>people complain that taxes are too high
>local governments cut taxes and open a casino
>everyone is "happy"
>and the world is a little dumber
Years ago I took my wife to a casino in Detroit. 5 minutes after walking in I turned to her and saw that she was crying (no joke). I asked, "what is wrong" and she responded, "it's so sad." Casinos (Detroit/Vegas and elsewhere) are sad places. The majority of the people there are wearing sweatpants, chain smoking and holding a big bucket full of quarters at a slot machine in hopes of a big pay day that will never come. I should mention that 20 minutes later my wife was getting a comp'd drink at a black jack table, was up a hundred bucks and was having the time of her life. Gambling can be a blast, but my guess is that it's not in any "local economy's" best interest.The gambling industry knows what the people want. Last year Americans gambled away $119 billion, most of it at casinos. We were far ahead of the second place contender (China lost $76 billion) and it’s a staggeringly huge increase from $10.4 billion in 1982
I'd be interested to know the socioeconomic breakdown of where that revenue comes from? Is it from the wealthy? My guess is that it falls in the 80/20 rule. 80% of the gambling revenue comes from those that can't afford to be gambling.
I have never been in a casino in my life. I have trouble understanding the appeal of gambling for me personally, but of course I've never tried it - maybe I would enjoy it if I tried it. However, from a complete outsider's perspective, I don't really understand it. I'd much rather have the money I know I have than take that money and maybe keep it/get more back. I have heard the casino near me is mostly full of blue-haired old ladies at slot machines.
Casinos are an experience. There will come a time when you'll need to go to a convention and it will be in Vegas. Either that or Orlando, in which case my condolences. Vegas is bad enough, but - Anyway. When this happens, I want you to walk through the door, luggage in hand, and I want you to close your eyes. I want you to listen. I want you to breathe in. I doubt you have ever experienced such pure, raw, animal want from your environment before. The A/C is designed to bring you in, a low sussuruss pulling you away from the bleached moonscape outdoors. Everywhere around you are the gentle burbles of a million slot machines, joyfully sucking away money one button-press at a time. (ding ding ding ding ding!) You can feel the movement of purposeful addicts all around you on the hairs on your arms - microcurrents from the purposeful wandering of adults playing hooky. I've walked through casinos with binaural mics on just to record the amazing, calibrated cacophony. They're truly something. The only time I've ever bet was for a friend, who gave me $5 to "put on green" on roulette. We had a kind croupier so we won $140. She asked if we wanted to "let it ride" and we said "hell no" took our $140 and went back up to the room to watch the fishtank channel. Vegas is something else.
No one gets hooked until the money starts coming in. I have several friends with real deal gambling problems and if you look in their eyes when they're winning, you'll see that their pupils are dilated and from my own experience, the heart starts pumping hard. It's a physical/emotional and psychological thing . . . like cocaine.
I spent a week crazily gambling in Armenia where laws aren't really a thing, mostly Blackjack, or poker when I feel like losing everything I won. It's a competition and a thrill when you're playing the card games, imagine playing Uno or Go Fish with your family except now the stakes are way higher plus drinks, girls you're allowed to be attracted to, and everyone's wearing suits instead of PJs. I think it should be treated like a niche interest like fishing or carpentry, it's actually really damn fun imo.
That makes in a regressive tax right? If viewed as percentage of income.
In the Veblin conspicuous waste sense? I paper my walls with scratchers to show how rich I am. I think it is because luxury goods are emulative. Symbols choosen not so much emerging on their own. Lotto is declasse I think rich people mostly bet on bum fights and on if Eddie Murphy can pass as wealthy.
I and my wife both like to gamble a few times a year, and we take short trips to Vegas at least once a year. Even if I lose some money, I'm paying for that entertainment. And as long as you realize that and are honest about it, going to the casino can be a lot of fun. Unfortunately many people can't afford to the casino, shouldn't be going there, and don't really know any better. There is a certain negative cloud hanging over the industry. That being said I count cards and normally walk out up, and at worst, I break even and got some free drinks and hours of entertainment out of the deal. Also horse racing is where the real excitement is. If anyone reading this has never been to the track... do yourself a favor and go some time. Bet $1 on a few races, drink some beer, eat a hot dog, and have the time of your life.
There's lots of poisonous industries. I know that doesn't make it right or anything, but it's just kind of the nature of life. At least a casino isn't killing people like alcohol, pharma, or tobacco. Casinos ain't great, and I know it's stupid of me to compare it to worse things, but I am anyway. Hell, I've seen people throw away perfectly good lives over World of Warcraft or Marijuana, which everyone is so keen on making fully legal for recreational use. Society loves their poisons.It's a poisonous industry.
Liquor stores are rarely sold as "jobs" projects. Nobody has stood up for tobacco in 20 years. "Pharma", by the way, is called "medicine" by most people and while there are certainly profits and they are often questionable, it's a whole 'nuther ballgame from a mathematically-disadvantageous statistical wager dressed up in gold chains and leather. The argument of the article is not gambling is bad it's there is little evidence that casinos are beneficial to local economies. flagamuffin is arguing that while you enjoy a casual game every now and then, the gambling industry does not make their profits from those who enjoy a casual game every now and then. Card counter.
Still waiting for a Hubski block/mute/ignore feature that does more than just put a line through your name.
blehhhh-eeeeee-aaaaaaaaaah Not to mention the various cultural effects it has had on Native Americans. I like some poisons too. For instance I just had some Dominoes pizza, which breaks every single health rule I set for myself, because it was 1am and I was stuck in an unfamiliar city. At least I didn't my car for it.
lol, cultural effects on Native Americans? You have no idea what you're talking about, the Native American governments run casino's because the land is technically federal land and they can do so. Most of these NA governments have made agreements with the local government to give them a share of it in exchange for being able to run more "la style" games in the casino's (this varies depending on the area). And that's as far as it goes for Native Americans outside of the idea that mostly Native Americans work at these casino's. These casino's are big business and everyone goes there, white, black, asian, pink, purple, neon orange, you name it.