High Life Lounges

I need to start off by saying that I have in fact been to a couple High Life Lounges in my day. I’m not going to say which ones on the off chance that one is owned by a reader. However, what I am about to say about the lounges in general will probably be enough to piss off any owner, so that point may be in vein.

We’ll see exactly what happens in the weeks following this post.

If views go down significantly, then I suppose I’ll know I pissed off the wrong person.

High Life Lounges are some of the most prevalent businesses to pop up in the area in the past decade. For you readers who aren’t local, I live near the middle of Marion County, which is near the middle of “North Central” West Virginia, which is the area that is only slightly better than the southern part of the state but only because most of the people up here have most of their teeth.

The lounges are really just small gambling house that offer a wide range of video gambling machines, such as video poker, slots and… video poker.

They are generally dim in spite of the bright lights of the machines, and almost certainly filled with smoke. The standard fare for the spots are usually gambling addicts with little to no money.

Walking into one will certainly make one will like they must immediately leave to get some fresh oxygen and take a scalding hot shower.

But, as I implied before, I have been to more than one around the county. One time, it wasn’t my fault. I don’t usually commit drunken antics to published print, but this post calls for it.

I had been out with some of my buddies. It was Thanksgiving night, and I had been 21 for a couple months. One of my buddies with more disposable income than the rest of us bought me 3 White Russians (my drink of choice) with dinner, and then bought me another 3 or 4 shots of some hard liquor.

I don’t recall what kind it was, but I wasn’t driving that night, so I didn’t care.

I remember staggering through the squealing, ill-fitted door into the “lounge” next door.

Before I knew it, I pissed away $10, a lot of money for a kid working part time at minimum wage. All I remember is one of the girls putting in a $20 bill and cashing out with $26, claiming she wanted to cash out while she was ahead.

A lesser (or drunker) man would have seen that as a sign that he could win, only to lose much more money.

I walked away, only to return once more to play a single dollar and let it ride.

I don’t feel bad, though. The government says that money goes to old folks and tourism.

They wouldn’t lie to us, now…. would they?

ghjr

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This is not included in the 500 word limit.

I feel like I recycle “thank you”s in this spot, but I do want to give Daniel Bollinger credit for the challenge.

I really dislike all of the lounges and Hot Spots popping up around town, but people buy into the whole “the money funds tourism” thing, so they let it slide.

I should open one up in Carolina and make a bundle off the pipeliners.

Truly ghjr