The demise of civilization is not upon us

So there’s a casino coming somewhere in our neck of the woods, it would appear from this story, and the debate is going to rage about where they put it, who really wants it, what the social cost will be.

And the debate will centre on one salient point:

Are these places worth it?

A bit of background, first:

I will fully admit I have never once in my life pulled a slot machine handle or played video poker, I’ve not once set foot in Rama and the only time I was ever in either of the Niagara Falls casinos was to attend a rollicking 150th anniversary bash for the Mighty Stamford Hornets. Casinos really aren’t my style so it’s not like I’m itching to have the right to stay close to home and be separated from my money by a government-run gambling den.

I did, a very long time ago, telephone a football bet or two into a People Who Shall Remain Unknown but that was in a different time in life (I should tell you a story sometime about having to hand over a small Super Wife Christmas bonus to a fellow the first year we were hanging out) and since I know the perils of sucker bets like parlays, I wouldn’t put a Pro Line wager down if knew how to, which I don’t.

That said, though, I fall entirely on the side of “bring the casino on” in this argument.

They do generate some kind of revenue, they are a centre of entertainment that runs the gamut from gaming to concerts to sports events.

They – at least this one in the GTA – would simply be an extension of what’s available an hour to the south or an hour to the north and, having some first-hand knowledge of at least one of them, they have been a boon to area rather than knocking it down into some kind of perilous tumble into darkness and disaster.

They are not bad, evil things, not at all like modern day opium dens with zombie-like gamblers wobbling table to table blowing the family fortune every hour of every day.

The neighbourhoods, at least around the one I know of, has not denigrated into brutal traffic and dark alleys populated by broken souls.

Yes, they need to be closely managed and we need to be wary of the social costs but, really, gambling -- government-sponsored or internet-based, or telephoned to People Who Shall Remain Unknown – is now a basic fact of life for so many.

To think otherwise is folly, to think that another casino would bring about the downfall of some small segment of civilization is equally foolish.

They are here; one more isn’t really going to hurt.

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Couple of final words on TJ Ford, aside from my thanks for all the nice comments yesterday afternoon.

(I had a marathon sleep and didn’t get to see them until early this morning).

First, TJ for Charlie V might be one of Bryan’s best, under-stated moves, no? Been more than a few rip jobs out there for some that didn’t work out, best to make mention of one that did.

And, right after the news got out, I was talking electronically to Jose to confirm what I remembered to be true and to get his feelings on a guy he still considers a friend.

“Everybody was talking about that bad relationship, but it was never a problem. Yes we compete for minutes but nothing else.”

And that’s how I remembered it, too. Couple of guys who wanted to play tying to convince the coach they should.

Oh, and Jose’s ankle?

It’s feeling better but that’s about it.

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If they’re looking for a perfect case study in over-reaction concerning a professional sports team, they will do no worse than to examine this year’s version of the New York Knicks.

Fascinating, in many ways.

Team, and it’s fans, and some of the media that cover it, wildly over-estimate talent level coming out of camp and when things start of slowly, people have to get fired, traded, benched or whatever.

Hero, for the moment, comes in and is lauded for his greatness, even if it’s unwarranted. It was one of those amazing flashfires and perfect storms, good story, good guy, and blown so incredibly out of proportion it’s not even funny. It was so nutty that there were legitimate commenters wondering if Jeremy Lin could be a late add to either the NBA all-star game and whether or not he’d paly in the Olympics for China or the United States. As if.

Now the Knicks have – and we’ll borrow an IGBT saying for this – regressed to the mean big, time. They were never, in some opinions, particularly good or well constructed. They have a faltering big man losing explosiveness every day in Amar’e Stoudemire, a gifted scorer who was traded from one team because he was a bit of ball-stopper who didn’t make his teammates any better in Carmelo Anthony, a point guard who is good but far from great and is exhibiting traits that many saw from the very start in Jeremy Lin.

And now people should get traded, benched or whatever.

It’s hilarious and is one of the great stories of the season to watch from afar.

When the season began, there were those who thought the Knicks would be life and death to sneak into the bottom one or two playoff spots in the East; we arrive at the trade deadline feeling exactly the same way but the journey has been fascinating.

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Oh, yeah.

My Man Kelly is down in Cleveland making sure the lake doesn’t spontaneously combust and watching the HOTH tangle with the Cavs so the IGBT gets a night off.

We’ll be back tomorrow from Jersey, my first foray into Newark, lucky soul that I am.

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Presume you’ve all breathlessly read this little NCAA thingy from our paper today; a bit more on Andrew Nicholson, a little more on other Canadians, some notes and such.

Well, tomorrow you get to mock openly, if you like, since The Aforementioned My Man Kelly and I are both submitting brackets that will live on-line for the duration of the tournament.

Better get Super Son and Super Dog involved, there’s no way I’m taking the hit for my ignorance alone.

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Comments

[Nick Kajganich]

Hi Doug, I do not agree with you as to the additional casino. My biggest concern is for us poor folk in Niagara Falls. We draw many of our customers from the GTA and if they did put one there, what percentage of customers would the Falls and Rama loose. We need to have more for people to do here and having that advantage would help. Sorry to respectfully disagree.

Nick

[charles]

Doug- it's government solving fiscal crisis by preying on our weakness for gambling fun.
I know this weakness as do millions. So much money changes hands in sports gambling. In fact I have often wondered about the connection between sports and gambling -- the thrill of the bet and before that, the thrill of caring and selecting and then watching how play and fate determine our choice. And you either win or lose: it is stark. But who wins or loses when govt's support casinos? I can think of two losers: all the people whose lives are derailed by chasing the lucky dollar and all of us who find themselves with an economy and government that can support itself only through this kind of enterprise. It's all understandable and sad somehow. Yours is a gutsy column -- still this is a slippery slope that we don't need...even if so many might want, and even enjoy, it.

[SheikYurbouti]

Though I have great respect for your basketball, food, beer, and music knowledge & opinions, people who support the simplistic justifications for any casinos across our great land should have to actually spend significant time in them, then some time witnessing some of the many stories to be told in gambling addictions programs.
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It would likely take a 5,000 word essay to even begin explaining the causes and effects, but take it from a lifelong risk taker (different forms), who has been through the gambling wars, there are in fact "zombie-like gamblers wobbling table to table blowing the family fortune every hour of every day". It certainly doesn't describe everyone who frequents casinos, but there are some in every casino every hour of every day. Perhaps you can't see them, but as someone who has experienced it and been through extensive recovery, I can walk into a casino now (I do it once in a while for therapy, as in reminding myself), and begin spotting them within seconds.
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Gambling is highly addictive, and will always exist in society, but government and community sanctioning of it, in the form of super addictive casinos, profiting not just from people who use it as entertainment, but from those destroying their lives, is a blight on our society. I think it shameful that this whole ball got rolling in our country and there seems to be no way to stop it. Greed feeding off of greed.

[Wilber]

Everything the OLG does (lotteries, casinos) = Tax on the stupid.

Have fun in NJ and say hi to Hump for us.

[sam]

I live about a half hour from Rama, and a stones throw from a racetrack in Innisfil which features slots. Casino's aren't something that I particularly enjoy -
It's been an economic boost to Rama and the town of Innisfil, and generally the casino's have been good corporate citizen's - The sad part are the people that will spend hours of time and whatever money they have - sitting in front of a slot machine, hoping for a windfall.

It didn't take long for Jeremy Lin to come back to earth. Last night against the Bulls, he had 14 or 15 points with 8 or 9 assists. Not a bad night. Linsanity is still a nice story, and you have to feel good for the kid - but at best, the Knicks seem a tad disfunctional. A couple of Star players that don't really know how to play together, some promising young uns, and for a short time a player who caught lightening in a bottle.

[D-Mac Ottawa]

Being the big-time roller I am, I give myself a generous $20 limit on my casino forays (maybe four or five such forays have happened in the past, oh, 50 years). Seven minutes later I'm back outside looking for something better to do.
I have no real issue with casinos or gambling in general – a 'friendly' five here and there isn't going to blow the grocery budget – but then I count myself very fortunate to have no real addiction issues in general (just those godawful smokes, which, after 20 years, took another long two years to shed, but that's, thankfully, 18 years ago now). But even in my limited casino and horse-track experience, I do believe the addictive nature of any gamble is blatantly apparent – you can see it, you can smell it, it permeates the air. I believe it's powerful, and dangerous, stuff.
The fact such enterprises exist is not at issue; they'll always be in business, legally or under the table. I do, however, think it's a rather pathetic statement about our times that governments are literally banking their budgets on this kind of stuff. Governments rely on taxes and bonds for their funding. A poker chip is not a bond. And gambling is certainly not a 'healthy' way to disguise 'fun and games' as a tax.
There have to be more creative, for-the-pubic-good sources to consider, if governments are in such great need to be in the 'income-generating' market. Investing in sports, the arts, education, health... there are many, far better avenues that governments can and should be exploring, rather than taking the easiest out possible, at the lowest common denominator.
Cheers. Oh, and hey, go Raps!
P.S. @Lorie, that Christopher Walken vid was incredible.

[LakeSimcoe]

0-8, 7-0, now 0-6+...the number really tells something in Big Apple (and also in NBA).
But they called out the coach instead....what are those guys??

[jc]

Hey Doug,
I agree with you about Lin's regression to the mean but it's still a pretty good mean. The hype was something but really, when was the last time somebody filled a hero role so perfectly on that size of a stage. Sure, maybe people just needed a name to put on the B side of their Tebow-mania signs, but it seemed unique. Even Tebow was a first round pick. Any chance for a list of five other similar runs when you have the time (you don't have to use "made the cover of Time magazine" as a prerequisite)?

[larrylukeeborg]

count me in as against a casino in t.o. niagara is close enough, rama is close enough...and frankly, toronto has enough of enough....

then again, perhaps i merely loathe the traffic...

[doug]

I have no problem with the government opening a casino, ...I do not look at the government to be my moral compass nor in my opinion should they be as when that begins to happen then were all in trouble....yes i bet on sports as do many of my friends/acquaintances and nowhere in there do I have a problem with it, it's a multi-billion dollar enterprise so why shouldn't the government , our government and in turn us benefit from it instead of some off-shore entity, to me is would be like the government watching everyone else make money from the selling of booze and not get on-board, it would be ludicrous...but I would like to see this occur when the lottery first started up years ago and Wintario specifically they apportioned a % of the earnings to community projects, such as arenas, ball diamonds etc...in this day and age of tight city budgets i would like to see this again...instead of the revenues flowing to a general fund I would like to see a % go to a specific fund to allow the building of new recreational infra-structure...I say build sports books etc, rake in the revenue and don't try and be anyone's moral compass....it's funny to me how people pick and choose when they want the government to be their moral compass, to me you can't or shouldn't at any time...cheers

[LeeZ]

First of all, Doug, kudos on today's blog. When the Star finally puts out the Greatest Hits of Doug Smith, today's piece should be the opening track on Side A. The gambling this is a fascinating conundrum, and while I definitely have sympathy for the arguments raised by those against, I'm more of a harm reduction kinda guy. That goes for needle exchange programs for heroin users and having the government legalize weed. In the case of the latter, my 18-year-old told me the other day he hopes they DON'T legalize weed (if they do, it won't be "cool" anymore, according to him). I don't believe in hiding my head in the sand. I do believe in making the best of a bad situation, and as poster Doug said, redirecting the money towards community projects (as well as gambling addiction programs) instead of having the money end up in the general revenue fund.

[TLI]

"...making sure the lake doesn’t spontaneously combust,,,"

Really?
I published that story (Erie Burns!) in our local "alternative" newspaper back in 1969! I thought things had cleaned up since then.

[Chris C]

Why dont Demar and Andrea ever work together on offence? They rarely pass the ball to each other, other than a swing pass. They never run a 2 man game together. They are supposed to be our 1, 2 punch but its like they exist in isolation.

[Deion]

I'm sorry, if the Knicks were the Raps you'd be talking about how it's still one of their best seasons in decades, one bad swing should not erase all the joy leading up to this point and the fact they're still in prime competition for a playoff spot is as good as it gets and should appease everybody- if it doesn't, you need to find something else to do with your time... it's funny how everything changes when the shoe's on the other foot isn't it?! Have a glorious day y'all.

[james]

I'm with Charles, D-Mac and the Sheik. At the risk of further prying open a can of worms, it seems clear to me that the decades-long campaign to redefine the word "tax" from the price we pay (gladly) for civilization into some kind of subterranean swear word has succeeded so wildly that it can no longer be used in polite company by those in public administration. Therefore they must rely on, as Wilber says, taxes on the stupid, although I prefer "vulnerable" to stupid. The result is a nastier, meaner society with those least able to afford it - financially and psychologically - doing the heavy lifting.

[saatuk]

A college basketball comment - I don't care about casino politics.

The most accomplished college guard of the Canadians is Hernst Laroche of New Mexico State. He doesn't have the potential of a Myck Kabongo, but he does have four years of experience. No I don't think he'll even be a minor league pro, but he's a fine college player, and I quite enjoyed watching him. If New Mexico State ends up on your screen I think you'll like watching him too.

[Boko]

From the tourist's point of view, there's only two places I want Toronto's casino to be: near the Pearson Airport, or in Ontario Place.

From the GTA resident's point of view, there's four, near Union Station, near Bloor & Yonge, near 401 & Yonge, and near 407 & Yonge.

Additional suggestion (now that I don't live in Oshawa anymore) is building that Pickering airport with the casino next door.

In any case, I'll only go for the food & the entertainment, eventually. Have yet to step foot in Rama or Niagara. Did go to a buffet on New Year's Eve at Woodbine, to meet some friends who went slot-machining afterwards.

[SheikYurbouti]

".it's funny to me how people pick and choose when they want the government to be their moral compass, to me you can't or shouldn't at any time"
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@ doug, the poster
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What do you think most of our laws are, if they aren't governments legislating morality? Do you suggest throwing them all out?
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Don't you "pick and choose'? Or do you think, for examples, the government should get out of legislating against race/gender/religious prejudice, sexual misconduct in the workplace, child porn, etc. Hell there's lot's of money being made on porn, so the government should get on board there too, right? That could pay for more ballparks!!!
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Besides, this issue goes way beyond morality, but if you can't see that on your own, it would take more time than I care to spend to try and educate you. You might start with considering the government's direct exploitation of the weak and/or desperate, despite decades of evidence that lives and families are being ruined/destroyed every day. But governments around the world have decided they can't stop the Mobs from running this stuff, so why not join them and expand it. There's money to be made!!!

[ditch]

Another casino in Toronto? Don't we have one at Bay and Queen already that plays with our dough whether we know it or not? Bet ya' we do and I'll give you three to one.

[Steve]

When looking at the hero role Lin played you have to recognise why it was a hero role to begin with. New York's roster, which on paper is quite strong, had been under performing.

Lin's story allowed the fans to put that aside and latch onto the story, now New York are back to the way they were playing earlier in the season and all of a sudden the calls for D'Antoni to be sacked are back.

Without that background I doubt Lin would have become anywhere near as overblown.

[JHk]

I disagree Doug.
This isn't a rocket science...
Melo in, no Lin, Knicks start slow... hence 0-8 streak.
Melo out, Lin in, Knicks start winning... hence 7-0 streak.
Melo back in, Lin stays, Knicks go 2-8.
This is a simple math taught in high school and all you got to do is to remove Melo and you have a winning equation.
Again, this isn't a rocket science.

[Moshigh]

I personally dont like casino's as I dont like gambling. I went to Las Vegas stayed in a major hotel with large gambling facilites and you know you have to walk pass them, its un avoidable.

In Ajax we have a slots facility and other types of gambling I believe in there. I only went there once and I live 5 minutes from it. The town of Ajax has got some good money (several million a year) that they have put to infrastructure (bike paths road work etc) our property tax is high out here so I think most people have no problem. Generally speaking there has been no word of jump in crime or severe social issues. I guess it really depends where its built.

Yes there is moral issue, but then Cigarettes should be illegal because they kill thousands and ruin lives/families. Extremely un healthy foods should be banned because they can lead to obesity I could go on and on.

If one was built downtown, I think it would be more of a outsiders visiting then a local phenomenon.

Knicks are like the Leafs of Basketball. People love seeing them fail and its fun to watch.

[DH]

Doug on the Jose and TJ so-called fued. I admit that I was partial to TJ because of what he showed when given the lead (with Bosh out). But I don't hold it against either that they were competitive. If they weren't fighting for minutes then damn what kind of leaders would they be. Both want to win, and to win you need to be competitive.

[Penguin]

I am ENTIRELY against putting a casino in the GTA. All of the negative comments already made here are in line with my own thinking. Earlier this year, I briefly dropped in at one of the Niagara Falls casinos. What a depressing place! People who looked like they clearly could not afford to be in a casino sitting transfixed in front of electronic, blinking games, mindlessly shoving money in, pushing buttons, and hoping some might come back. A casino in the GTA would 1) drain money from the other casinos in Ontario (and already it is generally agreed that two in Niagara is one too many as both are not profitable); 2) drain money from the horse racing industry; 3) drain money from those who can least afford to be helping to bail out Dalton McUseless and his Fiberals government; and 4) cause all manner of social issues for the city. I can't wait for the NIMBY discussions to begin (where in the GTA will one be located; nowhere near me).

[john]

Governments initial premise for Casino's, Lottery's etc was that people want to gamble so the Government might as well take a part of the action. But now the Government spend hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars a year promoting them. Its one thing for the Government to be a moral compass, but do they really need to promote this potentially addictive pass-time as much as they are?

Alcohol is another example. LCBO is a monopoly but spends hundreds of millions of dollars advertising to get people to drink more. At the same time the Government passes laws that are getting to the point that 2 beers will get you a 48 hour suspension. I am not in any way advocating drinking and driving, but how is it the government spends all this money advertising and promoting something potentially so dangerous? It makes no sense.