CASINO EXPANSION IN ILLNIOIS: WHAT’S THE POINT?

5/30/13

We’re nearing the end of the legislative session in Springfield.  Among the other things, including pension reform (See my 5/8/13  piece THE CULLERTON PENSION PLAN:  “THE (PUBLIC EMPLOYEE UNIONS) FAMILY DON’T EVEN HAVE THAT KIND OF MUSCLE ANY MORE”??? and my 5/2/13 post MIKE MADIGAN’S PENSION REFORM PLAN:  “THE BEST THAT (WE) CAN HOPE FOR IS TO DIE IN (OUR) SLEEP.”), gay marriage, concealed carry, and a McCormick Place Arena (DEPAUL AND THE McARENA:  WHERE’S THE RETURN ON DEPAUL’S INVESTMENT IN CLOUT?, 5/17/13 and AN ARENA FOR DEPAUL AND ELEVATING CHICAGO:  “FRAU BLUCHER, ELEVATE ME!”, 5/16/13) coming to a head will be a huge expansion of casino gambling in Illinois.

I have expressed my feelings about casino gambling on 5/2/13 in ILLINOIS GAMBLING EXPANSION:   “A LADY DOESN’T WANDER ALL OVER THE ROOM AND BLOW ON SOME OTHER GUY’S DICE.”, but, since this seems to be the issue which is garnering, and undeservedly so, the most attention, a summary of my feelings is probably apt.

Legalizing gambling doesn’t especially bother me, though I often wonder why it was such a bad thing when run by groups of enterprising young immigrants and first generation Americans during most of the last century but is suddenly so salubrious now that government is in charge and/or gets a big piece of the action.  But I remain opposed to this gambling expansion, including a Chicago casino, four more casinos peppering the state, and slot machines at the airports and race tracks.  Why?  

I don’t see any upside to this further expansion of gambling.   Giving politicians more money to spend doesn’t solve anyone’s fiscal problems, and this will certainly be the case in Illinois.  Already, with a $100 billion pension hole and state vendors waiting months, or longer, to get paid, our esteemed legislators are finding ways to spend the new casino money on “depressed communities,” “Latino development funds,” the state fairgrounds, and that  catch-all for pork and sleight of hand, “education.”   Give these guys more money, they’ll just spend it…and more.  And who knows what brobdingnagian spending projects these poltroons can come up with in a bill that will, of necessity, be voted on with only at most a day and a half for review and consideration?  The jog to financial ruin which Illinois is taking will become a sprint.

So what’s the point?  Even the most effectively regulated, cleanest gambling operation in the world would only exacerbate our fiscal problems, so why put up with the attendant social problems?

See my two books, The Chairman, A Novel of Big City Politics and The Chairman’s Challenge, A Continuing Novel of Big City Politics, for further illumination on how things work in Chicago and Illinois politics.