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Casinos coming to Texas, Louisiana is doomed

Discussion in 'BBS Hangout' started by Karlfranklin, Apr 15, 2011.

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Icehouse Contributing Member

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How badly would this hurt Louisiana? I hear they have lobbyists making sure Texas doesn't get bambling.

Edit: Found the answer. The bolded parts make me think we have a shot this time.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/25/us/politics/25ttramsey.html?_r=1&src=twrhp

Gov. Rick Perry was for legalized gambling before he was against it.

In 2004, the governor added video lottery terminals at racetracks to the list of issues he would allow lawmakers to consider during a special session — when the governor controls what’s on the agenda. They ultimately didn’t produce any legislation, but it was an indication that Mr. Perry wasn’t hostile to expanding the state’s legal gambling — at least if the money was for school finance.

His position has changed, and like the Republican Party of Texas and many of his core voters, he no longer supports expanded gambling in Texas — although that might not make any difference this year. Texas allows bingo and parimutuel wagering on dogs and horses, and runs a lottery, but for casino games and slots, Texans go elsewhere.

In Louisiana, the Gaming Control Board frequently writes about Texas in its annual report to the governor and the Legislature. We’re apparently the mother lode. In the most recent report, for 2009-10, Louisiana recorded $723.5 million in gambling revenue, and board members worry that competition from other states could take away money and cut into the Support Education in Louisiana Fund, where the gambling money goes.

For instance, the Lake Charles market in Louisiana accounted for $482.4 million in revenue in that latest report, and has this asterisk attached to it: “Most of this area’s customers originate from the Houston area, and, like Shreveport-Bossier, would be hurt by legalized gambling in Texas. Pro-gambling lobbyists have so far been unsuccessful at bringing gambling to Texas, but persist in their efforts to do so.”

That they do.

The promoters here are lobbied up, with groups advancing sometimes competing arguments for more liberal bingo rules, for allowing slot machines to operate at existing racetracks and on Indian reservations, and for full-blown destination-resort casinos.

The casino bill will be carried, once again, by State Representative Jim Pitts, Republican of Waxahachie, which is significant in part because he’s the chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, which is writing the state budget.

The existing forms of gambling in Texas all got through the Legislature in previous tough financial times. It’s a simple formula: the state needs money to keep programs going, it’s not a tax, it doesn’t require the governor’s signature and it does require voter approval. That’s four kinds of political insulation, and they’re all in play now.

Texas has a budget shortfall of $15 billion to $27 billion, depending on whether you’re measuring how much it would take to match current spending — the low number — or current services.

Mr. Perry reverted to his antigambling position after the 2004 effort, but unless he begins a vociferous campaign against expansion, that probably won’t matter. Slots or casinos go straight from the Legislature to the voters without stopping at the governor’s desk.

Public opinion shows support for expanded gambling, especially for proposals that have local options and when the money is directed at something voters support, like public education.

The promoters say slot machines could be shipped into the state and be operating in no time at all. That’s important to lawmakers looking to balance the budget: if the machines are up and running quickly, they’re producing state revenue quickly. That makes the budget part work.

Casinos take longer to set up, but one proposal would charge the licensees a huge fee up front — $50 million, say, or $100 million — and that income could help budgeteers while the casinos are being built. Neither is technically a tax — at least not the kind of tax that attracts voters to anti-government rallies at the Capitol.

It’s not an easy issue. The opposition, which includes a diverse mixture from moralists to budget experts to policy wonks, is strong and persuasive. Lawmakers tried in 2003 and in 2005 but couldn’t get the votes even though the state faced a budget shortfall and needed a money source for a major rewriting of the state’s school finance formulas.

This is the biggest deficit in the state’s modern history, and it’s a remarkably anti-tax Legislature, even for Texas. In spite of the odds, for gamblers, hope springs eternal.
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#81 Icehouse, Apr 15, 2011
Last edited: Apr 15, 2011

Rocket River Member

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Icehouse said: ↑

How badly would this hurt Louisiana? I hear they have lobbyists making sure Texas doesn't get bambling.
Click to expand...

I wonder will they relax the blue laws. . . if not then I think Louisiana
will still have a better deal
[Able to drink all night and day . ..versus texas closing it down at 1am and not open on sundays I beleive]

Rocket River

#82 Rocket River, Apr 15, 2011
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how do casinos prey on the poor exactly?
does it not prey on the stupid that do not know how to manage their money?

#83 DOMINATOR, Apr 15, 2011
TheRealist137 Member

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JuanValdez said: ↑

What if Galveston steals all the best strippers and hookers from Houston after stealing all the gambling business from Louisiana?
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El Hitman will make sure that that doesn't happen.

#84 TheRealist137, Apr 15, 2011
Karlfranklin Member

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DOMINATOR said: ↑

how do casinos prey on the poor exactly?
does it not prey on the stupid that do not know how to manage their money?

Click to expand...

Nice way to make friends with most posters on this thread. I think they love how you call them poor and stupid.

#85 Karlfranklin, Apr 15, 2011
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My wallet already feels empty after reading this.

#86 Marteen, Apr 15, 2011
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Karlfranklin said: ↑

Nice way to make friends with most posters on this thread. I think they love how you call them poor and stupid.
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lol, sorry that wasn't directed at anyone that goes to a casino. (i gamble on a regular basis and have gone to casinos)
i just dont like the argument against casinos that 'they prey on the poor' when infact they take advantage of people that dont really know how to manage their money. (not stopping after you lose your gambling money you set aside)

#87 DOMINATOR, Apr 15, 2011

famicom Member

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I just hope if they do have casinos, that it should be "smoke-free." It sucks when people (mostly older) are at the tables smoking up a chimney

#88 famicom, Apr 16, 2011
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famicom said: ↑

I just hope if they do have casinos, that it should be "smoke-free." It sucks when people (mostly older) are at the tables smoking up a chimney
Click to expand...

I am not a smoker. . but QUESTION: Would you be oppose to SOME casinos for smokers?

Rocket River

#89 Rocket River, Apr 16, 2011
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I'd want the casinos to be forced to pump a TON of money annually to the beautification of Galveston and its beaches.

Icehouse said: ↑

Wow at $50M license fee.
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.... it's DIRT CHEAP for a casino. Absolutely peanuts.

Hell, I'm tempted to find some venture capitalists and get in on the action.

#90 droxford, Apr 16, 2011
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Baqui99 said: ↑

Galveston is a dump. Why not San Antonio?
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Why not both, is it a freaking NFL franchise?

#91 Dairy Ashford, Apr 17, 2011
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I'll be there every Sunday's.. Get away from the wife and kids for a whole day, lying that I'm playing softball with the boys but in reality I'm gambling and banging hookers, hahhahaha!!!!!

#92 VanityHalfBlack, Apr 17, 2011
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famicom said: ↑

I just hope if they do have casinos, that it should be "smoke-free." It sucks when people (mostly older) are at the tables smoking up a chimney
Click to expand...

As much as I don't like smoking, it'll never happen. Too many people stress out during gambling and smoke. Among tons of other reasons, you just can't limit your potential players that way.

#93 EssTooKayTD, Apr 18, 2011

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droxford said: ↑

I'd want the casinos to be forced to pump a TON of money annually to the beautification of Galveston and its beaches.
Click to expand...

I'd want them to come up with a way to redirect the silt from the Mississippi so that the water is blue versus diarrhea.

#94 Master Baiter, Apr 18, 2011
rhadamanthus Contributing Member

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Master Baiter said: ↑

I'd want them to come up with a way to redirect the silt from the Mississippi so that the water is blue versus diarrhea.
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I just imagined a kid opening up a new box of crayons and removing one at random, evaluating his choice, and then realizing that the color is "diarrhea".

#95 rhadamanthus, Apr 18, 2011

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rhadamanthus said: ↑

I just imagined a kid opening up a new box of crayons and removing one at random, evaluating his choice, and then realizing that the color is "diarrhea".
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That's awesome! It's the crayon that the kid would use to color Galveston.

#96 Master Baiter, Apr 18, 2011
JuanValdez Contributing Member

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TheRealist137 said: ↑

El Hitman will make sure that that doesn't happen.
Click to expand...

He's probably already packing to go.

#97 JuanValdez, Apr 18, 2011
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So... time to buy property? Or still a tossup?

#98 Ziggy, Apr 26, 2011

JuanValdez Contributing Member

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Ziggy said: ↑

So... time to buy property? Or still a tossup?
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If you wait until it's certain, the price will go up.

#99 JuanValdez, Apr 26, 2011
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This should help Houston/Galveston attract marquee boxing matches. Could you imagine something as big as Paquiao vs. Mayweather in Galveston?

#100 Cohete Rojo, Apr 26, 2011

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