Once again Arapahoe Park is going after a bigger slice of the gambling dollar by getting a measure to allow 2,500 slot machines at the track on this year’s ballot. You can read the details in this Sentinel article from May of this year.
Do I think it is a good idea? The libertarian in me says the state should only be concerned about facilities meeting their license requirements, but should not decide whether or not we have enough casinos. The horseracing fan in me says, even if this is a way to keep horseracing going, it is not the long term solution to the problems horseracing has. And if you don’t believe me, just read about Delaware Park after they allowed casino gambling. You can also read one of my earlier blogs below on how to save racing.
Naturally the people in favor of the initiative cite revenue sharing with the state’s education fund. I’ve cynically noted that if someone wanted to get public executions on pay per view, they’d offer part of the profits to the state education fund. Even I will concede that the gambling revenues might not the best choice to save education. (How about slot machines with the jackpot being CSAP-CSAP-CSAP instead of cherries?)
This whole issue of slot machines only affects me inasmuch as it affects racing. Even in Vegas the only time I used to play slots was when I had a loose quarter in my pocket, and now you can’t even get into a slot with less than a dollar. It’s a sucker’s game, and anyone who understands the statistics of gambling knows that. So for the most part, I really don’t care if I have a casino five miles from my house (far enough to not affect my home value).
Guess who opposes the initiative? That’s right. The existing casinos in Cripple Creek, Black Hawk and Central City. Ostensibly, the reason for allowing casinos in the first place was to give those historic mining towns an economic boost. I was here when they passed that initiative, and I guarantee it was sold as a way to give a few bars an old west flavor with a few one-armed bandits and a poker table. Have you seen the Ameristar in Black Hawk? Doesn’t exactly scream Miss Kitty’s saloon, does it?
Here is what Lois Rice, executive director of the Colorado Gaming Association said about a casino in the Denver metro area: “If there was gambling available in major metro areas in the state, there would be no incentive for folks to drive to the historic mining towns,” she said. She said the state would lose all the revenue created by those casinos.
Seriously? The casino at Arapahoe Park wouldn’t replace that money and even more? Besides, if you live anywhere on the west side of town, Black Hawk and Cripple Creek are miles closer than Arapahoe Park, a facility about as far east as development has occurred. On the other hand, people who live on the east side of town are not regularly driving to the mountain casinos that often because it is a 60-90 minute trip, unless of course they dream about slot machines all day. For most people who enjoy the occasional game of chance, the mountain casinos are akin to that trip to Elitch’s. Once or twice a year is plenty. Anybody who understands geographical location and its relation to human behavior (I actually have a degree in that) knows that there are only so many things people will drive an hour and a half to enjoy regularly.
One other question. Is the executive director of the Colorado Gaming Association somehow biased here? Why should the Gaming Association care where the casinos are unless….ok, I won’t say it.
I’m not backing Arapahoe Park here. I’m just saying, nobody should have an exclusive right to casino gambling in a state that allows casino gambling by entities other than the Indian Tribes (a whole separate discussion).
Let’s call the opposition what it really is. Either protectionism by the mountain casinos or moralizing by people who believe gambling is on the devil’s list of things he loves. And that’s fine. There are plenty of issues people will disagree on. Just be honest in why you have a position.
A Denver Post editorial came out against the initiative. Their basic reason seems to be that because we are not preserving historic mountain towns (with mega hotels/casinos) there is no reason to approve this initiative. We did our duty 24 years ago (and I’m guessing they mean we probably made a huge mistake in doing so) and that is that. But the editorial undertone I was getting was, gambling is a scourge and just because we have to put up with it in the mountain towns is no reason to put up with it anywhere else.
Now I will say this. If they are going to generate major traffic to Arapahoe Park they better have a plan for improving Quincy Avenue and Gun Club Road. It’s already a mess at rush hour and that’s just from the developments that are popping up like the prairie dogs they are displacing.
Like most things, piecemeal is the wrong way to go about solving a problem. If the race track needs help, there are ways to do that. If education needs help, then we need a strong and sensible comprehensive state policy to address that. And if there is an incredible pent-up demand for slot machines, we should figure out that too. Just because someone is already here doesn’t mean the door should slam shut. Unless, of course, we are talking about…..never mind.