Thought of two other items I had wanted to mention:
1) I stayed at the Rio right after the Coke to Pepsi conversion
took place. This totally bummed me out. Can't get a drop of Coke
anywhere in the building (not even the gift shop). Got the car out
of valet, gave tip, drove to the store, stocked up, went back
through valet.... all for Diet Coke. One of the perks of gambling
is suppose to be free drinks... I rarely drink alcohol anymore and
am now bringing my own soda to most casinos I frequent. I find
myself tipping waitresses for a glass of ice, ugh. Harrah's
Laughlin was the last casino on the river that a Coke could be
had... now Pepsi owns the entire city. Someone (or many) has/have
clearly fallen asleep at Coke. It sucks.
2) 2005 was a losing year for me (gambling-wise), but this was the
first year it ever made a difference for me on my federal taxes. My
gambling "income" raised my AGI to a level that I lost deductions I
previously was able to take. Net cost: almost $4,000 in extra
taxes for phantom income.
Ok, done ranting.
Correna Correna