“Humid to dry to wet and raining,” Jim complained as they walked from the transfer hub to a nearby casino. “I thought Vegas was a desert.”
Cedric shook his head. Sometimes he worried about how uninformed Jim was when it came to the world. The man lived his entire life in D.C. and the farthest he’s ever been from home was Connecticut. “Yes, it rains in the desert.”
The flashing lights of the casino seemed dull in the sunlight. Inside was slightly better once they got past the light streaming in through the large glass doors. The room was full of slot machines ringing out victories and losses. Most of the players sat dull-eyed staring at the screens and pushing the buttons. Win or lose their reactions were the same. Press the button again.
In an adjacent room the Roulette Tables, Poker Tables, and Blackjack tables were sparsely filled. At this time of day, most people weren’t heading to work yet. Jim watched the players, never really understanding the point of it. The cards just looked like funny shapes and numbers to him.
“What’s the point of this?” He asked, gesturing to the tables.
“It’s fun,” Cedric said.
“Looks boring.” He watched as one man was declared a winner. “What do they win?”
“Nothing. It’s just winning.” Cedric sat on a bar stool and watched. “There’s a certain thrill when you win at something.”
“Winning. Losing. Doesn’t that violate the Equality Act?” Jim sat next to him and leaned against the counter.
“Not in this case. There’s no record kept of wins and losses. There’s no ranking system or direct competition. So there’s no violation.”
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