Legalize Gambling as a Stimulus in Piladelphia

[thefeckcampaign]

http://www.philly.com/dailynews/top_...UGARHOUSE.html

What are these politicians thinking? Did Atlantic City not give a good enough example of where this could be headed? This entire nation is turning into a "craps table" economy. We need manufacturing and tech jobs, not "dealer" jobs. When prostitution and drugs are made legal to get that tax revenue and create more jobs, your kids will have the option of being a dealer, a "dealer" or a sex worker. To quote my friend, "Casinos are the first step toward 2nd/3rd-world toiletdom."

The problem is these cities see the quick fix or they look at Las Vegas as the ultimate goal. What they do not realize is LV has the weather of a vacation spot that places like Detroit, Philly and the Missouri River does not.

[behindmydesk]

I agree on the quick fix, but I have no problem when the government see's free market and uses that strategy.

The country loves gambling, and if their wasn't a market for it, they wouldn't have them.

In indiana i'd say the tax revenue from gambling has far exceed the increased crime in parts and the other down falls coming with gambling. Good for Phily

[dbroncos78087]

I am conflicted on this, because they should be able to do business, but i also know that the only person who wins in a casino is the guy running it. It is just going to be a way to sucker a bunch of people who are desperate in my opinion. If it does happen they better have an excessive watchdog making sure everything is run without trickery and cheating.

[DodgersFan28]

Casinos, when done right, can be just as good as any other member of the entertainment/service industry. They've also gotten much better at their craft in the last decade in terms of financial security, resource protection (aka loss prevention), and being more akin to hotel resorts with slot machines rather than dirty, junky rooms full of smoke and one-armed bandits.

As far as the games being rigged goes...people know that while they could win the jackpot, the odds are stacked against them, and they will likely lose whatever money goes into the machines, or on the table. It becomes a form of paying for entertainment, just like going to a movie, show, theme park, sports event, or any other form of entertainment. They pay for the fun of playing the game knowing full well that the money will be gone, just like it's gone when the movie credits roll. The ones who don't are not gambling responsibly - something every legitimate casino highly encourages.

Given these things, and all else that comes with modern casinos, I really don't see a problem with legalized gambling. I have several friends who work in LA casinos, and they're happy to be employed. They aren't dealers, though there's nothing wrong with being a dealer. The "sex worker" remark is ludicrious. Where's the protests outside every Hooters in America about risque uniforms?

Manufacturing and tech jobs are great, but other people need jobs too. The vast majority of casino jobs are not unskilled jobs, and are every bit a legitimate means of earning a living as any other.

[behindmydesk]

I am conflicted on this, because they should be able to do business, but i also know that the only person who wins in a casino is the guy running it. It is just going to be a way to sucker a bunch of people who are desperate in my opinion. If it does happen they better have an excessive watchdog making sure everything is run without trickery and cheating.

well isn't that point of all business, profit?

There is so much government oversight on machines and tables being ran, that abuse, is the furthest thing from my mind in a casino. Back alley betting parlor (that i've never been in and would never go in) probably aren't the safest, but casino's are more then safe.

It's about the odds, yes the odds are stacked against you, but you know that going in.

[philab]

http://www.philly.com/dailynews/top_...UGARHOUSE.html

What are these politicians thinking? Did Atlantic City not give a good enough example of where this could be headed? This entire nation is turning into a "craps table" economy. We need manufacturing and tech jobs, not "dealer" jobs. When prostitution and drugs are made legal to get that tax revenue and create more jobs, your kids will have the option of being a dealer, a "dealer" or a sex worker. [b]To quote my friend, "Casinos are the first step toward 2nd/3rd-world toiletdom."/b]

The problem is these cities see the quick fix or they look at Las Vegas as the ultimate goal. What they do not realize is LV has the weather of a vacation spot that places like Detroit, Philly and the Missouri River does not.

Slippery slope, fear-mongering, and a "What about the children?!?" all in one. Artfully done.

I'm continually dumbfounded by the implication that jobs or activities, once legal, will suddenly be universally tolerated, even encouraged. No one wants to be a janitor, no one wants to work in a porn shop, no one wants to sell tupperware door-to-door -- all legal jobs. This is no different. Making close to minimum wage dealing cards, working a sales counter at a drug dispensary, or being a legal "sex worker" ... these are not glamorous jobs. Susie Straight-A with her head on right is not going to be turning legal tricks or wallowing on a casino boat on the Missouri River. People will work these jobs, yes, but people work them now. Only difference is we don't have to spend billions of taxpayer money chasing down some low-level dealer trying to make a buck.

Along the same lines, there is considerable shame in being an alcoholic or a gambling addict, even to this day. Legalizing gambling won't change that. Legalizing drugs and prostitution won't change that either.



I also don't buy the arguments that gambling makes cities into ****-holes. First, these places are ****-holes to begin with. That's why the casinos are there -- because most of the public doesn't want to deal with them. Second, casinos are limited in number in most states. The places that have casinos therefore attract all the bad at once, and from a wide area. If gambling were more widespread -- not just in all states but increased permitting -- the bad wouldn't congregate all in one spot. Casinos would be more like liquor stores in a sense ... Sure, you don't want to go there and you certainly don't want it next door, but it's not going to choke the entire city into submission.

[b1e9a8r5s]

I'm all for gambling, casinos and sports wagering. I gamble, and I can assure you that I don't need a casino to do so. Do you know how much money is going overseas or to the caribian to "criminals" who run online sports books or poker sites? Why not allow those here and regulate them? Let the money get taxed, we obviously could use it.

[dbroncos78087]

I'm all for gambling, casinos and sports wagering. I gamble, and I can assure you that I don't need a casino to do so. Do you know how much money is going overseas or to the caribian to "criminals" who run online sports books or poker sites? Why not allow those here and regulate them? Let the money get taxed, we obviously could use it.

The reason i am opposed to online gambling is because the internet is open and you dont really have an idea where the site is hosted. It could be hosted in the US or it could be hosted in Nicaragua or it could be hosted in Romania. You cant be sure and there are always ways to spoof where you really are.

[b1e9a8r5s]

The reason i am opposed to online gambling is because the internet is open and you dont really have an idea where the site is hosted. It could be hosted in the US or it could be hosted in Nicaragua or it could be hosted in Romania. You cant be sure and there are always ways to spoof where you really are.

Well how is it we can trade stocks online without a problem? I don't think it would be that hard. There would be some regulatory agent that liscenses the sportsbook/website. Legal gambling is highly regulated as it is. I believe in Nevada you can bet online. I know they came out with an app that allows you to do it, if your within the state limits. It's just regulatory bs for not having it. Also, if it was online, you wouldn't have the downsides that come with an actual casino as the first poster (which I don't completely agree with btw) brought up.

[philab]

The reason i am opposed to online gambling is because the internet is open and you dont really have an idea where the site is hosted. It could be hosted in the US or it could be hosted in Nicaragua or it could be hosted in Romania. You cant be sure and there are always ways to spoof where you really are.

That's not a good rule across the board, though. The major online poker sites are as reliable as just about anything on the internet. Sure, there's some risk in smaller sites defrauding players, but how long could they possibly do that before no one played there? There's so much money to be made just from running a legitimate online poker site ... more than enough incentive for the established sites to be transparent, compliant, and legitimate (assuming they're given a legal status).

[DodgersFan28]

The days of Casablanca's rigged roulette wheel are long, long over.

Modern casinos are respectable establishments that provide a source of entertainment and recreation every bit as legitimate as any theme park, movie theatre, theatre house, play house, or any other source of entertainment. Yes, the odds are stacked against you, but at least you have a chance of walking out with the same, or more money than you walked in with. Everyone who goes to Walt Disney World is out the $82 that they plunked down upon entry. That $82 becomes $0 at the end of the operating day, no matter what happens. Should we be investigating Walt Disney World for defrauding patrons?

Casino games - table, slot, video, whatever - come with a price. Guests pay the price, and call it a "bet." They may get money back, or they may get nothing. The choice is always with the guest to continue or not. If the guest is making choices at extreme risk to their financial health, then the guest is not acting responsibly, and needs to be shown the door. Casinos are much better at that than they were in the past. \

Also, from what I've seen, the level of riff-raff that a casino attracts is more a function of the establishment's surrounding populace, and the establishment's level of security. The riff-raff will congregate where they can get away with it. Modern casinos have an intense level of security in order to protect itself from cheaters, riff-raff, and to ensure all local laws are followed.

The mere presence of a casino alone will not bring about all these doomsday senarios that people keep envisioning. The only question Philadelphia needs to ask itself is a question of whether or not it wants to become partially-dependent on legalized gambling for the money it needs to provide civil services. It's a perfectly legitimate question that only it can answer.

[thefeckcampaign]

I should have known I would be in the minority posting an anti-gambling concern on a sports website.