Gambling Nix

It looks like Portlanders will need to continue their hour-long drive out to Spirit Mountain in order to throw away retirement funds, savings accounts, and milk money. Our Governor Kulongowski did not approve Portland’s plan of allowing the Grand Ronde tribe to build a casino in town in exchange for some hundreds of millions of dollars for a baseball stadium.

I am somewhat mixed on this issue. In theory it seems a fine idea. It’ll probably levy an equivalent or greater tax than Measure 28 did, and most likely it’ll strike at a lot of the folks who voted it down, but in the form of casino losses. But, what would a casino do to Portland? The businesses that would popup in support of it tend to be less savory…pawn shops, title loan companies, strip joints. Then there’s the addiction that many people become enveloped in with gambling. It’s frightening enough watching the video poker machines and the manic empty hope I see with so many people playing them, for entertainment purposes only, I’m sure. At least a casino would bring reasonable odds to Portland gambling.

I don’t believe that Portland is ready to cope with the social problems that could easily surround a casino in a major metropolitan area. Good call, Ted.