THE INIQUITIES OF GAMBLING have long been noted by poets and philosophers:
"The Whore & Gambler, by the state
Licensed, build that nation's fate. . ."
wrote William Blake (1757-1827), in his Auguries of Innocence.
I hasten to note that so far in Canada we're not into licensing brothels -- but our governments do push lotteries, and more than a few of our local and regional governments have become exceptionally enthusiastic about licensing gambling casinos.
Since we fill half of Blake's prescription for the dire consequences that he seems to be predicting for our gambling sin, we can only guess what fate he may have had in mind, although I'd bet (sorry, Mr. Blake) he meant something terrible.
LONG BEFORE BLAKE, the English clergyman and poet George Herbert (1593-1633) declared the following on the dangers of gambling:
"Play not for gain, but sport. Who plays for more
Than he can lose with pleasure, stakes his heart;
Perhaps his wife's too, and whom she hath bore."
Those words of wisdom by the Reverend Mr. Herbert will not commend themselves, I'd expect, to the minds of folks in the gambling trade, who prey upon the poor and the greedy (and the gullible), seeking to attract them in ever larger numbers to their gambling halls.
FOR PROPAGANDA PURPOSES, of course, the gambling merchants who are licensed by government to work their trade do accept (superficially, in my view) the Herbert advice, urging casino customers, in similar language in fact, to enjoy, but to play responsibly. We've all heard the slogan, "Know your limit, play within it."
I'm pretty sure that a huge percentage of those entering organized gambling establishments to bet have an idea of "making" money. Now, we occasionally do hear a friend or acquaintance relate how he or she came home from the casino the other night with two or three thousand dollars in winnings. What you will rarely hear, though, is the truth about how much that casino player had to lose, over time, on the road to those winnings.
I'VE BEEN IN CASINOS in a number of places over many years. The first time was on a visit to Reno -- some 40 years ago -- when Reno, probably ahead of even Las Vegas, was the main gambling spot in North America, at least for people in British Columbia. Reno gambling was a great novelty.
At that time, Reno was a much smaller town than it is today, and its casinos were on the whole quite homey places; people seemed to be having a good time, and they liked the plentiful supply of free or low-cost meal tickets.
I went back about ten years ago and found it much different: bigger casinos, bigger hotels, hardly recognizable from the good old Reno where people had fun.
TODAY OF COURSE THERE ARE casinos just about everywhere, including, in plentiful supply, around my own stomping grounds, Greater Vancouver. There are, as I see it, too many.
Actually, it wouldn't disturb me one little bit if there were none. It seems to me they serve no useful purpose, and probably do more harm than good. It must be remembered that the casino form of gambling is a large departure from the government-run and government-controlled lotteries we have in Canada.
The lotteries are what I call a "separation" form of gambling, meaning you make your wager, usually in a store, then move on, dealing with other day-to-day matters, like buying groceries or doing other kinds of shopping. You're separated from the betting point and the "cash-in" point (if there's any cashing in to do).
You're taking a flyer (the odds against winning the 6/49 are massive, and the odds against winning the Lotto Max are massive-massive) but, as is often said, someone might win, and you don't have to spend very much to have a chance. There's no sitting at a slot machine in a privately-owned and operated casino and mindlessly working it (pouring money into it) in the hopes of "winning" a big payday -- while the private owners or their representatives look on and and make sure you're "having a good time" and do whatever else they can to help you separate yourself from your money. When it comes to plain, ordinary lottery tickets, though, I think most people usually spend a modest amount on them, hoping to win something.
THE ATMOSPHERE OF OUR CASINOS bugs hell out of me. Very few people seem to be having any fun at all. (Maybe because most are going to be losers when they leave?) In fact, many people I've observed in casinos have a somewhat melancholy look about them. And the security guys? Oh, yeah -- you can't miss 'em. Those I've seen usually travel in pairs. They are very tastefully dressed, but they are big guys (I almost said bruisers), and they don't look happy. In fact, they look sort of mean and threatening.
To put it simply, I don't like our casinos, find them quite boring. But my experience tells me many people spend a long time in them, and have long (funless, I say) sessions with various forms of gambling.
THIS COMMENTARY AGAINST COMMERCIAL GAMBLING establishments comes as a response to current news of a casino expansion proposed for downtown Vancouver. I am opposed to it, and I wish to state my support of an organization called Vancouver Not Vegas, which is against that expansion.
Vancouver's Mayor Gregor Robertson, according to news reports, says he won't allow new casinos or existing casino expansion as long as he's mayor. This is welcome news and I'm sure Vancouver Not Vegas will approve.
I worry about the position of the provincial government, however, because it is heavily dependent upon gambling revenues. Oh, yes, it certainly does clean up financially with its lotteries (through the B.C. Lottery Corp.), but also takes a chunk from the commercial casinos, too. It hauls in well over one billion dollars annually from gaming, so it has a large stake in keeping the games going. This is not good.
A former Vancouver city councillor, Peter Ladner, who is dubious about casino expansion, made some cogent comments earlier this year at a public meeting about the proposed expansion, and I think they are worth repeating.
"WE NEED A MORATORIUM on further gambling expansion in Vancouver until we understand its impact," he said. The Vancouver Courier noted the following in its report on that meeting:
"As for concerns about crime and problem gambling, Ladner pointed out the RCMP's Integrated Gambling Enforcement Team disbanded in 2009, leaving monitoring of casinos largely to the B.C. Lottery Corp."
Ladner was then quoted as saying:
"To put BCLC in charge of monitoring abusive gambling is like having he Hells Angels in charge of abusive gang activity."
Ladner suggested that a referendum be held on the casino proposal, but that idea seems to have dropped out of sight.
Do the gambling operators always appear to win? Well, I guess they're the dealers, aren't they?
