Via the Trib, here’s State Sen. Rodney Ellis on why he will once again carry a bill to expand gambling in Texas:
For what it’s worth, the “People are already gambling, why not let them do it here where we can get some revenue from it” argument is the most persuasive to me. It’s not enough to make me a proponent, or even more likely to vote for an eventual constitutional amendment, but it’s an argument I understand and respect, as long as it’s not making any dubious promises about how much revenue we can expect from it. Rick Casey has more.
the “People are already gambling, why not let them do it here where we can get some revenue from it” argument
This line seems to be standard across state lines. It’s the one we hear whenever someone raises the possibility of a state lottery or some other form of gambling (Hawai’i and Utah are the only states which don’t allow any forms of it). Hawai’i’s residents travel to Vegas regularly (there’s a long-standing joke that calls Las Vegas our ninth island) so one argument goes “allow the industry to build casino ships and anchor them offshore. That way we’d get the revenue.”
I’m not persuaded. People like to travel, not to motor three miles out to a fleecing.