The Show That Never Ends
Maryland governor Martin O'Malley has recently reopened a contentious debate here in Maryland. Faced with a $1.7B budget gap, O'Malley is now advocating, among other revenue enhancements, that slot machines be legalized in Maryland. For 4 years, his Republican predecessor, Robert Ehrlich, tried and failed to get slots legalized. Short on details, O'Malley suggests that eventually legalized gambling in Maryland will generate $550M annually for school construction and education.
Does that picture seem right to you? That Maryland generates revenue for the education of our children by appealing to people's basest instincts? That schools for the next generation of Marylanders are constructed using money gained through direct appeal to avarice? I have to blink and rub my eyes when I think about it. I guess I'm old-school enough to think that education funds ought to come from more traditional revenue streams.
Most of the time I'm against the idea of slots. Yes, it's true, I strongly disapprove of gambling. Not for self-righteous, moral-indignation kinds of reasons but because gambling seems like such a vapid, senseless waste of time. Ka-ching, yank. Ka-ching, yank. Ka-ching, yank. Couldn't you do something a little more intellectual? Something a little more uplifting? Something a little more constructive than being a mindless thrall of the gaming industry?
Then there are the times when the devil on my shoulder whispers in my ear and I simply don't care. Even though slots generally appeal to those least able to afford the activity, so what? I'm not obliged to play. And if someone wants to throw their hard-earned money into Maryland coffers and the yawning maw of the gaming industry, why should I try and stop them? Gambling is merely a tax on people who did poorly in math.
Supporters of slots say revenues will subsidize the dying Maryland horse race industry (let it die), stop urban sprawl (to the benefit of rich landowners who, from an ecological standpoint, own barren wastelands not vibrant ecosystems), and help problem gamblers. (I love that. Slots revenues are earmarked to help gambling addicts but I guess it makes sense.) I'm very skeptical that Maryland will ever see the net revenue slots proponents tout. The gaming industry is too crooked to let Maryland get a decent cut. And despite everyone's assurance, I'm sure casinos inevitably follow slots.
Maryland is locked in a Mid-Atlantic gambling arms race. Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Delaware have all legalized gambling. The siren song of what appears to be easy revenue will ultimately be too irresistible for politicians. Not only do I expect slots to appear in Maryland,
I'm betting on it.
K-
Does that picture seem right to you? That Maryland generates revenue for the education of our children by appealing to people's basest instincts? That schools for the next generation of Marylanders are constructed using money gained through direct appeal to avarice? I have to blink and rub my eyes when I think about it. I guess I'm old-school enough to think that education funds ought to come from more traditional revenue streams.
Most of the time I'm against the idea of slots. Yes, it's true, I strongly disapprove of gambling. Not for self-righteous, moral-indignation kinds of reasons but because gambling seems like such a vapid, senseless waste of time. Ka-ching, yank. Ka-ching, yank. Ka-ching, yank. Couldn't you do something a little more intellectual? Something a little more uplifting? Something a little more constructive than being a mindless thrall of the gaming industry?
Then there are the times when the devil on my shoulder whispers in my ear and I simply don't care. Even though slots generally appeal to those least able to afford the activity, so what? I'm not obliged to play. And if someone wants to throw their hard-earned money into Maryland coffers and the yawning maw of the gaming industry, why should I try and stop them? Gambling is merely a tax on people who did poorly in math.
Supporters of slots say revenues will subsidize the dying Maryland horse race industry (let it die), stop urban sprawl (to the benefit of rich landowners who, from an ecological standpoint, own barren wastelands not vibrant ecosystems), and help problem gamblers. (I love that. Slots revenues are earmarked to help gambling addicts but I guess it makes sense.) I'm very skeptical that Maryland will ever see the net revenue slots proponents tout. The gaming industry is too crooked to let Maryland get a decent cut. And despite everyone's assurance, I'm sure casinos inevitably follow slots.
Maryland is locked in a Mid-Atlantic gambling arms race. Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Delaware have all legalized gambling. The siren song of what appears to be easy revenue will ultimately be too irresistible for politicians. Not only do I expect slots to appear in Maryland,
I'm betting on it.
K-
Maryland will have more gambling just like every other state. It will be in all 50 states in our lifetimes. They'll have the whole spectrum, too. Slots, poker machines, and casinos. The citizens won't even notice that it will do nothing for their budget problems. Politicians and gambling concerns will tell you about the revenue it pumped into the coffers and the jobs it created, instead. Revenue and jobs that might have come from or been created by movie theaters, restaurants, and other local merchants.
I think you're right. I'd like to know what the net accrual to a state with legalized slots actually is taking into account all the external costs associated with having a large gambling activity. I just don't think legalized gambling results in a net benefit to society.
K-
Not to sound like the church lady, but gambling really does hurt families. It's not wholesome to count on the downtrodden to finance school funding. We've got the river boats in Illinois where busloads of pensioners turn out daily to throw down their cash. This is who's supporting school funding? It doesn't seem right.
As a sidenote, they've got a powerful lobby. But, not powerful enough to break the new no smoking in public places law about to go into effect. Interesting.
I read recently that the appeal of slots predominates in women. By a lot. Women are "escape" gamblers whereas men are more "action" gamblers" (horse races, poker). That adds an interesting wrinkle to the fact that gambling is not good for families, which I agree with.
K-