Youngest, who is 10, is addicted to gambling.
Last night, the Wife wanted to have a "family game night". We played Beat the Parents (they did), then Apples to Apples (with various results). Eldest went to shower. Middle wanted to do something else. Youngest wanted to gamble. Specifically, he wanted to play Texas Hold'em, but he said, "I want to gamble."
I have created a 10 year old gambling addict.
This all started a couple years ago at a graduation party. The family was sitting at a table that had a deck of cards. One of the Boys, I think it was Eldest, had recently played blackjack with some friends, so we all played some hands of blackjack. I think we were betting Hershey's Kisses. We all had fun. A couple months later, we played some more while on vacation. Until about a week ago, we hadn't played since.
Youngest has a tendency to become obsessed with, well, anything. It varies from thing to thing, and usually doesn't last for too long. Some of his obsessions come and go, like waves. At various times the past few years, he has been obsessed with cubing (solving a Rubik's cube), speed-cubing (solving a Rubik's cube quickly), Fortnite, magic, cup-stacking, and several other things I can't remember now. Sadly, cleaning, re-tiling the bathroom, re-roofing the house and power washing the deck have never been his obsession. However, if we put a power washer in his hands and told him to have at the deck, I think that one would keep his interest. He wouldn't do a great job with the deck, but that power washer would be shooting for a long time.
Sometime during this "stay in place" era of the 2020s, Youngest wanted to play blackjack. I played a few hands with him that night ( I don't remember exactly when), then sent him off to bed. The next night, he was like a cat chasing a mouse. Focused, persistent, loud, and annoying. I finally relented and played some more. I also promised to get some M&Ms, so he had something real to bet.
The next night, he wanted to play with the M&Ms. This time, the whole family played again. After sharing and eating M&Ms for a while, it became apparent that these were not the best "chips" to use. I thought I remembered that we bought a cheap box of poker chips about 20 years ago, and yes, we had. So we played with the cheap chips. Youngest cleaned up. If he hit on a 15, he got a 5. If he stayed with a 14, the dealer busted. Every. Time.
Eventually, I made the highly questionable decision to teach him how to play poker (the cheap box of chips was a "Texas Hold'em" kit that included a cloth with 5 diagrams for the community cards). Youngest cleaned up again. Four players, each started with a stack of about 20 chips (Middle had long ago decided he didn't like gambling.) Fifteen minutes later I had no chips, Eldest and the Wife were exchanging about 10 chips between them and Youngest was "Goin' Sizzler." I had to send him to bed again.
The next night, more poker and more winning. For Youngest. He is obsessed and on a hot streak the likes of which have never been seen in these parts. Eventually, I got a break from losing gambling games to a 10 year old. This has not stopped his obsession. And make no mistake, it went from "I want to play blackjack" to "I want to play poker" to "I want to gamble." At this point, I'm not sure whether to cut him off or fast forward eight years to when I can take him to a casino and get ready to retire. I'd be Goin' Sizzler every night with this kid.
There are a lot of consequences of a stay in place order. Many are expected. Many are unexpected. If you had asked me 2 weeks, I would not have predicted that one of those unexpected consequences would be starting Youngest on a path to being the next Doyle Brunson.
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