Saturday, March 30, 2002

gambling and the kentucky navy
Urban legend debunkers at snopes have a little more to say on the Kentucky resolution calling for the purchase of a submarine and the start of a Navy.

The piece of legislation is a resolution, and not a bill. This means that if it is passed, it does not have a binding effect upon the State.

It was issued not to declare war upon riverboats, but rather to draw attention to a very large movement of money from Kentucky to Indiana every year:
The resolution was introduced by Tom Burch, a state representative from Louisville, as a wry commentary on Kentucky's continued prohibition of gambling. Kentucky doesn't allow it, yet thousands of Kentuckians simply cross the Ohio River to Indiana, where gambling is legal, and drop an estimated $500 million per year in their casinos. Wouldn't it make more sense, Rep. Burch reasoned, to allow casinos to operate in Kentucky and funnel some of that money into education and social service programs rather than filling Indiana's coffers?
Maybe they should talk with some government officials from Delaware, where slot machines video lottery machines (gambling is prohibited by Delaware's constitution, except for limited instances of lotteries, and horse track betting) have earned the State at least $650 million since 1995.

New Hampshire is examining the possibility of installing slot machines video lottery machines, and possibly even building full fledged casinos. As a matter of fact, they've had the benefit of some input from Delaware:
The Greater Salem Chamber of Commerce sent legislators a short video featuring legislative leaders from Delaware, which legalized video slot machines several years ago. Speaking to an off-camera interviewer, the Delaware officials report that gambling has hugely benefited their state's economy without increasing crime.
It really truly does appear that there has been no increase in crime that can in any way be related to the slot machines video lottery machines in Delaware.

I just wish that I could call a slot machine a slot machine, and not a "video lottery machine" with an accompanying wink and shoulder shrug.

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