I enjoy books about money and gambling. This is an a account of how two brothers blow a fortune in the casinos of Gulfport, Missisipi. They link their compulsion to the break up of their family. I was intrigued by the idea that losing becomes addictive, and the fact that it's playing the game that counts - the fellowship and excitement of the gambling den clouds the fact that they are blowing ludicrously large sums of money. I think there are several human activities which are a bit like that.
I was interested in the detail that if you win the jackpot on the slot machines, they ask you to 'play it off', meaning that the winner has to play the machine once more so it won't be left showing a jackpot. The procedure is to stop frightening players away, but it also induces winners to keep at it, and so become losers again. I heard a similar tactic in a book about time-management - just start something - you'll be amazed how long you keep doing it.
Eventually the brothers get caught up in something they aren't prepared for, which sours their experience. This is a very well-written book, full of insights on families, work, addiction and gambling. The only slightly odd thing was the fact that it is described from two people's point of view in one narrative.
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