From: phil@pex.eecs.nwu.edu (William LeFebvre)
Subject: Re: *** Chicago Casinos " VOTE " ***
Organization: EECS Department, Northwestern University
Distribution: chi
Date: Wed, 6 Jan 1993 22:34:25 GMT

In article <1993Jan06.052839.26500@uumeme.chi.il.us> statz@uumeme.chi.il.us (Louis B. Del Boccio) writes:
>...
>What do all of YOU think?

Well.......you asked.

>It would appear that Casinos area must for Chicagoland .

Perhaps that's how it appears to you, but that's not how it appears
to others, and your posting did little to convince the reader that
your premise was correct.

>If the Casino  Bill is not passed Chicago may very well go the way
>of Detroit and other large cities which have gone steadily down hill
>in recent years. 

Chicago has a significantly more diverse commercial base to draw on
than does Detroit, Houston, or other declining major cities.  Sure its
large manufacturing/travel/industrial base is declining, but it also
has a significant presence in high technology fields as well as retail
companies.  And it is STILL a major player in the air transportation
market.

>There are many good reasons to have casino-style gambling in this
>City. Here are but a few...

And there are many bad reasons.

>1. Chicago needs the jobs to grow.

Would casinos really create the jobs that Chicago needs?  The vast
majority of the jobs would be dead-end minimum-wage jobs.  They would
have a positive effect in the short term, but what about the long term?

>2. Chicago sorely needs a larger taxbase to support its self, without
>   further burdening the already strained property owners with yet
>   another tax increase. 

An increased tax base is needed along with better management of the
money that's already there, and more intelligent and focused application 
of that money.

>3. Gambling is already legal in Chicago, and throughout Illinois and
>   Wisconsin.  In fact there are already functioning casinos as close
>   as Milwaukee, not to mention the plethora of river boat-style
>   gambling establishments as nearby as Joliet Il (about 25 miles
>   west of the city) 

So?

>4. VFW, Moose and other fraternal organizations, as well as the
>   Roman Catholic Church, all hold regular 'Bingo' and 'Las Vegas
>   Night' affairs. 

And has been legal for decades.  Again: so?

>5. Horse racing flourishes, even off-track betting is allowed.

So?  Land-based casino gambling is an entirely different type of
gambling than any of the ones you have already mentioned.  And
again, horse racing has been legal in this state for quite some
time.  Has it had any substantially positive effect on the local
economy?  Can you cite studies that indicate this before you use
it to justify leaglizing casinos?

>6. The state lottery continues to lure people with promises of big
>   money, despite the fact that state lotteries are among the highest
>   risks than any casino game played in America.

I fail to see how this can be used to justify casino gambling.  And
ask the people who counsel lottery addicts just how beneficial and
wonderful the lottery has been.  I have heard the lottery referred
to as a "tax on stupidity."  Is this something we really want to
increase and propogate?

>On the issue on crime.. Many are worried that casinos would bring
>crime to our city.  Well.anyone can see that crime is on the
>increase and our neighborhoods are in worse shape now than in any
>recent memory and things are not getting much better.
>
>Could a casino really make things worse?

Yes, it could.  There are still parts of downtown that are reasonably
safe.  What assurances do we have that it WON'T get any worse?  Just
because crime is bad now doesn't mean that casino gambling will make
it any better.

>on the contrary, income
>generated from a casino-entertainment center would be a boom to our
>crumbling city.

But the presence of casino-entertainment brings its own set of social
problems, not the least of which would be the potential for more
crime.  Yes it would generate an increase in the city's revenues, and
some sort of economic boom, but the question that really needs to be
asked is: will the negative aspects of casino gambling overshadow the
positive gain?  Will the increase in social ills offset the increase
in tax revenue?  Some people who have studied Atlantic City believe
that this may be the case.

>Chicago was once known as a convention and tourism center.  

And it still is.  Ever tried booking a convention of any size in 
Chicago?  You have to reserve it years in advance.  Ever tried
booking even a simple wedding reception?  Better plan at least
a year ahead!

>We have
>the world's busiest airport and for years we were the hub of night
>life in the Midwest. Lately all that has been changing. 

Oh?  What midwestern town has overshadowed Chicago in terms of
"night life"?

>With Sun-Belt
>cities like Houston and Atlanta developing their tourism base,

Sun-Belt != Midwest.  Please try to focus your arguments.

>If you Ban casino gambling in Chicago, you MUST also ban every OTHER
>form of gambling  " Lottery , Horse racing , Bingo and RiverBoat
>gambling. Wouldn't it just make more sense to legalize it?

Well, that argument simply doesn't make sense.  How are the two
related?

I personally am rather scared of this casino gambling thing.  I'm not
so sure that I want to live in the suburb of the next Las Vegas.  I like
Chicago, but I don't think I'd want to stay around here if it gets
turned in to the gambling capitol of the midwest.

I vote NO.

		William LeFebvre
		Computing Facilities Manager and Analyst
		Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
		Northwestern University
		<phil@eecs.nwu.edu>
Newsgroups: chi.mail