No matter how tough the economy is, sin is always a lucrative business.

Nowhere is this more prevalent in Arizona than in the casino industry, as for the seventh consecutive quarter the state's 22 tribal casinos contributed an increased share of all that money we drop into slots, at the blackjack table and on ridiculously overpriced drinks.

All told, the casinos gave $24.3 million to what's known as the Arizona Benefits Fund for the quarter that ended on March 31, an increase of 7.4 from the same quarter in 2012. That figure represents roughly one to eight percent of the Class III gaming revenue that casinos take in as part of the state's gaming compact.

Exact amounts that each casino contributed are never revealed.

More than half the $24.3 million is earmarked for state educational funding — which, based on recent Brewer-approved budgets means us gamblers pretty much fund schools more than all other taxpayers combined — while only $485,000 goes toward programs meant to help those who gamble too much. Guessing that if more money went towards those programs it would likely mean the overall amount earned by the state would drop, kind of a Catch-22.

• The unbeatable game

Sometimes I wonder if I'm the only person who spends absurd amounts of time thinking about subjects like whether all the games on Freecell can be solved, but then, every once and awhile, there's a brilliant moment of validation, like "Unbeatable," a feature on The Gameological Society (a new spinoff of the AV Club, which was a spinoff from The Onion). It turns out, only one game is unbeatable, #11,982:

Members reported other troublesome hands across the participating newsgroups. Hand No. 285; No. 1,941; No. 21,320. These took time, but eventually they were cracked. Hand 11,982 remained. With 31,999 hands completed, Ring called an all-hands on the final hand. A week later, No. 11,982 still stood unbeaten. It was over. They had lost.

Or not. Ring never regarded winning every hand of FreeCell to be the project’s goal. To him, Turpin’s post, along with Horne’s vague help file, was more a question than a challenge.

So when that final push on No. 11,982—an effort aided by humans and even a handful of game-solving programs—met with failure, Ring celebrated. Is every hand in FreeCell winnable? No. Thirty-one thousand nine hundred ninety-nine hands are winnable. And one isn’t. He proved that. He had solved one mystery of the universe.

Now that the Occupy (Enter Name Here) fad has seemed to die down and the one-percenters no longer have to concern themselves with defending their frivolous spending, it's time for the richest of the rich to get back to finding ways to blow through large wads of cash.

May I suggest, then, the Big One For One Drop?

The Big One is a $1 million buy-in poker tournament that is being held at the Rio in Las Vegas in July, as an officially sanctioned World Series of Poker bracelet event. At least 30 people have already 'committed' to this event, meaning that the winner is guaranteed at least $12.27 million. That prize would be the largest ever awarded in poker, topping the $12 million awarded to Jamie Gold when he won the 2007 WSOP Main Event.

(Never mind the fact Gold ended up having to give half that money to a former business partner, as part of a handshake agreement prior to the tournament that ended up resulting in a legal battle ... )

The most interesting thing about those who plan to play in this tournament is that the vast majority so far are not professional poker players. Several of the entrants are just rich guys who, based on the 'professions' listed for some, may or may not be playing with other people's pension funds.

By the way, the event is already a fundraiser, as about 11 percent of each buy-in will go to One Drop, a charity created by Cirque du Soleil founder (and poker junkie) Guy Laliberte to help bring clean drinking water to drought- and poverty-stricken parts of the world.

If $1 million is too steep a price for you, take solace in knowing there are chances to qualify for this via satellite tournaments, including a $25,300 buy-in satellite at the Rio a couple days before the tournament.

Me, I'm gonna stick to tournaments costing $1,500 and under when I make my annual sojourn to the WSOP, which kicks off its 43rd edition May 27 and runs through mid-July.

If you like the links, and are a fan of the felt, clear your schedule for March 31.

That's when Casino del Sol is hosting its 11th annual Golf & Poker Scramble, a gathering that just screams action junky.

For $75 per person you can participate (first) in a 2-person scramble at Del Lago Golf Club in Vail, then wrap the day after with a tag-team No-Limit Hold'Em poker tournament with a guaranteed $2,000 prize pool at Casino del Sol.

Del Sol poker room director Rick Chaurette said the event is one of the most eagerly anticipated by both his employees — many of whom play golf on their days off from dealing poker — and regular customers. The idea started with him when he worked at a casino in Laughlin, Nev., and followed him to Tucson more than a decade ago.

"I have people starting to ask me about this all the way back in October," Chaurette said. "It's a good way to get people out and have some fun."

Chaurette said the event can accommodate about 100 pairings. Entries can be made at the Del Sol poker room and must be turned in by March 26. For more information check out the casino's Web site.

I was having a pretty crappy week until late Tuesday afternoon when, during a routine view of my Twitter feed, I got a bit of news that I've been anxiously awaiting for months: the unveiling of the 2012 World Series of Poker schedule.

This day is like Christmas, Easter, Arbor Day and March Madness all wrapped into one for me, and for thousands of other poker players throughout the world. From May 27 through July 16 nearly everyone who wants to try to hit the big time in poker will be at the Rio in Las Vegas participating in this extravaganza, which once again has gotten bigger.

Some of the major upgrades:

* More tables. As many as 470 tables will be in use for tournaments, satellites and cash games.
* More events. A total of 61 tournies will award WSOP gold bracelets, three more than last year. These events range in cost to enter from $1,000 to ... one MILLION dollars. Yes, that's correct, there's a $1M tourney on July 1.

Even if you can't pony up the scratch to play in one of these (somehow I find a way), there's plenty of side events, cash games, and just the overall atmosphere of being in a building that's completely dedicated to poker for eight weeks.

Now, time for me to pore over the schedule and figure out which events to win ...

It's been a pretty good eight months for Sean Getzwiller.

The former Tucson-area resident, who learned to play poker at the local casinos (as well as the underground games) while also riding the wave of the region's rising and falling real estate market, made his fourth deep run in a major tournament since June by finishing third late Monday in the World Series of Poker Circuit championship event at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.

The $1,600 event, which began on Friday with more than 600 players, paid Getzwiller a little more than $89,000.

Though that money pales compared to the $611,000 Getzwiller earned for winning at World Series of Poker bracelet last June, yet another strong finish in a high-profile event helps solidify him as one of the top up-and-coming players in the game.

I'd like to say my limited interactions with Getzwiller taught me how to play as well as he does. Unfortunately, all I learned was how to throw a $1 chip from one table onto the other.

This past Saturday night my wife and I were excited to share with some friends a guilty pleasure of ours: Cosmic Bingo at Casino del Sol. And not because of the chance to win $100 in a cramped, smoky bingo hall.

No, the real reason to go to this event — at least until now — had been the MC of the event, noted Tucson drag queen Lucinda Holliday (aka Larry Moore). Lucinda, complete with fuzzy penis-shaped microphone cover and an oversized knockoff Coach bag of double entendres and non sequiturs, made Cosmic Bingo what it was.

Whether it was getting the crowd to moan 'Ohhhhhhh, Sixtyyyyyyy Niiiiiiiiiiine' whenever that ball popped up on screen (and then forcing some unsuspecting and often intimidated young man to individually utter that, right into the aforementioned phallic mic) or urging everyone to refer to someone who falsely called Bingo a 'stupid bitch,' Lucinda provided just enough flair and spunk to make you forget you were spending your Saturday night, well ... playing Bingo.

But apparently, according to a high-ranking casino official I spoke to that night, Lucinda's act had become 'stale' and s/he was shown the door in an effort to mix things up.

More like (bleep) things up.

There's still black lights, spinning disco balls, eclectic music and plenty of chances to win money. Actually, more than before, at least in the form of lame between-Bingo games that essentially give you cash to look silly in front of the crowd.

But other than that, Cosmic Bingo is nothing more than a regular session of Bingo in the dark, with the music too loud, a DJ that hasn't figured out not to put the microphone ON HIS LIPS when he talks and an MC that either got asked to do the gig at the last minute (my guess, or at least my hope) or is a testament to the sad level of in-house talent Casino del Sol has on hand.

A bit of advice to this new MC: when you've got a contestant participating in a game with a 1-minute time limit, and you're supposed to be there to provide instructions to the contestant, it's not wise to then step away and answer some random person's question in mid-contest. Just sayin'.

And I haven't even gotten to the woefully run actual Bingo games, which along with being in a completely different order and format than before it involved numerous errors — compliments of a error-filled flier that was misleading, confusing and, frankly, listed the wrong games at some points.

The only part of the new Cosmic Bingo that has any potential: the name of the final game of the night, which is called the Big Unit. And yes, it means getting a pattern of numbers that can either be interpreted as a 'T' or a ... well ...

If Lucinda were there, you'd certainly know what it looked like.

There are many levels of celebrity status for athletes, ranging from the 'even your mother knows who they are' names such as Barry Bonds and Derek Jeter, all the way down to those that are only considered big-time to the community they hail from.

Where Shelley Duncan falls is a matter of debate. But regardless, the former Canyon del Oro High School and University of Arizona baseball star is back in town and looking to raise money for local charities.

The avenue for this effort is through a poker tournament, the Duncan's Celebrity Poker Classic, scheduled for the evening of Jan. 7 at Casino del Sol. Cards are in the air at 7 p.m.

The buy-in is $299, of which $150 goes to the prize pool. That's a pretty huge piece taken out of the entry, but that's because $50 goes to the Tucson Youth Baseball Association and another $69 gets you a "promotional package" that includes vouchers for a room at Del Sol's new hotel — which is pretty dang nice, just for the record — and a trip to the casino's Festa buffet.

Another $30 goes to the house.

The tournament is open to the first 130 people, with 10 to 20 entrants getting a piece of the prize pool. Some rebuys and add-ons are available, though it's not clear if that money will go to the prize pool or not.

It is expected other local "celebrities" will participate in the tournament, but at this point Del Sol's poker management couldn't confirm anyone beyond Duncan, who has had a semi-productive pro baseball career with stints on the New York Yankees and Cleveland Indians.

Nothing says convenience and special accommodation like designated parking spots.

It's available in spades for handicapped drivers and passengers, while many shopping centers offer specific spaces for expectant mothers.

Now, too, there's love being given to overpriced coffee addicts.

Casino del Sol's new hotel complex, way out on Valencia Road southwest of town, has designated eight parking spots specifically for patrons heading there to pick up a peppermint frappacino or some scones from either of the facility's two Starbucks locations.

No word on whether you'll be required to show a receipt if confronted by security when you go back to your car, of if you can pay fines for illegally Starbuck-parking by using your Club Sol points.