St. Louis is located in Missouri, but just across the border into Illinois, there are several casinos quite close by.

According to Missouri state law, a total of 13 licensed casino operators are currently in operation, and all casinos must be located in riverboat (water-based) or dockside casino formats along the Mississippi or Missouri River.

This means there are several casinos within a 15 to 30-minute drive from downtown St. Louis.

The most notable ones include Harrah's Metropolis near Marissa, Illinois, and Ameristar Casino located in East St. Louis, Illinois (part of the East Chicago group). On the Missouri side, Ameristar Casino St. Charles is located in St. Charles, about 25 miles from downtown St. Louis.

Ameristar Casino St. Charles is one of the largest casinos in Missouri, featuring over 2,400 slot machines and more than 130 table games. It also operates a hotel, restaurants, and entertainment facilities, making it a popular destination for day trips or overnight stays.

On the Illinois side, Lumière Place Casino (now absorbed into River City Casino) was once popular, but now River City Casino boasts a large scale in the southern St. Louis area.

River City Casino operates 2,100 slots and various table games, and entry is restricted to those 21 and older.

The issue of casinos within the Korean community is quite complex. For some Koreans, casinos are seen as a means of stress relief or a social gathering place, but there are also frequent reports of cases leading to gambling addiction within the community.

Korean immigrants often face challenges accessing gambling addiction counseling and support services due to language barriers and limited information access.

Missouri operates a hotline for problem gamblers (1-888-BETSOFF), providing free counseling and treatment referral services. This service is often conducted in English, so requesting Korean interpretation services is important.

Casinos are places to enjoy the atmosphere and sightsee, not to make money.

This is common sense.

Casinos are not structured to allow guests to win.

You might get lucky and win a few hundred dollars.

But in the long run, the casino always wins.

That's how they can build buildings, pay employees, and operate hotels.

Yet, strangely, when people win once, they think, "I have a good feeling today!"

Conversely, when they lose, they think, "If I just play a little more, I can recover!"

It is at that moment that things become dangerous. The lost money grows larger, stress increases, and conflicts with family can arise.

Fortunately, it seems that the younger generation is a bit different these days.

Many in the MZ generation consider gambling itself to be inefficient.

Because they already know the truth.

That very few people make money in the long term at casinos.

More and more people believe it is much better to use that money for travel, good food, or hobbies.

I see this as a healthy change.