The last thing Trenton needs is a casino
laparker@trentonian.com
Trenton does not need a casino.
That’s about as to the point that a statement can be delivered as political candidates offer gambling as a way to increase city cash flow.
If you like shell games or even Three Card Monte then understand several points made here will be countered by data presented by people who think gaming can save Trenton.
Honest people know that casinos siphon money out of local economy. And while draining profits from businesses, let’s not forget that the slots, card games, and roulette wheels pull money out of customers.
In other words, casinos suck big time for those people who think they can triple their paychecks with a hot streak against a vulnerable blackjack dealer. Listen, I have a friend who counts cards. He has written books regarding his craft. Frequently, his attire includes disguises because his expertise makes game bosses fear his power.
Experts can make money on gaming tables but just about everybody else loses with this frequently explained situation. “Man, I was up $500.” Key words here are “was” and “$500”, meaning that a fool and his money had sometime parted. No easy exits exist (cool wording right?) for Trenton revitalization. It’s a long climb back that must include some type of industry, redevelopment, and an improved education system.
Legalized gambling eventually delivers corruption, prostitution, violence, crime, and eventually an inability to compete against other casinos. Atlantic City suffers in part because of Philadelphia gaming tables and other Pennsylvania towns that have launched gambling initiatives. Trenton residents do not need more gambling. In fact, Garden State officials could signal a change in revenue seeking ideas if they offered a moratorium on new scratch-off lottery ticket contests.
Last week, I stood in line at a favorite city sandwich shop while a guy asked for a long list of Powerball lottery tickets then requested a hand full of scratch off tickets.
Now, don’t get me wrong, our office dabbles in lottery tickets when jackpots push toward stratospheric payouts. The smarter employees refuse even a $2 contribution to the office lottery cause.
We never win any serious money. Actually, each coworker could have saved hundreds over the years had they refrained from dropping a few dollars into a worthless cause.
Five years ago, the Delaware Nation, a tribe whose ancestors were the first New Jerseyans, returned to Trenton for exploratory conversations about potential economic development in the capital city.
Suspicions were that Delaware Nation members were really on a fishing expedition to test waters for a casino.
Nothing ever came of that venture. A similar fate awaits politicians or city leaders who think a casino or riverboat gambling can save Trenton.
The only Casino needed in Trenton is Tony Goes hotdogs.