Sunday, January 14, 2007

Whether it's on a real boat, a fake boat or dry land, gambling is gambling.
People play games, they bet money. Many, many lose. A few win. Floating down
a river or across a lake, standing in a pond and pretending to be on a real
boat or being planted on dry ground does not change the bottom-line fact.
It's pretty much too late to debate whether gambling should make itself at
home in Indiana. That was taken care of years ago. But it's not too late to
debate how much money the state wastes chasing some fantasy about
wherepeople gamble. Gambling is here. The debate now is how much gambling
the state is going to allow, and what the gambling profits should pay for.
There has been talk that the Indiana Gaming Commission might change its
construction standards and allow casino-style machines in bars, restuarants
and clubs - an expansion of gambling in the state. According to news
reports, operators of the Blue Chip Casino in Michigan City want to build
more casinos without pretending they are building boats. They don't want
their casinos to have to have motors, captains and crews, sea-going safety
equipment and inspections for seaworthiness when the boat will never weigh
anchor. (The odds may be better that you could win on the boat than that the
boat will actually set sail.) The operators say the extra cost would amount
to $40 million. But the question is not whether to continue the fantasy of
water-borne gambling. The question is whether the state wants to increase
its dependence on people's willingness to throw their money away.