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Nov

29

Ahh… Government Run Gambling

November 29, 2006 |

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Ahh… Government Run Gambling It is so nice to see how delusional PA is with their gambling laws. Political demands to placate this demographic or that — or simply to create more cache for the important gang of politicians in charge — have created an environment that is nothing short of moronic. Hence I chuckled to see political greed and stupidity backfire with Nemacolin Woodlands Resort and Seven Springs both retracting their bids — the only ones offered - for the two resort casino licenses PA has to offer.

While Seven Springs retracted for reasons related to their partial ownership of the Pittsburgh Pirates and MLB prohibitions on gambling, Nemacolin was different. According to the Post Gazette, “Nemacolin spokesman Jeff Nobers said yesterday that despite the resort’s enthusiasm to enter the gambling field from the onset, continued study of projected costs and revenues dimmed the appeal. A key hang-up, he said, was a stipulation specific to the resort licensees that patrons must spend $25 on other activities there in a day — such as lodging, food or other entertainment — to be eligible to play the slots.

“Mr. Nobers said the patronage fee would make it difficult for the resort to count on sufficient revenue to justify the investment of more than $30 million anticipated in upfront casino costs.”

Nice. Glad to see the monopolization process of gambling get mucked up as much as possible. The fool PA voters deserve no less.

Supposedly PA regulates gambling to prevent addicts from wrecking families and lives. Yet it promotes gigantic, open to all state-run lotteries with such terrible winning odds that they function primarily as a tax on ignorance and desperation. In all other industries — at least when legislation does not serve to curtail the natural order — competition improves the odds that consumers get the best bang for their buck. It also ensures that consumer wants and needs are matched with provided services and products.

Instead, government regulated sectors and sub sectors of the economy force politicized solutions on the consuming public. So what do we get in PA for gambling? Crappy lotteries and now BINGO!’s village idiot cousin — the slot machine, which these days barely requires players to move with most machines having removed their old fashioned levers for more convenient push buttons. Not only can one’s intelligence devolve while playing such a mentally challenging game for days on end, so can one’s arms and hands revert to flippers — all that is needed to slap at a slot machine button.

Look out, Vegas. Look out Monte Carlo. Who needs the anticipation, excitement, and camaraderie of a Craps table? We in PA have slots. I can’t wait to see 100 ft mega yachts lining up on the shores of our rivers as the world’s rich and famous get ready to pull the lev…, uh… I mean, slap at the button.

Oh boy. When it comes to PA gambling, residents must suffer beneath the higher priorities of:

  • Politicians: They will all gladly run every facet of your lives that you’ll gladly fork over — It’s a sucker’s exchange: your liberty and freedom for hollow promises of fairness, safety, and comfort. You give them your rights and others money, and they get to doll it out in ways that keep them in the cat-bird seat. Great deal for them, at least. Perhaps dummy voters will finally be satisfied when everyone is in line at the government teat fighting over the crumbs of pure socialism. It’s the direction we’ve headed for 90 years.
  • Private gambling interests: These are parasitic capitalists at best, and very anti free market. That’s because they push for and love any environment that not only limits officially licensed competition, but ones that also keep the free market from offering players higher odds of winning. Who wouldn’t want laws that keep out pesky competition? Heck — even the Feds will shut it down if it’s off shore, like they just did with internet gambling. Propping up those who contribute to politicians campaigns!! That’s what government is all about!
  • Delusional religious types: Look. Gambling can be bad for addicts and their families. But prohibitions never work. They instead drive the most desperate into the shadows where they can’t be helped, and into the hands of the black market mostly run by organized crime. Daddy’s gambling problem turns from a financial crisis instead into life and death desperation where countless other crimes are committed to avoid broken legs and worse. Good job in the name of God.

Yeah, with government, you don’t get what people actually need — what most consumers demand. Instead you get things like $450 million tunnels under the Allegheny River to provide two stops of light rail near the Pirates’ and Steelers’ stadiums. You get moronic slot casinos bulldozing their way into neighborhoods that don’t want such monstrosities. Just what we all need. Wake up, people. Will you please?

I could go on for another five pages, but I think you get my point….


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