What we have with HB 100, are two different frames coming together in different dimensions..

We have the thought provokers arguing for more gambling to boost the state’s revenue stream.. And on the other hand, we have those who are “experienced”, arguing for its failure…

Like abortion, like mandatory sentencing, like prayer in schools, we have an issue being argued on feelings and not on facts…

All their arguments boil down to this… People should be allowed to do what ever they want, even if it hurts them, so lets make some money off the idea.

The opposite camp, of course, says this…. People should NOT be allowed to do what ever they want, especially if it hurts them, so why are we making money off this idea?

Neither side will agree with the other.. Since both arguments are based on emotions, and not facts, neither side can be argued against the other.

It will require some muscle to get the bill passed, for no one will vote against their conscience.

Unless,

the playing field is changed.

And that is what must take place.. We need to manipulate the emotions behind this bill instead of arguing over theoretical longterm implications….

Those at the meeting on Monday at the Christiana Fire Hall may remember this portion of such espoused theoretical longterm implications.

$422 million= the amount of money stolen by compulsive gamblers in Delaware, he cites. Says 45,000 people are compulsive gamblers in this state. “I gave you people a five-year study…” “Do you have any idea that Delaware Park cashes Welfare checks?” Chastises the legislators for trying to advance gambling. Cites divorce and bankruptcy statistics in relation to gambling. Gerry’s spouting off stats left and right. Heads are literally spinning.

The argument FOR is simply that sports betting is a huge business that currently exists underground anyway, and that…. we should get a piece of it… (The same argument applies to the legalization of marijuana and illegal percocets.)…

So when you pit the FOR’s with the AGAINST’s you get STALEMATE.

Now to make life short, I have listened to all the pros and cons go back and forth… To save time I will refer you to the best argument of the CONS… here.

The FOR’s really do not have a good spokesperson. So I will play devil’s advocate and fill in the pieces.

Sports betting goes on anyway. It is illegal but is still the primary function of may legal establishments… Go to Stanley’s Tavern and try NOT to make a bet… My friend Paul won $500 on last Saturday’s March Madness.. I would have too, since except for Villanova, the rest of picks were no brainers …. It’s so easy to make money betting on sports… One almost never loses.

Almost… ( but then again I’ve been told I’m gifted at processing large amounts of information and making accurate predictions based accordingly… Lol. But what do they know? )

So where do all the profits go? A lot of them go to protect the operation from being shut down by legal authorities, since after all, it is (wink, wink) an illegal operation… So by not legalizing gambling, we continue to expose our law enforcement overseers to the infectious
mix of corruption and unaccountable money…. Which ironically means that bookies and the General Assembly work on equal footing.

I couldn’t support the bill as is written, but with a one line change, I could…

That line …..
Proceeds from the conduct of a sports lottery would be divided equally between the sports lottery agent and the State.

were it changed thusly…..

Proceeds from the conduct of a sports lottery would be divided 15% between the sports lottery agent and 85% towards the State.

I would then support it….

Most of you don’t remember the numbers racket before the lottery came out.. As soon as we jumped in with a government sanctioned lottery, it dried up and went away. Now one goes into a business establishment, and does the same in a cleaner, nicer, environment.. One less seedy operation has been put to bed…

We are a little better off by the legalization because some of the proceeds are used to assist those who have gambling problems. Before, the numbers man just killed you when you couldn’t pay.

Some things change, most remain the same, but like Times Square getting cleaned up, the application of government to a vice, always results in the improvement of that vice’s appearance. Likewise, associating in Vegas with legalized prostitutes, is kinda of cool as opposed to throwing the crap dice while standing next to illegal ones…

So overall, the movement of Government into the realm of vices, appears to be a good thing….For when it moves in, it cleans that area up, it diminishes the quick profit attraction that originally pulls people into that vice anyway, and it makes that vice less damaging to society as a whole.. After all, the government is simply just an extension of “us”..

In fact, I would call for Pam Thornberg to be put in charge of our state Vice Department. After all, she has all the connections.

The income estimates are low-balled and say that 100 million dollars of revenue will be earned over sports betting. Looking over the data used to compile these numbers, I can tell you they are pulled out of thin air… We all know there is no way anyone can predict which way these number will go, since there are far too many variables to predict the outcome… any such speculation, since there is no historical data, is simply another framed lie being proffered in an effort to persuade.

Why should we settle on 50% of the profits? We are, after all, the regulating committee… If we say “no” to those wishing to make money in this enterprise, they will get zero… wouldn’t an additional $20 million a year be worth whetting their appetite? If not, it might interest one of their competitors. Likewise jumping the state revenue’s portion from 55 million to 85 million would help our financial situation as a small state…

So I would not have a moral qualm with gambling if I thought it was helping me. If people want to play the odds for fun, why should I argue.

What gambling’s detractors object to, is that all this money is pulled from society and shuffled over as profit to those undesirable elements against who we are constantly fighting to improve the quality of our lives…

We would have no objections, if gambling was doing us good,… No one applies gambling statutes to a Church bingo game, even though their exception may or may not be written into the law…

So rewrite most of the profits going to the state, then pass and sign this bill, and let’s get some ground broken and jobs out there to pick up our economy before hell freezes over….

85 (state) to 15 (private) is the correct ratio.