Talk about unilateral disarmament!
Today’s News-Journal reports that the Delaware General Assembly is already folding its hand on expansion of casino gambling, and will today consider legislation limiting any expansion to the three existing horse-track (and horsebleep) locations.
Now, the Beast Who Slumbers can well understand arguments against the expansion of casino gambling, and considers them legitimate reasons to oppose expansion. But protecting a special monopoly is not one of them. The ‘spontaneous’ demonstrations against expanding the number of sites are, in fact, being orchestrated by the facilities that control 100% of Delaware’s existing gambling sites:
The committee, which met in Georgetown on Monday, was greeted by a full house at the Delaware Technical & Community College Owens Campus auditorium. The crowd spilled into the hallways and stood in the back of the room once all the seats were taken.
Just as they did in previous hearings, groups of casino workers car-pooled, arrived in buses and carried protest signs against any major expansion of gambling.
While many of the workers said they support table gaming and sports betting, they did not favor adding additional gambling venues in the state.
Now, ‘bulo likes to think of himself as a logical person. But here’s where he’s having a difficult time understanding the logic of gaming workers opposed to expansion. They have stated that they fear losing their jobs if new facilities are allowed to open. ‘Bulo invites any of those protesters to respond to this thread by explaining how expanding the number of gaming industry jobs by the thousands will threaten their jobs. Might there be some migration of workers to other venues? Yes. But there will be an increase in jobs, and those currently working in the industry will be in high demand.
The explanation is simple: the workers are in the uncomfortable position of being ‘encouraged’ (i. e. coerced) by their employers to oppose this. Does anyone think that the workers themselves are renting the buses to come to these hearings? ‘Bulo invites any of the racino executives to come on here and prove him wrong.
Of course, the lemmings in the Delaware General Assembly scurrying for cover have never been considered candidates for ‘Profiles in Courage’. And, of course, some of the state’s most powerful legislators have their own reasons to kill expanded gambling in the crib. Uncle Thurm, with his ties to the Delaware State Fair and Harrington Raceway (a News-Journal story waiting to happen), is doing what he always does. Speaker Bob Gilligan is once again carrying water for Delaware Park. And powerful Rethug Bill Oberle is a horseman and in thrall to the horsemen’s industry.
But that is no excuse for the supposedly more forward-thinking General Assembly members to tear up their tickets like this. And it is no excuse for the Governor’s office to seemingly backtrack so soon on this either.
Someone needs to lay down a marker and bet that expanding the number of sites will increase jobs, improve what passes for ‘customer service’ at the existing locations, and will generate tax revenues. For once, publicly call out the slimy special interests shamelessly hiding behind their employees. Either that or accept the argument of principled opponents and sunset the existing sites. But protecting an existing monopoly controlled by the worst that the Delaware Way has to offer is a losing bet.