I really don’t know why there’s so much concern about legalizing some form of gambling in Hawaii.
Gambling is already pretty well established without benefit of legalization. Some gamble here in quasi-public game rooms that aren’t much of a secret. Others head to Vegas.
This morning I scanned the Travel section in the Sunday Star-Advertiser, and there’s a large ad pitching tours to UH football games on the mainland.
Fly to Detroit for a game against Michigan, including Detroit tours, a tailgate party, etc. And after four nights, fly to Las Vegas for another three nights. Game against Arizona? Same drill. Go to the game, take a few tours, then return via several nights in Vegas. Perhaps some of those people just go to Vegas for the shows. But let’s face it, a lot of them are gambling. Why? They enjoy it.
There are a lot of ways to throw away your money. Gambling is just one of the many available ways, legal or not.
I don’t give much weight to the claims that gambling is somehow immoral, especially since so much of it goes on every day in so many forms. Social impact? Maybe, but since we already tolerate widespread illegal gambling, it’s hard to make the case that there will be a vastly different impact if it is legalized.
Personally, I’m not a gambler. But I don’t think the state should be arbitrarily prohibiting legalized gambling.
Several bills to establish a state lottery have been introduced this year (HB1830, HB2536, SB2626. I’ll be interested to see if they get more traction this time around.
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During her last week in office before she got overthrown, Lili’uokalani used bribery and intimidation to push through the Kingdom legislature three bills to enrich the government (and herself): (1) The Opium Bill to sell a license for $500,000 for the exclusive right to import and sell opium (to understand what a huge amount of money that would be, remember that the cost for the Palace was $360,000 — how many hundred millions would it cost today?); (2) The Distillery Bill to sell a license for $500,000 for the exclusive right to import, manufacture, and sell booze; and (3) the Lottery Bill to establish a government lottery. Drugs, booze, and gambling were the Queen’s final legacy (along with the last straw — an attempt to unilaterally proclaim a new Constitution making her a dictator). I’m guessing that the Lottery Bill was the least significant among these 4 factors as a cause of her overthrow; but it certainly added to the overall picture of a corrupt government.
Gambling on a Hawaiian Tribe
http://www.hawaiifreepress.com/ArticlesMain/tabid/56/ID/16791/Gambling-on-a-Hawaiian-Tribe.aspx
There was some comment on a local news show about native American tribes being able to come to Hawaii to buy land to construct casinos, which would then be tax free. If the Hawaiians are recognized as a native “tribe,” couldn’t they do the same thing?
The biggest gamble of them all has been the well-documented “Abraham Lincoln The Vampire Hunter”, right amidst the playoffs, Mary Lincoln harping against jeopardizing these hard-fought Republican career moves,Abe my man, to aim at – what? – vampires? Marco Rubio going win, brah!
Gambling in a responsible manner is a form of entertainment. And like many forms of entertainment, it costs $$$$. If I go to a UH football game with a companion, I would anticipate spending somewhere in the neighborhood of at least $100 or so on end zone tickets, parking, gas, and stadium concessions. How is it any different than if I just stayed home and used that $100 to wager on one or more games that I can watch on TV? At least with sports wagering, I have a chance to make some money. If I lose $100, then I got my money’s worth as far as the entertainment value is concerned, and I’m no worse off financially than if I had gone to the stadium to take in a game. Strange how some lawmakers think it is abhorrent and wasteful for people to bet on a game, but have no problem with those same people spending their money on grossly overpriced concession food and drinks.
Yes, some folks are irresponsible when it comes to gambling and wager more than they should. But people can also be irresponsible when it comes to using credit cards and spend more than they can afford. Is the solution to legislate a total ban on credit cards for EVERYBODY in this state? Stupid, isn’t it? And yet, that has been the thinking of the majority of our lawmakers.