Everybody Has A Story: Beginner’s luck on the Mississippi River

I’m retired now, but I worked in the insurance business for more than 40 years. In the mid-1990s, I was living in San Diego but was the state manager for a small fraternal insurance company with headquarters in Rock Island, Ill. All the state managers flew back there four or five times a year for meetings and training.

In the spring of 1995, I flew back for one of those meetings. But there was almost nothing to do on either Saturday or Sunday in Rock Island. However, my hotel was only two blocks from the mighty Mississippi River, and on weekends, there was a big, old, yet historically great-looking paddle-wheeler that you could ride. A $7 ticket bought you a four-hour ride. The big caveat was, there was gambling on the boat — but only when it was not tethered to the dock!

I wasn’t interested in gambling, but the boat ride on the Mississippi intrigued me. I’d taken many rides on the paddle-wheeler at Disneyland, but this was the real deal and I wanted to be a small part of it. So I bought a ticket at the hotel.

That beautiful Sunday morning, I walked the two blocks to the river. It was a Goldilocks day — not too hot, not too cold, but just right!

The boat was very big, with three levels, two set aside for gambling. There were security ropes in front of the gambling area, and I was told that once the boat was underway, they would open it up. Had I known there was a huge buffet onboard, with all manner of wonderful delights to please the palette, I wouldn’t have eaten a big breakfast. But I got a plate and had my second breakfast.

Once we left the dock, you could hear all the slot machines come to life, making sounds trying to lure in the gamblers, but not me! I made my way to the front of the boat, out in the open, enjoying the wonderful breeze and the sights, and found a nice table to sit at. Several nice ladies sat next to me, and we started up a conversation. They were schoolteachers on a weekend trip from Chicago. Most of their peers came only for the gambling, but these ladies, like me, were there for the boat ride. We enjoyed gleeful banter over the course of the trip.

When someone announced that the boat would dock in about 15 minutes, ending the gaming, I suddenly got the urge to gamble on the Mississippi! I was surprised at myself, but realized I wanted to be able to say I’d done it, just once. So I excused myself from my new friends, and went into the casino. I wandered all over the place, looking for an unoccupied slot machine, finally finding one in the corner. I approached the slot machine and glanced at the lady sitting next to it, who was working her own machine and seemed unaffected by my presence.

I dropped in a quarter, hit ‘spin’ and said to myself, “Well John, you finally got to gamble on the Mississippi.” I turned to leave when the thing startled me by ringing bells, blowing some kind of whistle and flashing lights. I turned back. It was indeed the machine where I had just deposited my quarter! The gadget was showing “7” on all three wheels. I looked down, listening to the fantastic and exciting tinkle of coins splashing against the metal tray!

From the corner of my eye, I could see a glaring stare from the lady playing the slot machine next to mine. She was upset! I got a bucket and scooped up a large amount of quarters. I walked to the cashier, and gave the bucket to the nice lady in the cage. She smiled, took the bucket, and dropped the coins into a counting machine. I could hear the coins rattle, and watched in glee as the digital readout for the total kept going up. When it was done, it read $50.25. The cashier counted out two twenties, a ten and a quarter, and said, “Congratulations!”

I made my way back to the prow of the boat, finding my new friends still sitting at their table. I bought a round of drinks, unable to stop my silly grin. I had gambled on the Mississippi, and won!

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