From A Bird's Eye View

Posted in opinion

NO NEWS IS GOOD NEWS

May 18, 2026By Sparrow/WatsonComments:2 Comments

By Suzanne Sparrow Watson

It’s tough to escape the news these days. It is seemingly everywhere and with today’s 24-hour news cycle, it feels like notable events are happening every second. With the death of Ted Turner, arguably the inventor of 24-hour news, there were several articles published about his impact on news. One article noted that it would be a welcome respite if, for just one day, we didn’t have ANY news, as happened on April 18, 1930, when the BBC announced that nothing newsworthy had occurred that day. At the start of its regular news broadcast at 8:45 p.m., the BBC announced, “Good evening. Today is Good Friday. There is no news.” The BBC had a reputation to uphold – it had traditionally decried sensationalist news reporting. They shied away from covering local automobile accidents and fires in favor of big-picture affairs that had global repercussions. So, when they assumed there was no news, they kept the bar high, axed the nightly news, and played piano music in its place.

As it turned out, the news department made an ill-informed, or rather, non-informed, mistake. In reality, that day was a very notable news day, as nationalist rebels conducted a raid on British commonwealth forces in India. But communication lines were cut during the attack, making it impossible for the BBC to be aware of the news. Under the impression there were no major headlines that day, the network felt no need to lower its broadcast standards solely to fill time.

Imagine that – a news network deeming to not lower its standards just to fill airtime. According to the latest Pew research, most nightly newscasts devote a surprisingly small share, often only 5–25%, to what most people would consider “important” or high‑impact news. The rest is typically softer material: human‑interest stories, consumer tips, health trends, weather, and promotional segments. And of course, many of the cable channels are rife with opinion and low on accurate information.

While exact percentages vary by network and by day, long-term content analyses show the following patterns for local newscasts:

Hard news (politics, world events, economics): 5–25%
- Hard news has steadily declined over decades as networks chase broader audiences and advertiser‑friendly demographics.
Soft news (health, lifestyle, human interest): 30–50%
- These segments are cheaper to produce and more reliably “pleasant” for viewers.
Weather: 10–15%
- Weather is one of the most-watched parts of any broadcast.
Crime stories: 10–20%
- Crime is often overrepresented relative to actual crime rates.
Network promotion (teasers for upcoming shows, cross‑promotion): 5–10%

However, the times, they are a changin’. Only around 20% of adults under 30 regularly watch TV news. Gone are the days when the family gathered around a TV to watch anything, much less news. Younger people prefer to get their news digitally. Most read news on their phones. If they are watching anything it is online (You Tube or Tik Tok), or they listen to news on podcasts. God help the person getting news from Facebook and Instagram, the home of bots and third-grade name calling. Bottom line: young adults overwhelmingly get news from social media, more than any other age group.

All of this is happening at a time when AI is changing the landscape of just about everything. I don’t think it’s too far-fetched to assume that soon an AI program will determine what goes into a newsfeed. And for that matter, have an AI robot deliver the news. All I can hope is that whoever is programming the AI looks to the BBC on April 18, 1930, to establish its standards. I know, wishful thinking.

Posted in travel

Athens and a Photo Phinish

May 11, 2026By Sparrow/WatsonComments:10 Comments

by Bob Sparrow

We disembarked in the port of Piraeus at 8:30 in the morning and had about a 45-minute ride through Athens, a clean city that looked a bit tired except for the fresh graffiti, to Hotel Grande Bretagne, which is five-star and in a great location across from Syntagma Square, a major park in Athens. After checking in and freshening up, we were met at the hotel with two, four-passenger golf carts for our tour and introduction to Athens. It often seemed like we took our life in our own hands by riding a golf cart in this very heavily trafficked city. But our guide was used to it, so we survived. Our guide was not only a good driver, but very knowledgeable about Greek history; not only knowledgeable, but passionate about it.

It was a three-hour tour that covered virtually all the city, including the Parliament, with the swastikas on the gate – yes, swastikas. It seems the Nazis stole this symbol, that ironically means peace, from the Greeks. We were told that marble is abundant in Greece and in fact the street curbs are all made of marble. So, it has that going for it. We were taken to the top of Lycabettus mountain that provided us with a panoramic view of the entire city. While we got closer in distance to the Parthenon and Acropolis, this distant view of it was as good as we were going to get of this historic site. Our guide told us that the Parthenon and Acropolis are on a different tour and downplayed it saying that they’re just really old buildings. So, my hope of seeing the only thing I had some knowledge about in Greece was dashed. But hey, I was told they just look really old; I can look in the mirror and see that! We ended our tour in the bustling market district that housed lots of shops and restaurants, and had lunch.

Budds, Sparrows, Sagers on Lycabettus Mt.

Back to our hotel for a little rest before we went to the rooftop bar and restaurant, but since we had just eaten, we had a drink and actually had to pay for it – our cruise drink package was no longer valid!

That was our quick tour of Athens. The next morning came the easy part for you and the not-so-fun part for us – a long flight home, but fortunately for both of us it was uneventful.

Enjoy some of the photos below.

Thanks for coming along.

Posted in travel

Leaving Italy – Heading to the Greek Islands

May 7, 2026By Sparrow/WatsonComments:6 Comments

by Bob Sparrow

I need a quick review, as I seem to be in a space-time continuum. Our last stop in Italy was on the island of Sicily at the port town of Catania. We had set up a walking/food tour through the city as we thought that we’d never seen food walking before, so we were very excited, only to find out that we walked and the food just sat there. Our guide was a young lady who talked very quietly with no amplification, so I can’t tell you what she said or what we saw, but I can tell you that the food was very good. We walked through the largest fish market I’ve ever seen, featuring fish that I’ve seen. We didn’t have any. The only two things I remember consuming were a cannoli and some red wine.

The first Greek island we hit was Katakolon, and island that several of us had visited before, and we still weren’t sure why a cruise ship stopped there. There are only two main streets, which, if you’re not looking for women’s apparel, can be walked in about 20 minutes. The ladies stayed a little longer, but the guys were back on board enjoying the ‘drink package’ for lunch.

Our next stop is, for some, the island that epitomizes Greek islands, Santorini. As we approached the island it looked like there was snow on top of the mountains; it turned out to be all white houses and shops. There was a long delay (3 hours) waiting for our tender to take us ashore as we had booked a tour with a private company, not Oceania, and Oceania didn’t like that, so they made anyone who booked a private tour go last in getting ashore. The seas were rough and the winds were high and our tender nearly capsized, but we made it ashore and were met by our tour guide, another soft-spoken woman without any amplification devices, so again, I really can’t tell you that much about Santorini other than it is beautiful, unique and filled with restaurants, shops and people. After weaving our way through the labyrinth of shope, we had dinner at a cliff-side restaurant that provided us with a beautiful sunset view before heading back to the ship.

On board there was great entertainment each night ranging from comedians to Broadway musicals.

Next day, new island – Milos. Which again raised the question, why do cruise ships stop here? There was only one main street with a variety of shops – again the ladies needed more time to browse the shops, while the guys tasted some Greek beer. Next!

Our final island stop before our cruise ends in Athens is Mykonos, the party island – except we were there too early for the parties. We did have perfect weather. What was most noticeable about these Greek islands is that there are very few trees and the land is brown; this place will never be mistaken for the Hawaiian Islands. Why does it look like this? Several reasons.

Ancient civilizations and later inhabitants used vast amounts of wood for shipbuilding, fuel, and land clearing
Intense grazing by goats
Poor volcanic soil
Dry, semi-arid Mediterranean climate with limited summer rainfall

Back to the tour: we had a great guide, meaning we could hear him and he was very knowledgeable. We toured a good part of the whole island, visiting an old light house, some windmills and a section of town on the water called ‘Little Venice’. Mykonos is filled with very expensive housing (some with helicopter pads), sand beaches, and a few olive trees. We stopped midway through our tour for some classic Greek baklava – very good!

Next Monday: Disembark and our time in ancient city of Athens

Posted in opinion • travel

All Roads Lead to Rome

May 4, 2026By Sparrow/WatsonComments:7 Comments

By Bob Sparrow

I’m not sure if all roads lead to Rome, but ours did last Tuesday, prior to getting on our cruise on Thursday. We had decided that because we had been to Rome on several previous occasions that we would only spend about a day there before boarding our cruise. In retrospect, probably a mistake, as Rome is such an amazing city, it deserves as much time as you can give it.

Our driver picked us (the Budds & Sagers) from the airport and drove us to our hotel, Sina Bernini Bristol, which was conveniently located withing walking distance of several of Rome’s main attractions. But first, as we waited for our room to be ready, we had lunch at Arte e Sfizio, not sure of the spelling but it was fantastic. We were welcomed by the owner, Johnny like we were old, long-lost friends (well, we were old!). He brought us out an appetizer tray that was killer! It was a wonderful way to be welcomed to Italy – great hospitality, great food.

**From left: Reddy’s, Budds, Helmles, Sagers and Sparrows**

After lunch, our rooms were ready, so we checked in and went to the rooftop bar to enjoy some great Italian wine and a spectacular view of the city. Like the tourists that we were, we decided to walk to two iconic Italian sites that were close by, Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps. Both just a short walking distance from our hotel and both were very crowded but were still enjoyable to see. We were stuffed from lunch, but by dinner time, we decided to head up to the rooftop restaurant and enjoy some ‘little Italian bites’ which happened to be more like little Japanese bites and some more wine. We finished the evening with a short walk from the hotel to an amazing Gelato place. There is nothing like Italian gelato! A great way to end our first and only day in Rome.

The next morning, we had about an hour and a half drive from our hotel to the ship, but it seemed like just minutes as our driver was a singer and he sang some great Italian and American songs all the way. We of course joined in, making the ride seem like only a few minutes.

The ship was magnificent. It is Oceana’s newest ship, Alura, which just turned a year old this month. It has a rather small capacity of 1,200 passengers. One couple in our group, the Helmles, got a room on the ship like I’ve never seen before. It was at the aft of the ship and the room, which was 2400 square feet, went from one side of the ship to the other – simply unbelievable!!! We became regular guests there!

First stop, the Amalfi Coast. We had arranged for two vans to pick up the ten of us for the picturesque and often life-threatening ride up the mountain. It is truly one of the most picturesque coastlines in the world. It just so happened that our driver was also an opera singer, so we were serenaded with both Italian and American classics through the entire trip. We were dropped in the middle of Amalfi and did some shopping and had lunch (amazing spaghetti bolognese) before returning to the ship.

Travel tip: If you’ve never been to the Amalfi Coast, shame on you – go!! And try to find a driver that sings Italian operas!

Our last stop in Italy is on the island of Sicily in the port city of Catania, where the still active volcano, Mt. Etna is an iconic landmark. We did a food/walking tour of this home of many of Italy’s famous artists and writers. We had two guides take us through a huge fish market and throughout town stopping for . . . I don’t know what we ate, but it was all good. We finished the day back on board at the Asian specialty restaurant for a delicious dinner.

Next stop: Greek islands on Thursdays post.

Posted in travel

On the Road Again – Italy and Greece

April 27, 2026By Sparrow/WatsonComments:9 Comments

By Bob Sparrow

On Tuesday of this week I’ll be heading to the Mediterranean. No, I have not been called back into the Navy and sent to the Straight of Hormuz to settle that little spat. Rather, Linda and I will be meeting up with the Budds, Helmles, Reddys and Sagers in Rome. Some folks are getting there a few days early to hang in Rome, which is one of my favorite cities in the world, but we’re getting there just a day before we jump on the Oceana cruise ship, Allura, in the port of Civitavecchia.

We’ll cruise several miles south to the beautiful Amalfi coast and visit the towns of Amalfi and Positano. Then back on board for a short cruise to the east side of the island of Sicily, where we’ll do a walking tour of the town of Catania. From there we were supposed to go to Corfu, but that was scratched from the itinerary, so I searched to see why and only found some general information like port congestion, maintenance work, and the need to reduce fuel consumption. So goodbye to seeing the unique blend of Venetian, French, and British architecture versus the typical Greek, white-washed houses. We’ll also miss the millions of olive trees but may see the three U.S. aircraft carriers that have now been deployed to the Eastern Mediterranean. Yikes!!

Hopefully avoiding that little disagreement, we’ll next hit several Greek islands:

Katakolon – this is the only Greek island that we have previously seen on an Adriatic cruise several years ago. It is the site of the first Olympic games. where the first organized marathon was run. The first organized marathon was run in the modern Olympics in 1896. Perhaps we’ll see the laggers just finishing.

Santorini – known for its beautiful sunsets; it is a popular honeymoon destination. That ship has sailed!
Milos – known for its stunning beaches, volcanic landscapes, and the Venus de Milo, the famous sculpture was discovered on this island. Perhaps we’ll be on a tour that searches for her arms.
Mykonos – apparently, it’s known for its great night life, but we’re there from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. I guess the cruise lines know that night lift for us old fogies ends around 4:30!

We’ll then hit the Port of Piraeus and disembark in our destination city of Athens, where we have a golfcart tour of this historic city. Fellow traveler, Chuck Sager was stationed in Greece during his time in the service, so I’m sure he’ll have a few stories to tell us and perhaps he’ll get to visit with some of the children he didn’t know he had.

That’s the plan. If you want to come along, I’ll provide some up-dates on our adventures next Monday.

Posted in opinion

I CAN SEE! SORT OF

April 20, 2026By Sparrow/WatsonComments:10 Comments

By Suzanne Sparrow Watson

Twenty-seven years ago I underwent LASIK surgery to correct my vision. At the time, I couldn’t read the big E on the eye chart with my left eye. I had worn glasses or contacts since I was 10 years old. Not Coke-bottle thickness, but I was headed in that direction. LASIK was a miracle for me. Afterwards I had 20/20 vision that lasted for many years. But as with other body parts, Father Time eventually caught up, and I learned that LASIK was not intended to last forever. At first, I wore “cheaters” from the drug store but eventually my distance vision deteriorated to the point I couldn’t read road signs. This made for some lively discussions on the road trips that my husband and I used to take, where he relied on me for navigation. I finally gave in and started wearing progressive glasses, which give all the satisfaction of a warm shower. My head had to be tilted in just the right way to see or read. And frankly, my vision wasn’t crisp at any angle. That came in handy when I looked in the mirror, but was exceedingly annoying when reading or watching TV.

Luckily, one of the few advantages of getting older is that I started to develop cataracts. My ophthalmologist and I have been discussing surgery for a few years. Because of my LASIK surgery he couldn’t guarantee that traditional lenses would give me perfect vision. In 2021 he told me about light-adjustable lenses (LAL’s) that were being used in Europe for people that previously had LASIK. Unlike traditional lenses that are permanently fixed in their refractive power, he told me LAL’s can be adjusted postoperatively using specialized light treatments.

That seemed a little daunting to me. I wondered exactly what kind of torture they put you through for the adjustments. Turns out that the LAL’s are made of specialized photosensitive material that contain light-reactive molecules. After the lens is implanted, the surgeon uses a light delivery device to expose the lens to specific patterns of UV light. That exposure gradually alters the lens’s shape and optical power, allowing for adjustments over several weeks. Okay – that’s the scientific stuff. But I needed to know how it worked in practice. So I talked with a few friends that had the procedure and they raved about it. Colors were brighter, vision was clear, and they could read a menu without a floodlight streaming down on it.

So, earlier this month I had the LAL’s implanted in both eyes. I did them on consecutive days, which caused some people to question my sanity (not a new phenomenon), but I wanted this process to be done ASAP. The surgeon said it takes 2-4 months for the light treatments and then the final “lock-in” and until that time, one must live as a vampire. Sunlight is a killer for these lenses so even when I take Dooley out to the dog run, I have to don a very “attractive” pair of UV-blocking sunglasses. They also provide a clear pair to wear inside, that fortunately have “cheaters” built in. For the first week I was to stay off of electronic devices. Luckily The Masters was on TV so I was entertained.

Thus far, I’m pretty happy. The day after my second surgery I drove myself to the doctor’s office. I could not read anything on the instrument panel of my car, much less street signs. I questioned whether I should have been driving, but after a vision test the doctor said I was legal by Arizona standards. ‘Nuff said. At one week they checked me again and it looks like 20/20 vision will be possible. Eventually. The computer is still blurry – over time this will subside but for now I can only spend 10-15 minutes on it before I have to take a break.

Overall, I’m glad I did it. The prospect of good vision again is uplifting. My glasses will go to the Lion’s Club donation program so hopefully someone else will enjoy them. A big benefit that I didn’t anticipate? After a week away from electronic devices, my bad habit of constantly checking them is gone. I may not be able to keep up with influencers, but I read more often now, and I think that’s a VERY good trade-off.

Posted in Music

An Amazing Musical Weekend

April 13, 2026By Sparrow/WatsonComments:6 Comments

by Bob Sparrow

Last Saturday evening we had the pleasure of seeing the final performance of the Eagles at the Sphere in Las Vegas – it was way past awesome! The sound system alone is incredible, featuring 167,000 speakers! Seeing your favorite band of all time is one thing, seeing it in a $2.3 billion highest-tech venue in the world is definitely quite another. To make the experience even better, the Sphere has haptic seats, so when there was a thunderstorm surrounding you on screen, your seat would vibrate. The songs, featuring their tight harmonies, were all familiar, the surroundings, featuring beautiful land and seascapes of all types, were mind-blowing!

We were told by friends who just saw the previous night’s show that the Eagles would suggest to the audience to see ‘The Third Encore’ after the show, which is a room of Eagle memorabilia, connected to the adjoining Venetian Hotel. We were told to go before the show to avoid the crowds. We did and got to see what the Hotel California looked like and we were going to check in, but we knew we could never leave!

An added surprise at this event, was that as we were traversing the escalator to our seats, which were in the middle of the of the 18,600-seat Sphere and were all full; I no sooner got the words out of my mouth that we’d probably see someone we know, than we ran into neighbors from our ‘hood, Clint and Debbie Shafer. They live about a seven-iron from us. I had to throw the golf analogy in since it was the week of the Masters.

The April 11, 2026 show was their final performance of the Eagles’ 58-show residency at the Sphere in Las Vegas. It concludes their “Long Goodbye” tour run at the venue, which was extended to include April dates after previous “final” announcements. The band has one other show on the books at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival on May 2, maybe their last ever.

Don Henley, one of the two founders of the group in 1971, is the only remaining original band member, but all the current members are incredible. Guitar player, Deacon Frye, who has an incredible voice, is the son of the other founding member of the Eagles, Glen Frye, who passed away 2016. Rocker Joe Walsh joined the Eagles in 1975. Timothy B. Schmit replaced original bass player, Randy Meisner in 1977, and Vince Gill, who was already an established country singer and song writer, joined the band in 2017, he sings most the songs that Glen Frye sang. Gill has a great voice and is a very accomplished guitar player.

A very, very memorable experience!

To cap our musical weekend off, on Sunday night we saw the rock band, the Bronx Wanderers at the South Point Resort. I’ve written about them before here, as this was our fourth time seeing them. They are a great band that includes a father and his two sons. They do songs from the 60s, 70s and 80s and do a killer job on Bohemian Rapsody.

The rest of the week in Vegas, through Thursday, was dedicated to our Yorba Linda annual golf outing – always fun!

Caution: If you get a call or text from me this week, ignore it, it’s probably me asking for money, as I’ve never had to be in Vegas for six days straight!

Posted in opinion • Sports

TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALLGAME

April 6, 2026By Sparrow/WatsonComments:2 Comments

By Suzanne Sparrow Watson

There are two camps of people rejoicing this week. No, not because of the upcoming Passover and Easter holidays. I’m referring to baseball fans and those of us who live in Spring Training cities. The month of March is typically known for the “madness” around college basketball. While the NCAA tournament has been exciting so far, it doesn’t rise to the level of watching Spring Training tourists drive. In the past month I have witnessed more sudden lane changes onto exit ramps than I care to think about. All I can say is I’m glad I have a good braking system in my car. March also brings the baseball fans whose indicator light bears no resemblance to the direction the person actually turns, and the ones who fail to move forward when the light turns green because they’re hopelessly lost and consulting Google Maps.

So, I welcome April this week not only because the crowds will thin out and it’s safer to drive, but also because I enjoy the beginning of baseball season. I stress – the beginning – because after April I lose complete interest until the World Series. But at the beginning of the season I enjoy the beautiful green grass, the hopefulness that imbues each team, and the music. Yes, I love baseball music. My dad and his mother were huge Giants fans. Right up until her death, my grandmother would listen to the games on the radio with a team cap perched on her head and a box of See’s Candy on her end table. I don’t have to wonder where I got my sweet tooth. All summer long my dad had his transistor radio tuned to the Giants games. And much to my mother’s chagrin, during one World Series run he hid the radio in his jacket pocket and used a wired earpiece to listen to a game during a church service!

So unsurprisingly, the song “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” was one of the first songs I learned. Written in 1908 by songwriter Jack Norworth and composer Albert Von Tilzer, the tune was one of many popular baseball songs that made waves at the time. But unlike the others, their composition went on to become a cultural fixture, still played today in many stadiums during the game’s seventh-inning stretch. You would think this legendary tribute to America’s pastime would be written by a diehard baseball fan, but the truth is that neither Norworth nor Von Tilzer had ever seen a baseball game when they penned the song! Norworth wrote the lyrics when he saw a poster for a NY Giants game while riding a NYC subway. Von Tilzer wrote the music, and they registered the copyright for the tune in 1908. Although it was a popular song, it was not played at a professional baseball game until 1934. Even then, it didn’t really gain any traction. But in 1971 Chicago White Sox owner Bill Veeck caught legendary announcer Harry Caray singing the song to the entire stadium. From that point forward it became an essential singalong tradition in almost every ballpark.

Today, many teams have adopted other anthems to play during games. “Sweet Caroline” by Neil Diamond is played at Redsox games, the Giants play Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin“, and the Pirates’ fans sing along to Sister Sledge’s “We Are Family”. It’s fun to hear these songs played during games and is a lovely way to bring a large, diverse crowd together. God knows we can use more of that. So I say, “Play Ball!”

P.S. Jack Norworth finally attended his first baseball game – in 1940!!

Posted in Family • travel

Wining & Dinning on the Central Coast

March 30, 2026By Sparrow/WatsonComments:16 Comments

by Bob Sparrow

We had the opportunity last Thursday to drive through the world of the movie, Sideways, on the Central Coast to visit my brother and his wife, Jack & Sharon in Santa Maria. We decided that we would leave Orange County during the middle of the day to avoid commuter traffic. How many years will it take living in Southern California to know that there is always commute traffic going through L.A.? At least we had good music on the radio; well I did, Linda was listening to her book through her ‘Meta Glasses’.

We had planned to meet them at our favorite restaurant up there, The Brother’s Red Barn in Santa Ynez, for a 6:00 o’clock dinner reservation. After we got through L.A., we had several hours to kill, so we stopped in Solvang, the quaint Scandinavian tourist town along the way and walked up and down the main street, grabbed a quick bite to eat and decided we’d seen enough. Truth be told, there was slot machine money burning a hole in Linda’s pocket, so we headed to the Chumash Indian Casino. We were proud to donate to the welfare of our indigenous people!

We met up with Jack & Sharon at the Red Barn; the reason it’s my favorite restaurant on the Central Coast is the petrale sole – it is the best fish I have ever tasted!

Friday after breakfast at Jack & Sharon’s we headed for the Fess Parker Winery, where Jack has worked in tasting room for 22 years! We had not been to the winery in several years and we observed lots of renovation as we sat on the patio and got the ‘free employee tasting’ of several very good wines. Yes, wine isn’t just for breakfast anymore! After the winery we headed back to the Chumash Indian Casino to get our money back! You can probably imagine the outcome. Actually, I did recoup some of my earlier losses as I stopped playing slots and only played blackjack. On our way home, it was hard not to be awed by the pastoral countryside with its beautiful rolling hills, plenty of large, sturdy oak trees and an occasional horse or cow grazing in the open fields. Beautiful!

Back to Jack & Sharons for Jack’s delicious barbequed rack of lamb and Ceasar salad and watching some March Madness basketball.

On Saturday we went to Presqu’ile Winery in Santa Maria Valley to meet up with Sharon’s daughter, Debbie and her husband, Steve, who are members of this winery. It is located high atop a hill with breathtaking views of sprawling vineyards and the Pacific Ocean. We tasted various wines as well as had a spread of scrumptious food. Later that afternoon, we were invited over to Debbie and Steve’s for some pizza and more wine tasting. Steve has been making wine for many years now and I tried one of his Syrahs – delicious!!! He also made me a delicious smoked Old Fashion. Diet starts Monday!

Home on Sunday full of food, wine and joy – always a great time seeing Jack and Sharon.

Posted in Historical

Has Betting Reached a New Low?

March 23, 2026By Sparrow/WatsonComments:3 Comments

Caveat: Before you read this blog, I need to go on record stating that I go out to Las Vegas 2-3 times a year usually for golfing but also to see good live shows. While there I will play craps, blackjack and/or slots, but I’m not a big gambler, I’ve never won big and I’ve never lost big – and that’s the way I’d like to keep it (OK, maybe I could handle winning big one time!). It just seems that lately gambling is everywhere, so I decided to look a little deeper.

What I found was . . .

New Orleasn Gambling River Boat owned by Willie Nelson

Gambling in the U.S. was established early on, like in the colonial days, where the upper class bet primarily in lotteries or on horses, with New Orleans emerging as the national leading gambling center with gambling taking place in the city and on river boats. Later, the increased population of California brought on by the gold rush in 1849, moved the gambling capitol from New Orleans to San Francisco. Sports betting in the U.S. spread to other western cities that were the end of cattle trails like Deadwood, South Dakota and Dodge City, Kansas or major railway hubs like Kansas City and Denver. By the turn of the century, cities like New York and Chicago got heavily into the now-illegal gambling scene by paying off the police.

Then, in an effort to overcome the effects of The Depression, Nevada legalized gambling in 1931. While gambling was still going on in much of the U.S. illegally, stricter law inforcement drove people, particularly ‘the mob’ to Las Vegas – which, through the 50s and 60s became the ‘Gambling Capitol of the U.S.’

All was pretty normal until May 2018 when the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act and thus allowed 40 states to offer gambling to the public. Then gambling as a business surged from a $7 billion business in 2018 to $167 billion last year. The dramatic growth was not only attributed to the fact that now 40 states allow gambling, but rather that betting became something you could do on your phone. It’s now handier than ever to lose money.

Issues with gambling: Debt, health, relationships, stress

Anyone that’s paying attention can see that gambling has increased its awareness significantly over the last few years. Ads on television constantly promote it and television commentators often quote odds of something happening during the game. The Super Bowl is known for it’s ‘prop bets’ that range from everything from, will a field goal kicker hit the crossbar with the ball – commonly known as a ‘doink’, to what color Gatorade will the winning coach be drenched with. It seems light and fun and in fact, it can be an enjoyable social event among friends. But the ‘serious’ gambler can expect some of the following downsides:

Severe financial ruin (debt, bankruptcy, loss of assets)
Mental health crises (depression, anxiety, suicide)
Strained relationships due to lying or theft
Significant stress (insomnia, hypertension)

So, gambling has got that going for it!

For me, gambling reached a new low last week when I saw that companies like Polymarket and Kalshi, boasting trades of $500 million, offer bets on the war in Iran – like, how many U.S. casualties, timing of a ceasefire, when the regime will change, when the Strait of Hormuz will open, etc. Disgusting!

FYI: I’ll be in Vegas in a couple of weeks looking for that ONE BIG WIN!