A serious question

[Netboy Extraordinaire]

I will use Lexington as an example:

Liquor stores all over the city
Topless and Full Nude bars all over the city
You can gamble on horses 7 days a week at Keeneland or Red Mile
Hustler Hollywood Store right off Exit 110

There are things to get Adults into trouble all over the city yet the last time I checked the city and people that lived and worked in it were still there as well. Give the Adult population a little credit in that Casinos will not ruin the state. Will there be people that lose their savings, job, marriage and who knows what else if Casinos are introduced, ABSOLUTELY. Are their Alcoholics and people addicted to pornography that has lost everything, ABSOLUTELY. These are the more severe extreme cases. Are there people that wish a Casino was closer so they could use their talents to make money, ABSOLUTELY. Not every person that walks into a Casino is a low life poor piece of white trash with a Gambling problem. Gambling is not a sin until it rules your life or you worship it. Fishin.com could be a sin if you sat on it 24/7, let it ruin your life because you worshiped it.

[Chubminnow]

If you think Churchill Downs is not hurting you are delusional. Pick ANY weekday and go to Churchill when live racing and see what a ghost town it is. If it was not for inter-track wagering Ellis and Turf would be closed. Churchill will not close because the Derby abs Keeneland will not close because of all the farms surrounding Keeneland want to see their horses run, the attendance and the sales that coincide with live racing.

I assume it's me you're calling delusional since I'm the one who can't tell they're hurting for money when I go there...I'll ignore your comment about my status, it ain't worth it to me to spend what little time I have to get into a pissing match with anyone.

Maybe we're talking about two different things....maybe the Kentucky horse racing industry's well being verses Churchill Downs well being are two different things.

As for the ghost town comment...yes, during the week it is..but they do really well at other times to make up for it...this ain't Vegas, it will NEVER be crowded during the middle of the week, Casino gambling or not. Never has been in my fifty years of living in this city...never has been in my 30 years of driving right past it twice a day during the week either.

[Tim_T]

Tim, everything I have heard about the Churchill situation is that there used to be a lot better weekday crowds and a lot better racing through the week than there is now. I am not a big horse racing guy, but have some friends that are and a couple that work in the industry. They tell me that the only thing helping the crowds right now is the night racing dates they have. The fields are very small as Woody said because trainers are taking their horses to tracks in other states that have the casinos. These tracks are able to pay better purses and that is why horse racing is dying in this state.


I am not really a gambler, and if they build casinos here, I doubt I will go unless they have live boxing, which is the only reason I have been to any of them. But, the horse racing industry is huge here in Kentucky and employs a few hundred thousand people from what I have read. These are jobs that will be leaving this state. This imo is something we do not need and people like David Williams are causing this.

[bassin_bug]

Bug the lottery was brought up by someone else.

As for your contention that casinos bring in all this extra crime, studies have shown otherwise. People against gambling tend to ignore the facts and argue against it using emotion and not facts.

I could have sworn that you said your daughter was using lottery money for her college education. I assumed that you were talking about the lottery or, at least, receiving scholarship money from it.

I'm sorry that the studies misled so many people. I can drive an hour to an hour and-a-half and see more casinoes than I care to see. The political side has the factual reports whitewashed for selfish reasons. I read the police reports from several of the cities where casinoes are located and they tell a different story altogether. I'm not including reports from two large Indian Reservations that have casinoes. They are tribal and are held to a different form of government.

If your comment that "people against gambling tend to ignore the facts and argue against it using emotion and not facts" was directed at me....you missed by a mile.

[parker]

I sence a TKO coming!

[jcb]

TKO?

[know1]

If the casinos are built and do bring in more tax money, would our government lower taxes similarly for the citizens? If not, then I don't see the point of just throwing more money at an already bloated and intrusive government.

[Chubminnow]

If the casinos are built and do bring in more tax money, would our government lower taxes similarly for the citizens? If not, then I don't see the point of just throwing more money at an already bloated and intrusive government.

I tend to agree with you....I still think even if Casino Gambling was allowed, that it would only be a matter of ten years or less before we hear about how our state still needs more money, etc...

[Tim_T]

I could have sworn that you said your daughter was using lottery money for her college education. I assumed that you were talking about the lottery or, at least, receiving scholarship money from it.

I'm sorry that the studies misled so many people. I can drive an hour to an hour and-a-half and see more casinoes than I care to see. The political side has the factual reports whitewashed for selfish reasons. I read the police reports from several of the cities where casinoes are located and they tell a different story altogether. I'm not including reports from two large Indian Reservations that have casinoes. They are tribal and are held to a different form of government.

If your comment that "people against gambling tend to ignore the facts and argue against it using emotion and not facts" was directed at me....you missed by a mile.

I did bring up the fact that Keys money comes from lottery proceeds, only because others brought up the lottery and said it wasn't working.

I didn't miss at all. And kudos to you for being able to drive an hour and a half to a casino. I can be at one in thirty minutes by crossing the bridge. My guess is, I have spent much more time around casinos than you have, unless you are a degenerate gambler. I don't gamble, but have spent a lot of years in the sport of boxing and most of your bigger fight cards are at the Casinos. I have spent time around casinos in Vegas, Atlantic City, Tunica and three different ones in southern Indiana. I have yet to see on e single arrest, so excuse me if I have a hard time believing this. SOunds like something the pastor told you!

[bassin_bug]

You missed by a mile....AGAIN. My pastor doesn't preach about casinoes, horse races, and lotteries; he preaches from the Bible. I didn't say what I did about arrest records to convince you one way or the other. I said it because it is the truth. Because you don't have access to the same information that I have doesn't mean that it doesn't exist.

You must be having a tough time because you sure are grinding your teeth a lot. Is your face also turning red? I'm not wasting anymore of my time on this thread.

[apb]

Tim_T, I have no doubt that there are some benifits of casinos. The negative stuff I suggested is along the lines of what Bassin_bug and Geo mentioned. I have read a number of studies (peer reviewed journals, not something a paster suggested) that brought up those topics indicating negative benifits of casinos. If I have time later I'll try and dig a few up for you.

I've been to Keenland a few times for the horse races. Been to a few casinos too. Entertainment for a few hours, and thats about it. If folks want to gamble, have at it. I have no issues with that. Its the negative influences that are associated with casinos that outweigh any of the positives.

Andrew

[Netboy Extraordinaire]

I need to clarify one of my comments. I said Churchill Downs was in trouble, and they are. What keeps Churchill afloat is the fact that they own Calder in Florida, Arlington Park in Illinois, Fair Grounds in La. Plus own simulcast rights to Indiana Downs, Hollywood Park and other tracks in states where gaming is allowed. They also own HRTV. My father in law owns thousands of shares of Churchill Downs stock and he gets quarterly reports, to which I have seen. Churchill has lost money EVERY live fall meet for the past 6 years and if you took out Oaks and Derby Day handle would have lost in the spring meet as well over 6 years.