Getting Lucky in Vegas - by Max Thompson

Money unlocks the gate to happiness some people say… And I have to admit, it is the key to a lot of things. I mean, if my bank account would be completely empty I wouldn’t be able to explore this World the way I’ve been doing the last couple of years… and since exploring is what makes me happy… there is some truth in it, I guess.

But I will always remember this story my father once told me when I was about 8 years old…  It was a Saturday night and we were driving back home from our every week grandmother-visit. Dinner, play some games, watching F.C. De Kampioenen (great Belgian TV-show)… Right before F.C. De Kampioenen would start, there was a 5 minute intermezzo that revealed the winning numbers of the lottery that week. Without even knowing what it was about, I was super intrigued by the whole show.
I wanted to play too!!  Result = whining little Marisa.
So then my dad decided to tell me what’s the name of the game and what had happened to one of his close friends that had won the Lottery twice in his life. Not sure what the chances are but that’s a lot of ‘good luck’! 
Only a few years after having hit the big jackpot for the second time, he committed suicide. 
Sadly all that ‘good luck’ didn’t pay off for him.

Those words always stayed with me ever since and after having travelled a bunch and sometimes being around people who have made it, money-wise… Owning a lot does not at all mean having a richer life.

Then again, sad but true we need money to live.

So what’s quickest way to get your hands on one of those keys and cash fast? Gambling… Right?!
​Although my path had brought me to Vegas several times before, I had never hit the slots. Maybe because of my fathers story or maybe because I’m generally happy and I don’t need one of those keys or maybe because I was just too fascinated with people who were putting their money on the table… Seeing a natural high in their eyes, blinded by those flashy bright lights.

This time there was no escape, it was my turn to get the Vegas-VIbe on.
I have to admit, it was fun.
Just not as fun as throwing of my clothes, feeling free and escaping into my own World again.

Images created for StarCasino.be
Photography by Max Thompson