PLAYING FOR KEEPS

Bella grew up in "The Biggest Little City in the World", Reno. She loved the hustle and bustle of the constantly busy streets and the bright lights of the casinos that lit the skyline each night but most of all she loved the casinos and always had for as long as she could remember.

Her father who started off as a croupier at the Palace Club taught her all she knew about casinos, from an early age Bella had proven herself to be a quick study and was soon one of the best dealers on the floor of the Peppermill casino where she had worked part time as she studied a degree in Business at the University of Nevada.

Once out of college Bella with her sharp intellect and irresistible charm climbed the corporate ladder rapidly and was soon presented with a promotion. Her initial elation and sense of excitement and satisfaction were short lived and quickly boiled down into panic...how could she leave her loved ones and the place that felt like it was part of her soul? But the opportunity was too good to pass up, in a few years she'd be exactly where she wanted career wise and perhaps then she could negotiate a consultancy and move home. She packed her bags and headed for LA.

People weren't as friendly in the City of Angels as she'd hoped and many nights she found herself alone at home staring at the city skyline from her 10th floor apartment wishing she could just experience the thrill of the casinos that Reno had always offered. She mentioned this to her long time friend and ex-neighbour Johnny one night as they chatted on the phone, "Bella dear" he had said laughing "Is that all it will take to cheer you up?" and had proceeded to tell her if she couldn't come home to Reno, she could get Reno to her, in a matter of speaking anyway. Bella listened intrigued as Johnny described how casinos were available online but dismissed the idea completely because they'd never be the same as the real life Reno ones until one night feeling utterly alone she consulted her friend Google on just what was out there.

What she found was nothing short of amazing to Bella, it felt like Reno right in her apartment as she explored the multiple themes and offerings of the casinos online. She learned how to find a trustworthy online casino and how to spot those that weren't, she marvelled as she played the World’s most popular online slots, complete with endless features and bonus rounds, it really made her feel like she was back home.

One Thursday night she decided to enter a Slots Tournament, which was something she had never done before and to her surprise she discovered that the casino featured a chat room where you could chat to other participants. After debating the pros and cons of connecting with a stranger online Bella decided that it couldn't be that bad, wasn't like she was on a dating site, and no one would ever know who or where she was. She signed up and added a pseudonym on her profile and the tournament started. Soon Jeff, a successful entrepeneur and avid sports fan was chatting with her and they compared wins and losses across the reels, the conversation was light and enjoyable and for the first time since she'd moved to LA Bella had a great deal of fun.

A few nights later when she decide to have a game of Bingo, Jeff once again chatted to her and after a few months they had formed a fast friendship. They toyed with the idea of meeting up but only did so over a year later at Starbucks, it was the best coffee either of them had ever had and five years and 3 children later they have never looked back.

Bella watched the Reno skyline with the same excitement it had always instilled in her and smiled as she slowly put down the glass of wine she'd been sipping as she heard Jeff's voice behind her challenging her with "Kids are asleep, I'll race you to the laptops". She jumped lithely over the sofa and in two long steps she was seated at their twin desk before him. "Ready for a night out honey?" she teased as they logged in and signed up for the latest free slots tournament, both remembering the fun and exhiliration of the night that they'd first shared online and that was continually re-lived every time they played at a casino together.