Casinos and Insurance Companies

So, I was watching college and pro football this weekend, and I was struck by all of the insurance commercials. Allstate is advertising on every college football game. Their logo is behind every goalpost. State Farm is advertising on every pro game. And, they have Super Bowl winning quarterback, Aaron Rogers, in their commercials. How many GEICO and Progressive (Flo) commercials have you seen? These aren't late night spots. These are prime time commercials. Pretty inexpensive, huh?

I've often heard the saying about the large, incredible casinos you see in Las Vegas, "They aren't building those casinos off winners." It got me to thinking, "These insurance companies aren't paying for all these commercials by paying out lots of claims."

In light of the similarity, I thought I would come up with the Top Ten Similarties between Casinos and Insurance companies.

1. They love taking your money.
2. Their CEO's are all wealthy.
3. They make money off your gamble – craps, blackjack, slots, life insurance, casualty insurance, etc.
4. They both have fancy corporate offices.
5. They both have giveaways to get you in the door (free food, free hotel, free shows, discount double check, accident forgiveness, family package, etc.)
6. They both penalize you if you win too much: bar you from the casino or terminate your coverage for making a claim.
7. They both have fancy slogans: Tropicana: "We Treat You Like A Winner"; Dunes "Miracle In The Desert"; Excalibur: "You Rule."; State Farm: "Like a Good Neighbor"; Allstate: "You're in Good Hands"; GEICO: "Fifteen Minutes Could Save You Fifteen Percent".
8. They both use mathematics to make money off of you: casinos – odds and insurance companies – actuaries, statistics and life expectancies.
9. They both try to limit your payout (the more they keep).
10. They both have huge lobbyists to change laws in their favor.

So, you can see, insurance companies and casinos have a lot in common. Fortunately, we can choose not to gamble and give our money to casinos. Unfortunately, most of us cannot afford to not have certain insurance coverage. However, we should have an easier time obtaining compensation when the time comes to make a claim, but that's when those slogans are just that – slogans because when you make a claim against someone for causing you injury, those companies are no longer GOOD NEIGHBORS, and you are no longer IN GOOD HANDS.