The kids were at grandma’s, the hubby was on a fishing trip with friends, and I was free to take my $100, hit the local casino and have some fun. Knowing that nobody was going to be looking for dinner, knowing that I didn’t have to worry about making sure I got around to pick up my kid from camp on time, I dropped my phone into my purse and promptly forgot about it instead of checking the time every 5 minutes or so. And I had a fabulous time.

When hunger broke through to my conscious mind, I finally looked and saw that it was a little after 6. Gleefully, I pocketed the couple hundred bucks I was ahead, and planned to treat myself to Mom’s Perfect Evening: a nice dinner, a bath and my book without interruptions, then a chance to fall asleep watching TV (watching something other than Dora the Explorer).

It probably will come as no surprise that I emerged, blinking and totally confused, at early morning light. I pulled out my phone again, which read 6:27. The AM next to it was like a blinking neon light this time around, and I couldn’t have been more stunned if Elvis rose from the dead and waved at me as he headed into the Casino to play a set.

Somehow, I lost 18 hours inside that dim, windowless, bing-bonging pit of sensory-overload. How did that happen?

I white-knuckled the wheel the entire way home, feeling like the victim of an alien abduction. Did I black out? Did someone spike my drink with a roofie? How could I have lost that much time? I was all rumpled and I smelled like I had been lost in the woods for a week instead of the casino for a night. Having a minor panic attack, I pulled over to check my phone again just to make sure it was only the next day.

No, just 18 hours. Good grief.

That was my last time visiting the casino, which scares me as badly now as that Disney movie “The Black Hole” did when I was a kid (for more or less the same reason). I still like to gamble. I just like to have the comfort of a window around to remind me of the passage of time.

My mother-in-law–a woman who also seriously enjoys going to the casino–showed me a bunch of the free casino games she liked to play on the computer, mostly on Facebook. It was awesome to be able to play whenever I wanted instead of having to make a trip out to the racetrack and slots, and I played them for a while, but they always lacked something. It took me a while to realize that when you don’t play for money, it really took out all the thrill out of gambling.

Then I found 32Red, which has slots, Bingo, Roulette, and all the popular card games like Blackjack and Poker. They’re licensed and you can play securely for real money, just by downloading their software and setting up an account. New players can also take advantage of the $10 free deposit bonus which gives you a bit of cash to practice with if you’re a first time player! Cashing in and out is super easy as well. 

Personally, I find that I play more responsibly now that I don’t make a major effort to go out and play a few games. I have a few bucks, I play it, and I’m done. I don’t have to worry about finding a babysitter for the kids or the husband. I don’t have to make the 40 minute drive out to the casino, which also means I don’t have to feel guilty about the effort it takes to carve out some “me time” anymore.

The best part about it is that I can play my slot machines for cash from the comfort of my own couch, without having to worry about getting lost in a  casino for days at a time. Peace of mind that I’m not going to go Rip Van Winkle again? Priceless.

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An amazing collection of bright women who somehow manage to work, play, parent and survive and write blog posts all at the same time. We are the BLUNTmoms, always honest, always direct and surprising hilarious.

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