The U also gives the gamblers a veneer of legitimacy and community approval, kind of like when the local whorehouse feeds the poor at Christmas. Our underfunded efforts at economic diversification usually produce low paying jobs for which the gambling industry resents competition. World class companies have avoided coming here because of the weaknesses in our schools at all levels. That's fine by casinos who want no pesky pressures to increase their taxes. Gambling has successfully shifted the burden so that gaming taxes this year dropped all the way to fourth among state government funding sources.
Education consequently gets only about a third of the state budget.
Our children warn us on every street corner every day.