Anyone frequent casinos? Here are a few of the downward-directed changes suffered by the gambler. Biggest and most intrusive, the "Player's Card". Now being tracked electronically, to the extent that every table game, Roulette, Craps, Blackjack, Poker, and the like, has a computer terminal attached to it, where the arriving player's card is swiped by the Pit Boss, who enters the amount of the "buy-in". Leaving the table not devoid of chips, the player is requested to exchange small chips for larger ones, the implication put forth that one must turn them in. Of course, they can't enforce that, as the chips are the player's, not the House's, IMO, and one may do what one wants, with his chips. Often I refuse to turn mine in. The returned chip dollar amount is recorded in the terminal, as was the buy-in, thereby telling the house the exact dollar-result of your play, how much, and who lost. Years back, the player had anonymity. Today, no, none. Chips may be unobtrusively stashed when eyes are looking elsewhere, in one's pocket, avoiding even the prying electronic eyes, if care is taken. Later, more chips may be bought, same process repeated, thereby giving the House false information indicating amounts of money lost. In return they send, to even out of towners, various offers of free meals, free shows, free play, free rooms, and so forth. As I type this, we are in a free room awaiting showtime where we will sit in on Bill Engvall's one-night show here. Our free seats are of course way in the back, $45 seats, whereas folks paid $60 for closer-ups. We saw many folks earlier, in line to buy tickets. I cannot even begin to estimate what fraction of attendance to these shindigs is "compped", complimentary. Some affairs I estimated about 30% or more. Engvall is apparently far more well-known than I thought, though what would a hard-core confirmed reprobate like me, know? Frank