I must admit that I miss New Orleans. Not so much for the atmosphere, the drinks, or the history, but for a casino. Having gone to a casino and actually won money at a table made me want to try again. Alas, Ohio has no casinos. It is illegal to even play casino games unless you are a non-profit organization trying to increase your revenue. Those tend to pop up occasionally through the summer but you have to know where to look.

Well, needing to satisfy the urge, I have turned my attention to online casinos. I admit I'm not looking to be a professional gambler by any means. You aren't going to see me dropping down 20s and 100s. I'm the guy that sits there playing with the minimum bet every time. I sit and play for an hour or until the table gets cold and moves along.

But, most games of chance you can play for free. Why risk money? Well that's part of the compulsion. I can play and actually be rewarded for it. In the hour or so that I played blackjack in New Orleans, I managed to make $30. And, in the last few hands I managed lose most of it because the cards were not falling in the right place. But, I was able to get up and walk away. Better to leave with a little than nothing at all. In seeing this, if a play occasionally, I might make $100 over the course of a year. No harm in that. And, since I'm playing with real money, I know better than to take high risks. I want to keep what I make so I can spend it on frivolous things, not give it back to the casino.

I'm pretty serious about not losing my money. I've already invested a few hours in research. I'm checking for the best payment options. I've checked with my credit card company to see how they handle credits. I've even done some research to find a beginner's guide to online casinos. The last thing I want to do is have this turn around and bite me in the @$$. This is definitely not something I want to rush into.

I doubt seriously that anyone I know would approve of my actions. But, my parents did instill in me the value of a dollar and common sense. People pay $50 to ride rollercoasters all day. What's wrong with paying $50 to try to make another $50? It's much easier to win at blackjack instead of trying to guess numbers on ping-pong balls.