Not too long ago I bowled the "High Roller" tournament in Las Vegas at Castaways Hotel & Casino, and it was interesting to say the least.

No, I didn't walk away with the $100k first place prize, but I did get a learning experience I'll never forget.

Speaking of learning experiences.

I'm sure many of you watch the "Discovery Channel" from time to time like I do, ( if you don't you should! Great stuff ) and what I learned about Las Vegas on one of their programs was truly amazing!

Did you know most Las Vegas Hotels are booked year around? Did you know the Venetian Hotel & Casino is the largest hotel in the world consuming over five hundred thousand dollars worth of electricity every day! WOW!

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure I heard that right.

However, the most interesting fact was: Las Vegas made over 70 BILLION dollars on slot machines last year! Yes, you heard right! SEVENTY BILLION just on slots, not counting any other income stream, such as craps, blackjack, Keno, etc.

Now that's a money machine!

When I was down there I saw people coming in by the bus loads ( literally ) to have their money taken from them for the enjoyment of hitting a few buttons, pulling a handle, rolling the dice, etc. Hoping to "hit it big". As Robin Leech says, "Caviar dreams, and Champaign wishes." Something like that.