Betting on Ohio's future come November
- Michelle Wood: SWCD
- October 4, 2009
- 818
I was on a business trip to Detroit with two others. We were staying downtown in a beautiful old hotel that was badly in need of a rehab, but, given Detroit’s financial nightmares, wasn’t going to get one.
The television had channel after channel of anniversary documentaries, reflections and somber replays of planes flying into buildings. It was sad and depressing, so much so that the three of us decided to venture out in search of something to take our minds off of what had happened 365 days prior.
We ended up at the MGM Grand, thinking we’d get a nice meal and visit the casino.
What we got was just as depressing.
The restaurant was nearly empty; the buffet tables half-filled with entrées that looked as though they’d seen better times. Same thing was true of the casino – half-filled with gamblers who looked as though they’d seen better times.
They didn’t look like the high roller types, one of my companions said. In fact, I added, they didn’t look like they had the money to even hit the nickel slots.
Welcome to Detroit – a city that was hedging its bets on finding financial salvation in a few gaming halls.
I will offer this caveat – I did not go to Greektown, nor did I hit the tables on a weekend. Maybe it’s different then. Still, how much different can it be?
I am not a fan of gambling (I’d rather shop – where I put my money down and know I’m getting something in return) and I am confounded by Ohio’s strange love-hate relationship with it. The governor (and a few governors before him) have been opposed to it, yet have/had no problem with the Ohio Lottery, which is nothing more than a statewide numbers game.
Recently, I was at a gas station in Wooster, where I saw a man put down a C-note in exchange for a short stack of instant lottery tickets. Not one was a winner.
One hundred bucks down the drain. I stood amazed.
Either you’re opposed to gambling or you’re not. U.S. Sen. (and former Ohio governor) George Voinovich is opposed to gambling and doesn’t alter his opinion because times are tough and the state is betting on a big payday. How sad is that? This state is like a degenerate gambler, down and out and hoping for a miracle. We’re throwing our last few bucks in and hoping for the best. And now, the current governor is warming to casino interests, citing hard economic times.
Gambling isn’t going to save the state of Ohio. It won’t bring back the heady days of steel mills and blue collar splendor. It won’t draw people from surrounding states – they can stay at home and gamble. It will draw people who are desperate enough to look to Lady Luck for hope, just like the man at the gas station. High rollers will still go big – Vegas or Atlantic City – and we’ll end up seeing lots of people throwing away money they can’t afford to lose.
It may seem strange to you that although I am not a big fan of gambling, I am a huge fan of Vegas – the food, the shows, the shopping, and especially the weather. The success of Las Vegas is built on a lot more than its casinos. It is the ultimate tourist destination, because it offers something for everyone. Putting a casino in Cleveland isn’t going to make me want to go to Cleveland.
I’m not the only one. Last week’s Ohio newspaper poll showed that while a majority of voters polled would vote for State Issue 3 this fall, more than 80 percent of those polled have no plans to go to a casino themselves. Sure, casinos allegedly are going to generate jobs, but if no one goes to said casinos, how long will those jobs last?
Not to worry, though. Someone is going to get rich if and when casino gambling comes to Ohio: the people who own and run the casinos. Of course, they already have plenty of money, so what do they really have to lose?
If you’re morally opposed to gambling, you don’t crumble over economics. If you’re concerned about Ohio’s economy, you have to know it’s going to take a lot more hard work and thought to turn it around. We have outstanding medical resources in this state. We have the potential to lead the country, if not the world, in biotech and agricultural research.
Casinos are not going to stop Ohio’s brain drain or turn the ink from red to black. Casinos are just a sexy example of instant gratification that does not build economies. Our problems are deeper and much more complex. Still, they are not without solutions.
Come November, Ohio may put out the welcome mat for gamblers. Will they come? Don’t bet on it.
Columnist Tami Lange can be reached via e-mail at tam108@hotmail.com.