So far I have been a bemused bystander in the Great Indian
Casino debate. There is a great deal of information, misinformation
and myth.
Dear Editor,
So far I have been a bemused bystander in the Great Indian Casino debate. There is a great deal of information, misinformation and myth. And some well meaning people thrown in. I would like to add my considered opinion.
By way of bona fides, I served for 30 years in a major city police department. I held the rank of captain and was an acting deputy chief upon retirement. During those years coming up through the ranks, I worked or became familiar with most aspects of crime and the administration of law enforcement, including organized crime, intelligence and the vagaries of human nature. Because I am now retired, I enjoy no constraints regarding political correctness or professional interest in casinos or gamblers. I do not know any of the people involved in the proposed casino in our area and would certainly not make any accusations. There are, however, some general things people should consider regarding professional gambling, gamblers and those they attract.
Gambling is a very big business and attracts huge sums of cash money, a great deal of which could be subject to fiscal sleight of hand. This makes it attractive to organized crime and intense regulation has served to make the rake-off game a little more difficult and the ultimate true controlling interests harder to identify. With the rise of so called Indian Casinos across the country, I suspect gaming may have become one of the leading sources of organized crime income, replacing some of the traditional gold mines. Of more immediate impact to the community is the personal heartbreak and crime attracted by gaming.
Just to name a few casino possibilities: Loan sharking and the need to enforce collections, a lot like the narcotics industry, is rampant around casinos. Prostitution with the attending pimps, the inevitable “trick rolls”, disease and extortion thrives. Hucksters and con artists will be looking for marks. Security guards and closed circuit cameras save your hubcaps and protect you from noisy drunks but do little to deter the real crime around casinos.
These few examples do not even begin to calculate the actual loss to the community in human terms. Spousal abuse, destroyed families, and ruined careers result. Addiction to gambling is probably as bad as any addiction and has destroyed many a family. How does a desperate addicted gambler pay the loan shark? If he or she works for you, you’ll soon figure it out.
Has anyone considered the millions of dollars which won’t be spent in the local economy? Dollars which would otherwise go to the outlets, restaurants and stores. Discretionary income is vacuumed away by the carnival lights that promise much but deliver little, and once the discretionary money is spent the family budget is next.
Some money might go to local taxes and the few who front as local Indians. There is a possibility that a considerable share of largely untraceable cash money will never see the light of day or feel the Taxman’s touch.
Some have suggested casinos will bring in jobs. They might, but not many and the jobs mostly menial and probably unregulated. Any inside positions, administration, pit bosses, dealers and backroom money handlers will probably appear with the casino. The loan sharks, enforcers, prostitutes and pimps will probably be from out of town also as we fervently hope the local supply will exceed the demand.
It is difficult to generalize accurately and I hope my opinions prove to be wrong, but we need to think this thing through thoroughly before putting something in place which can’t be removed later.
Kenneth Hawkes, San Martin
