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 Gambling Expansion and Casinos in Chicago I do not support a support a gambling expansion in Illinois nor a casino in Chicago. First, lawmakers have a historically poor record of assessing the true costs associated with gambling. A full, accurate appraisal of gaming reduces its appeal as an easy, new revenue source. Second, I reject the idea of gambling as nothing more than benign entertainment; amongst some demographics it can be but we have to look at the real market in Illinois. In my neighborhood there are buses that pick up and drop off casino customers, older customers, customers of color, customers with small, fixed incomes, customers who don’t think of gambling as an afternoon’s entertainment but as a chance, a shot at something better. Because I don’t see these buses roaming the Chicago’s more upscale neighborhoods, it suggests to me that gambling is more likely to work as a pernicious, highly regressive tax extracted from those who can least afford it. Some argue that since people are going to gamble somewhere; better Chicago than Gary. But I’m not so sure. It’s difficult to separate the idea of a Chicago-run casino from certain, recurrent realities. The city has shown itself incapable of running far more mundane activities, such as collecting garbage, without corruption and graft. Federal prosecutors have traced the reach of organized crime into city agencies, including the police department. In general, linking policy decisions to a particular administration is bad practice, but until public confidence in the integrity of Chicago city government is restored, entrusting it with a cash-intense operation such as a casino seems reckless. State policymaking should focus first on other, more progressive revenue sources before considering a regressive and potentially problematic revenue source like gambling expansion in Illinois or a casino in Chicago. |
