselves in check when they gamble. 

Seniors do have to be aware of gambling addiction and the fact that some casinos are targeting their demographic and making it easier than ever for them to gamble. This does not mean that the elderly should not gamble, just that they need to be cognizant of how much time and money they are spending doing so.