Indian casinos - more harm than good?

Parent Cafe
21

<p>Unequivocally more good than harm, but there, as in all things capitalistic, consequences. </p>

<p>I love to see them selling firewater to the white man. :wink: (Note: the Yakama Nation casino sells no alcohol or tobacco.) </p>

<p>Full disclosure: I’m partially in the gambling addiction treatment business. There are tribes which are, too.</p>

22

<p>The Yaks may not sell them in the casinos but they are selling lots of them elsewhere–for cheap.</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.kndo.com/Global/story.asp?S=6061673&nav=menu484_2_10[/url]”>http://www.kndo.com/Global/story.asp?S=6061673&nav=menu484_2_10&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

23

<p>Another tidbit:</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.indianz.com/News/2007/017699.asp[/url]”>http://www.indianz.com/News/2007/017699.asp&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

24

<p>Yes mini I am sure that a socialist casino would be less harmful than a capitalist one just as socialist vodka is less harmful than capitalist vodka and socialist penicillin cures the clap much faster than capitalist penicillin.</p>

<p>I am glad some tribes have found a revenue stream but not glad it is casino gambling, slots, and bingo.</p>

25

<p>We have corporate socialist vodka NOW, and corporate socialist casinos NOW, and corporate socialist penicillin NOW, so I don’t see your point. </p>

<p>What I especially like about some few of the casinos, such as the Yakama one, is that it is government-run, and decisions about what will be allowed in the casino are not simply a question of profit. (They certainly could make more - LOTS more - by providing alcohol and tobacco.)</p>

<p>They employ 600 people, 77% of whom are enrolled members of the Yakama Nation.</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.yakamalegends.com/[/url]”>http://www.yakamalegends.com/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>(Full disclosure: I have never been to a casino in Washington or Las Vegas, and the only time I have been in one anywhere was to rescue a bear from one in Atlantic City who was pleading to get out. ;))</p>

26

<p>

You’re leaving us hanging mini.</p>

27

<p>"We have corporate socialist vodka NOW, and corporate socialist casinos NOW, and corporate socialist penicillin NOW, so I don’t see your point. "</p>

<p>mini</p>

<p>My point is these things are not less harmfl because government is a silent partner in them. Take a look and see what the government’s take is from a pack of cigarettes, a quart of vodka, or the Atlantic city casinos. Bad ideas aren’t rendered more efficacious just because they enrich big government your favourite institution.</p>

<p>As I said before at least when Al Capone ran the numbers racket the payout was better and you didn’t have to pay taxes on your winnings.</p>

28

<p>“Bad ideas aren’t rendered more efficacious just because they enrich big government your favourite institution.”</p>

<p>But didn’t you miss out as to whom is REALLY getting rich from them, and has government in their hip pockets? Why is that so hard to understand?</p>

29

<p>It seems that the excessive idleness for many will only increase the likelihood of alcoholism and drug abuse</p>

<p>Dunno. When I was that age, the best place that I knew of to buy drugs and booze was at my HS…</p>

30

<p>Mini has a valid point about whom is REALLY getting rich, particularly when one looks at how Indian casinos were established in the northeast. The states of Connecticut and New York cut deals with tribes which provided guaranteed revenue to the state governments, otherwise the states said they would oppose or severely restrict gaming on Indian lands. This led the way for the corporate gaming companies like Bally’s to “enter the fray” in the form of partnerships with some tribes.</p>