From: rackow@skeeve.mcs.anl.gov (Gene Rackow)
Newsgroups: chi.misc,chi.general
Subject: Re: Casion--Vote
Date: 9 Jan 93 14:17:51 GMT
Distribution: chi
Organization: Argonne National Laboratory, Chicago, Illinois


With alot of the talk about river boat gambling, horse racing, etc. it appears
that many of you are missing the differences in those and a real casino.  Yes
they are all places you can leave lots of money, and possibly win some.
Many of the river boats have a limit on how much you can spend on the trip
you are taking.  You get a sheet of "tickets" that you turn in at the
counter to buy chips.  Once your tickets are gone, you are there to enjoy
the boat ride.  (You may be able to get someone to give you a ticket, but
officially that is forbidden).  Another big difference is that you have a
limited amount of time or races to spend your money, then you have to leave 
and come back another day.

Going to a casino, you loose touch with reality.  The casinos do as much as
possible to make that happen.  The use of chips over cash is one part of it.
You are no longer dealing with money , it's just chips.  Seeing a small
black piece of plastic with 500 embossed in the center does not have
the same effect as seeing a $500 bill.  Also it is impossible to find a
clock anywhere in a casino. Once your there, they NEED you to forget about
time.  The longer you are their the more they get.

For those that are attempting to point out that a casino may be a money making
device for chicago, I think they need to look at other gambling devices
that have been claimed to pull in money for the state, etc.  Since the
Lottery is completely run by the state, and supposedly to help the schools,
WHY are the school systems in such financial trouble.  Mismanagement is
part of the problem, but it's also true that for many years the lotto money
did NOT go to the school system as intended.

The LasVegas nites that are run by various VFWs, Scouts, etc are basicly a 
charity event.  You go to them for the pleasure, not winning big money.
The ones that I have gone to do not have cash prizes, but things like CD's,
umbrella's, etc and a TV or something as a grand prize.  Some have had trips
or other things as well.  Many of the prizes are donated by local businesses.

I find it real hard to believe that Bingo and LasVegas nights are allowed
in churches.  Not from the legal point of view, but from biblical refernces.
A church is to be a place of worship, not a place to gamble.  

Atlantic City, LasVegas, and Chicago all vary widely. 
 Vegas has had gambling for years, so what it has done to the city is hard to
tell.  Vegas probably would have dried up and blown away if it wasn't for the
casino's.  How many conferences will NOT go to Vegas because of the image it
presents?  Are you going to a conference or to give away money?
 Gambling in Atlantic City is relatively new, but the city structure is
quite different than chicago.  I would not want to leave the boardwalk there
to explore the surrounding area.  It's a very depressed, high crime area.
The amount of money that the city is getting from the casino has to go to
added security, etc.  I don't have studies to support where the money
from the casinos is going, but it doesn't appear to be helping the city
all that much.
 Chicago has a wide base of revenue.  It has the same problems that many BIG
cities have as well.  Gangs, crime, politics, bad management, etc.  A
casino is NOT going to cure the problems that Chicago has.  It may create
some jobs, but so do alot of other things.  Many of  jobs that are created 
will not be the kind that you can support a family on.  You see very few
people making a living on serving burgers at McD's.