[Guest post by Pete Tonery.]
In Sunday’s D&C, prominent local businessman Patrick Burke wrote about the dismal economic effect the Seneca Niagara Casino has had on the city of Niagara Falls. Mr. Burke’s account was startling: 60% of the population on some kind of government support, 34% living below the poverty line, 11.3% unemployment. This after the casino has been operating for nearly a decade.
In both the past and present, casino developers make claims about the employment and prosperity that will benefit the surrounding community. But no matter how they dress up a casino, it exists for one purpose only: to separate dollars from the pockets of the customer. The business of a casino is not gambling. That is the activity they provide. The business of a casino is making money from people who are entertained by risk and the unlikely prospect of getting something for nothing.
Years ago, when I and some friends decided to organize a monthly poker game, I bought a couple of short books on gambling and card playing. One book was particularly honest. It presented the odds of winning for virtually every game of chance. Naturally, the player never had an even playing field. The odds ALWAYS favored the house, often into double digit advantages. The author was a professional card player. He shared his knowledge at least in part to help those committed to gambling to try and do it rationally. He flatly stated that casino games were losing propositions and the only reasonable chance of making money was in card games against other players. While the house always took a percentage, the card player was gambling against others– not going against the house.
Overwhelmingly, most casino gambling is on modern, digital slot machines. There is no human interaction or social time. There is evidence that slots have been engineered to increase addiction. These devices maximize the adrenaline rush and provide optimal sensory distractions that minimizes the reality of the player’s real losses. Digital slots let gamblers play multiple games simultaneously. With one push of the button a player can run ten games all with different payouts (the familiar handle that gave these machines their nickname, “The One Armed Bandit,” are long gone, replaced by a large, soft button/trigger.) Each game extracts the same wager and it’s easy to see how a player can win while losing: two “wins” doesn’t compensate for eight losses. However, the player’s perception is one of success.
Most significantly, there is very little actual money exchanged in slot machine play. The customer inserts bills — ten, twenty, fifty, a hundred — into the device which then spits out a card, basically an in-house gambling debit card; losses are deducted and wins credited automatically. No nickels have to be pumped in or collected in an old coffee cup. The handing over of money by the gambler to the house is a quick, quiet, private matter. Paper currency appears then disappears, silently and without fanfare.
I have been to the casino in Niagara Falls once. My wife, daughter and I went this summer to have a look. We expected a mini Las Vegas, it was nothing like it. Smoking is allowed in the casino and many, many gamblers smoke, so the first thing you notice is the smell. The gambling space is enormous; imagine three or four War Memorials without any seats.
My dominant impression of the casino was one of having stepped into Zombieland. At first none of us noticed the human atmosphere but as we walked around we began to perceive an overarching tone or feeling to everyone in the room. There was tremendous focus. Virtually everyone was committed to gambling, even those who were just walking in. Their faces were a blend of anxiety, anticipation and commitment as they entered the casino — something I have never seen that in a crowd before.
If you watch the crowds at a sporting event, for example Rich Stadium, people may appear a little anxious but that’s because of the start time. They may be anxious but they also look happy to be there and part of it all. At a game, visitors talk to each other as they stream in or out. They have a shared interest, they plan to be entertained and they look alive. It’s the same for every other entertainment crowd – concerts, festivals, rallies. People look intent but they are open, conversational and happy to be doing what they are doing.
When Governor Cuomo promised casinos in upstate NY I hope he meant White Plains and not Rochester. Rochester was built by George Eastman. This city, its identity and self perception, can be traced back directly to the industry and philanthropy of Eastman. He created this city as a model of a successful, well rounded community, one that had a harmonious balance between business, science, arts and culture. George Eastman believed in the health and welfare of his workers, their families and all those who surrounded them. He built the Dental clinic, the music school, the philharmonic, the art gallery, helped found the U of R, the medical school and, obviously, advanced the science and arts of photography and movies.
Rochester is a city of culture and sophistication. It has problems but it is coping and has a vision for its future. The community is advancing to fulfill that vision. For those Rochestarians who must gamble, casinos already exist in the state. Casinos don’t fit into Rochester’s history or future. I hope residents remember our shared legacy of education, culture, discipline and industry so as to resist the falsehoods that will come with any proposal for a casino.
Rocville posts on the casino:
Casino Gambling in Rochester Midtown
Rochester Inner Loop Casino
The Rochesterian:
Let’s Talk Casinos
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