Foreigners here love to gamble, and believe me, we’re heavily encouraged (bribed?) to do so. When a foreigner walks into a Korean casino, they’re immediately given a $10 chip as ‘starter money’ as well as a ten dollar voucher to bet specifically on roulette. Essentially they pay you to go in there, and bank on the fact that at some point you’ll succumb to temptation and dip into your own pocket.
In addition to the ‘free money’, casinos also allow foreigners to eat and drink for free. Unlimited quantity, every night. I’ve heard that some foreign teachers literally go to the casino every night just for a free dinner – they pick up their $10 chip, eat some food, and cash in their chip once they’re ready to leave. Personally, I think that level of stinginess is a bit much... but, to each her own.
The girls at my work aren’t quite that bad. They go in a few nights a week, and always gamble the $10 chip they’re provided. They’re usually able to make $40 - $200 a week, and joke that gambling has become their part-time job. They don’t feel guilty about all that time spent in the casino because apparently they’ve worked out a ‘fool-proof system’: enter the casino, bet your free chip, and under NO CIRCUMSTANCES gamble with your own money. If you lose that first chip, your night’s over. Easy enough, right?
Well, not quite.
Apparently one of their friends went in this weekend, got extremely drunk, and lost almost $1,500. Ouch. Today he went back and requested to have himself blacklisted so that he's never allowed back inside. Ohhh...so there’s actually a method to that open-bar policy madness? You sneaky Korean casino owners! You foiled us again!
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