[andrew-dc]

Because of this kind of practice, I act as a content curator for my kids. I do my best not to shelter (challenging, but doable), but to educate and train them to spot these kind of subtle (and not-so-subtle) schemes. Are you playing the game, or is the game playing you?

It's half an inside joke and half serious in our house, but I quote WOPR in War Games to the kids every so often:

"A strange game. The only winning move is not to play."

The good news is that there are loads of great alternatives to these casino-like experiences, and it's just a matter of avoiding this stuff, and choosing the good.