Tuesday, February 17, 2009
I find the whole Maryland slots scenario rather amusing. Just a few years ago, Bob Ehrlich used slots as the top platform of his campaign for Governor. Voters saw slots as a way to grease the budget without raising taxes. It seemed to make sense.
Ehrlich won the election and it looked like slots were on their way to a location near you. But not so fast. You see, Governor Bob happened to be a Republican. And, in a state where Democrats dominate, they were determined to be a thorn in the new Governors side. And so it went. The prominent Democrats in Annapolis came up with all kinds of bullshit excuses about their opposition to slots. Even the Democratic mayor of Baltimore (Martin O’Malley) chimed in with cries of, “Slots are detrimental to families!”
So, thanks to the hypocritical Democrats, Bob Ehrlich served his entire term without achieving this primary goal.
Fast forward a few years. After Martin O’Malley did such a wonderful job for Baltimore City, it was only logical to elect him as the top dog of the state. He became Governor, the state budget deficit increased and his approval rating quickly went down the toilet. However, he and his fellow Democrats, had a plan. It was called slots. Yep, the same slots that they were adamantly opposed to when a Republican was in the State House. (Don’t you just love politics?). All of a sudden, slots weren’t such a bad idea anymore.
So, slots were put on the ballot and, no surprise, were voted in. Now the only question is where to put the gambling houses. The race tracks are obviously the top choice. But there’s also talk of putting a gambling house near Arundel Mills Mall. And now there’s a push to puts slot machines inside the terminal at BWI. Whatever the case, slots are coming…..
Here’s my take on slots, or more precisely, gambling in general. If someone wants to gamble, it’s their business. Me, personally? I don’t like the odds, so I’m not inclined to take the risk. Call me cheap or gutless, but I’d rather have something to show for my money.
However, there is the occasional happy ending. Some people can go into the casino with a small amount of cash and come out with fortune. These are rare instances. But, nonetheless, it is also the lure.
I was recently in Atlantic City. While walking through the casinos, I couldn’t help but notice the different types of people playing the machines. Some of these people clearly didn’t appear to have extra money to be gambling away. Some had tattered clothes, almost resembling homeless people. Others were carting their oxygen tanks behind as they went from machine to machine. And you could almost see the desperation in some of their faces. It was actually quite sad.
But the thing that really stood out in my mind was the cash advance line for credit cards. It’s bad enough to gamble away the money that you have. But to BORROW the money to gamble with is insane! I almost felt line grabbing some of the people in these lines and saying, “What the hell are you thinking??”
I never bought into the bullshit that gambling is a disease. Just like drug use, it’s a choice. But can you become addicted? Absolutely. I can actually see how people can get caught up in the excitement. If you win a little, you want to go for the bigger prize. If you lose, you want to keep playing until you get your money back. I get the same feeling when I gamble. But, at some point, common sense overrides the emotion and I can walk away. I think most people are like this. I feel sorry for the ones that aren’t.
So, will gambling be a success in Maryland. Overall, for the state, I would say yes. It’s going to bring in a new revenue stream that the state desperately needs. Much of the gambling money that has been spent in neighboring states will now come back to Maryland. This is the good news.
The bad news is that some people will not know when to walk away. There will certainly be sad stories as a result of all of this. The government can say what they want, but they don’t care. Otherwise, ALL gambling would be illegal. But, like almost everything, it boils down to money.
KW
Ehrlich won the election and it looked like slots were on their way to a location near you. But not so fast. You see, Governor Bob happened to be a Republican. And, in a state where Democrats dominate, they were determined to be a thorn in the new Governors side. And so it went. The prominent Democrats in Annapolis came up with all kinds of bullshit excuses about their opposition to slots. Even the Democratic mayor of Baltimore (Martin O’Malley) chimed in with cries of, “Slots are detrimental to families!”
So, thanks to the hypocritical Democrats, Bob Ehrlich served his entire term without achieving this primary goal.
Fast forward a few years. After Martin O’Malley did such a wonderful job for Baltimore City, it was only logical to elect him as the top dog of the state. He became Governor, the state budget deficit increased and his approval rating quickly went down the toilet. However, he and his fellow Democrats, had a plan. It was called slots. Yep, the same slots that they were adamantly opposed to when a Republican was in the State House. (Don’t you just love politics?). All of a sudden, slots weren’t such a bad idea anymore.
So, slots were put on the ballot and, no surprise, were voted in. Now the only question is where to put the gambling houses. The race tracks are obviously the top choice. But there’s also talk of putting a gambling house near Arundel Mills Mall. And now there’s a push to puts slot machines inside the terminal at BWI. Whatever the case, slots are coming…..
Here’s my take on slots, or more precisely, gambling in general. If someone wants to gamble, it’s their business. Me, personally? I don’t like the odds, so I’m not inclined to take the risk. Call me cheap or gutless, but I’d rather have something to show for my money.
However, there is the occasional happy ending. Some people can go into the casino with a small amount of cash and come out with fortune. These are rare instances. But, nonetheless, it is also the lure.
I was recently in Atlantic City. While walking through the casinos, I couldn’t help but notice the different types of people playing the machines. Some of these people clearly didn’t appear to have extra money to be gambling away. Some had tattered clothes, almost resembling homeless people. Others were carting their oxygen tanks behind as they went from machine to machine. And you could almost see the desperation in some of their faces. It was actually quite sad.
But the thing that really stood out in my mind was the cash advance line for credit cards. It’s bad enough to gamble away the money that you have. But to BORROW the money to gamble with is insane! I almost felt line grabbing some of the people in these lines and saying, “What the hell are you thinking??”
I never bought into the bullshit that gambling is a disease. Just like drug use, it’s a choice. But can you become addicted? Absolutely. I can actually see how people can get caught up in the excitement. If you win a little, you want to go for the bigger prize. If you lose, you want to keep playing until you get your money back. I get the same feeling when I gamble. But, at some point, common sense overrides the emotion and I can walk away. I think most people are like this. I feel sorry for the ones that aren’t.
So, will gambling be a success in Maryland. Overall, for the state, I would say yes. It’s going to bring in a new revenue stream that the state desperately needs. Much of the gambling money that has been spent in neighboring states will now come back to Maryland. This is the good news.
The bad news is that some people will not know when to walk away. There will certainly be sad stories as a result of all of this. The government can say what they want, but they don’t care. Otherwise, ALL gambling would be illegal. But, like almost everything, it boils down to money.
KW
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