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STATESIDE


Editor’s Note: This column was submitted prior to the November 2 elections.


Stateside I


Sharon Harris words from the wise


n November, a polarized electorate will determine the future philosophical direction of the U.S. with their votes. Do the citizens want to retain the incumbent gang in their cities, states and Washington D.C.? Or, as the saying goes, will


they “throw the bums out”? Typically, Democrats support a more expansive


centralized government, claiming it is the foundation for generating the common good. Republicans favor personal accountability and a smaller government of limited regulation. They value individual contributions to society as necessary for the common good. Gaming has not economically or socially escaped


“…when is government involvement too much? When is it not enough? Are political


these competing perspectives. For example, virtually every poll shows the new healthcare law is hugely unpopular, and every American business and individual will feel the impact. Also, no business or taxpayer knows their 2011 tax rates since Congress could not agree on the details before leaving Washington in October. Will any casino operators and suppliers hire or invest without knowing their financial obligations? Is that why Steve Wynn, Sheldon Adelson and others have focused on Macau, when Nevada has the highest unemployment and home foreclosure rate in the nation? I fall in the middle. The government should


convictions based on morals, power or economics?”


certainly manage the country’s comprehensive needs, but not those areas better decided by individual states and municipalities with an understanding of their populations. People may need help, but I reject a “nanny” state that undermines self-reliance. So, when is government involvement too much? When is it not enough? Are political convictions based on morals, power or economics? During a 2006 interview, American Gaming


Association (AGA) President and CEO Frank Fahrenkopf Jr told me, “Although they approach gaming from different perspectives, opponents in both parties continue to work against gaming. Some conservative Republicans may view gaming as sinful and wrong, while some liberal Democrats believe that for their own good, people need protection from the temptations of gaming.” No pun intended, similar thinking pervades any industry considered “dicey”. I worked in the amusement/vending industry from the 1980s to mid- 1990s. While defending our business to local and state governments, two incidents stand out: We operated cigarette vending machines primarily in


bars. In one meeting in a wealthy Philadelphia suburb, a councilwoman imperiously peered over her glasses with questions. Expecting to rattle me, she asked how I


10 NOVEMBER 2010


could sleep at night, knowing we sold cigarettes. My response? I calmly answered that I slept just


fine. We sold a legal adult product, and worked hard to limit access to minors. The second incident involved a small municipality


near my current home. Officials tried to ban video games throughout the town. Along with our company attorney, I appeared before the commission. My repeated mantra was “No, we’re not stealing little Johnny’s lunch money. We responsibly operate a legal entertainment product.” If Johnny came home without his money, it had nothing to do with us. We prevailed…the machines remained on location. I celebrated with our attorney over a hamburger. Coincidentally, I married him 16 years later. We face the same nonsense now regarding casinos,


frequently from the mainstream media that has a public forum. In mid-October, Philadelphia’s SugarHouse Casino opened to big crowds and huge initial revenues. Within several days, in a scathing article, Philadelphia Inquirer Deputy Editorial Page Editor Paul Davies labeled casinos “a bad, insidious business that preys on vulnerable people who can least afford to waste their money”. Davies visited SugarHouse, bemoaning those senior players who “slouched in seats aimlessly pushing buttons”. He accuses gaming of creating new addicts and negligent parents who leave their kids in parked cars while they gamble. He blasted outgoing Pennsylvania Governor Ed


Rendell, saying, “the city he helped save as mayor will now see many lives destroyed by the social ills that are sure to follow gambling in Philadelphia”. Enough already with the indignant rhetoric. I


wonder if Davies, or the similarly-minded millions, ever bet on a sporting event or bought a lottery ticket. Every week, billions are wagered on both. Has Davies had a drink lately? Prohibition didn’t


work 90 years ago in the U.S. Nor will it work for gambling, evidenced by an existing underground sports betting and online gaming industry. We all have our demons, but how about exercising


some free will and personal discipline here? For the small percentage in crisis due to compulsive gambling, the American gaming industry has spent millions on research, training and outreach to counter addiction. The masses don’t need protecting. Regulatory bodies


levy heavy fines for allowing underage or self-excluded gamblers on a casino floor. Does everyone else have to be lumped into this charge of “insidiousness”? Yes, this election is critical. Who gets to decide our


future?


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