Cause and Effect World

It’s Vega$ baby - do we want it in Massachusetts?

The Samantha Clemens Show on WMFO 91.5 FM 

Hey baby, Vegas is a ‘destination’ with something for everyone, isn’t it?  Gambling, shows, showgirls, buffets…  I had the pleasure of staying at two hotels during my recent trip to Las Vegas - Bally’s, which boasts the ‘best showgirls’ and Caesar’s Palace, which is extravagant opulence in a mass culture kind of way.  I wandered around the MGM casino, and thought the Bellagio was, in fact, the most beautiful casino, with its illuminated glass flowers in the ceiling and lovely courtyard area behind the front desk of the lobby.

The only thing that marred the ambiance was that every single place was filled with slot machines and what appeared to be zombies or pod people sitting in front of them for endless periods of time.

Don’t get me wrong.  I gamble plenty.  Just not with money.  And, I am as capable of getting hooked as the next person.  Which is why I don’t start.

So it was with interest that I read two articles in the newspaper today about gambling.  The first was, of all places, in Parade Magazine where they explore the question of whether gambling is good for America.  They say:

“A hundred years ago, gambling was a national vice almost universally outlawed.”

Isn’t it ironic that it seems the primary support for gambling comes from conservatives - I thought they loved traditional values?  But, they have a higher value - gambling revenue is an easy way to raise taxes, in our ‘cake and eat it too’ society.  People who support gambling 1) don’t want to pay taxes and 2) don’t think they or anyone they depend on will become addicted to gambling.

So, what is the likelihood of gambling problems affecting you?  Well, it turns out, a lot more if the gambling occurs near you. 

“Researchers at Creighton University in Omaha, Neb., found that personal bankruptcy rates in counties with casinos grew by more than 63% above comparable counties without casinos.”

One of the reasons why gambling isn’t seen as a problem by society at large is that only a tiny number of individuals bear the most acute consequences.  But, these incidences do affect their communities:

“When a single addict gambles himself into bankruptcy, for example, there will be a line of stiffed creditors and court proceedings paid for from the public treasury. Likewise, a pathological gambler who embezzles his stake from the boss has to be investigated, tried and supervised in prison or on probation—all of which costs money. Factor in newly impoverished spouses and children, and the costs multiply. Considering that a bit more than 1% of the population is prone to pathological gambling and 5% to problem gambling, that adds up to more than 18 million potential disasters. “

Doesn’t that all sound great?  Doesn’t it make you stop and wonder if you want this in your community?

So, how fascinating to read in the City/Region section of the Globe today that the Wampanoags feel time is right to cash in on New Englanders’ spending on gambling.

Oh yeah, we’re getting 5 star hotel rooms, 3,000 slot machines, restaurants, lounges, golf courses, shopping, a convention center…

Did I mention I was in Vegas for a conference?  Yes, this organization has four major conferences per year with more than 1,000 attendees, and regularly cycle through Las Vegas.  The conference planners told me that the Vegas conference always has the highest attendance.  But they told me something else too - in Vegas, they also have the lowest attendance at the educational sessions.

So, just what are those conference-goers doing in Vega$ anyway?

So where do I come down on this?  Well, being a freedom loving girl, I guess I come down on the side of maximum freedom - if you want to be a pod person, go for it.  However, with freedom comes responsibility - I believe this industry must be pay-as-you-go, and that includes all the social ills that accompany the industry. So, transportation infrastructure costs, addiction treatment programs, and costs in the legal system for gambling related cases - all should be funded within the industry.

And, I will continue to bypass the slots and tables and do what I did in Vegas - go horseback riding and gamble that I won’t crack my head open!

On the radio, Sam monologued about a host of issues:

• Her trip to Las Vegas to attend a conference - the gambling, the casinos, whether the people playing slot machines are actually pod people whose electricity is being harvested to power the city a la the Matrix;
• Whether it’s a good thing for the Wampanoag Indians to build a 1,500 hotel room casino/conference center in Massachusetts;
• How does gambling affect the communities surrounding casinos.

Left click to listen, right click to download:

• Las Vega$ Part 1
• Las Vega$ Part 2