Biznik Blog

I’m just back from four action-packed days in Las Vegas. I took in a show, went to an utterly mind-blowing seminar and . . . uh. . . spent a lot of time watching the eyes of slot players and poker junkies and making snide comments like “Las Vegas is a Shining Palace built on the backs of human misery.”

Wednesday night I was coming home late from a Cirque De Soleil show. I limped into my hotel’s casino and saw this gaunt-faced guy sitting smack in the middle of three chirping and spinning slot machines. He had his arms spread out wide, tap tapping the max-bid buttons, keeping all three of those bandits going and going and going, losing triple the money most mere mortal gamblers had the energy for.

It was a sight to watch. I always thought slots were a skill-less game, but this guy had it down like spinning plates. He was a total master. And he was the most miserable creature I think I’ve ever seen.

As I walked by the guy looked up at me. We shared a moment. I got lost in those hollowed-out eyes. It was fascinating and horrible and beautiful and ugly all at the same time. Just like that bright and shining city in the desert.

But here’s my point.

You ask your average person about being a indie business owner and they’ll get pale faced. They’ll say “That sounds risky, that sounds like gambling.”

But to me, you’re only gambling when you can’t control the game. Over time in Vegas, the house always wins. Always.

What we’ve got that those pension-wasting addicts in Vegas don’t have is the ability to redefine the game. We can do business the way that we want, with who we want and for what reasons we want, and no damned pit boss is going to tell us any different.

In other words, we’ve got control. And that ain’t gambling at all.

This entry was posted on Saturday, September 9th, 2006 at 1:47 am and is filed under News. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.