Gambling with Your Kids

The urge rose up inside of her once again. If she could just get over there to the casino in Bensalem, PA and run those slot machines again, she was sure that she would win. She had won some another time. Bills were coming due and she just knew that this would be her lucky day.

But who was going to watch the kids? Sharon Balek figured she could take her two girls, ages 8 and “a teenager” along with her and she’d just go in for awhile and they would be safe outside in the car. Maybe she even packed them some food, the story from April 26, 2011 didn’t say for sure. Just imagine her saying, “I’ll be back in a little while – you two be good.” Maybe they were fine for awhile – maybe they had their video games with them or good books to read, who knows?

But it was six hours later – 1 a.m. – that Sharon’s daughters got tired of being alone in the car and asked someone going by if they could borrow a cell phone so that they could call another family member to come and get them. Maybe they had been told not to go into the casino to look for her, or maybe they were too scared.

What is known is that Sharon Balek left her girls out there for six straight hours because she is addicted to gambling. On Monday April 25, 2011 she pled guilty in Bucks County Court to “child endangerment” and was sentenced to two years of probation during which time she must attend Gamblers Anonymous.

That’s bad enough, as stories go. But here’s the read kicker: the story notes that this is the sixth person to be charged with that offense at that casino in less than a year’s time.

What makes a person get addicted to gambling? The casinos are set up so that at strategically random times, people do win at the slot machines. This keeps people playing because there is such hope that the next one will be the winner. It’s a rush. And it’s more often than not followed by a feeling of disappointment.

If a person can go into the casino with only $10 and play awhile and then leave after an hour, then he’s not showing a gambling addiction. But obviously, Sharon Balek lost sight of what was important. Hopefully, the therapy and meetings will help her regain control.