Don't need Las Vegas, Gambling in Hilo!!

[JerryCarr]

If we legalize gambling in Hawaii, people who do not have the means to routinely travel to Vegas (i.e. those least able to afford a gambling habit) will have easy access. While I believe in personal responsibility and do not advocate a "nanny state," I feel that we should think long and hard about the social consequences of casino gaming in our state. Even lotteries can result in addictive patterns of behavior, although the stakes tend to be lower and it takes a lot of effort to blow huge sums of money. Despite that, when I lived in Georgia, I knew people who blew 20 to 30% of their paychecks on lottery tickets. And to top it off, the ever-ambitious Georgia Lottery Authority eventually came out with high-stakes scratch-off tickets that cost $20 to $100 to play for a big payout.

[rbonplaza]

I wade in here carefully. There was a time I loved to play at the Blackjack tables in Tahoe or Reno, just to see how long I could make my 20, 40 or 100 go. It was really fun chatting with folks and turning a bit of money into a bit more. But Jerry nailed it in his post: people who can least afford it seem to turn to gaming for a solution to their financial situation. Gaming will never be a solution. The House has the odds, always.

[centipede]

Every above word from every person is true - The good, the bad, and the ugly.

Hawaii is one of the few states that does not have gambling, and the issue boils down to whether it's an act of pride and morality, corruption, or idiocy.