* Does anybody else think this looks like a goofy idea?
Compulsive gamblers are getting a new tool meant to help them avoid the temptation of buying Illinois lottery tickets.
Lottery officials launched a “self-exclusion” program Tuesday that lets problem gamblers place themselves on a list of people who aren’t allowed to collect major prizes. They can still buy tickets and collect prizes of up to $600, but the huge jackpots will be off limits.
“We’re trying to limit the incentives,'’ said lottery spokeswoman Katie Ridgway.
So, if a compulsive gambler buys a scratch-off ticket that nets him or her enough to buy five more tickets, that’s OK (and a fairly regular occurrence). But if miracle upon miracle happens and that same person somehow comes up with the winning $25 million Lotto number, there’s no prize.
I don’t get it.
According to the article, only seven people have signed up for a similar program in Iowa in the last two years. Understandable.
* Meanwhile, talk of a casino for Chicago continues…
“There is absolutely no confidence among law enforcement agencies that a gambling casino currently being considered could be operated without infiltration by organized crime,” Jim Wagner, President of the Chicago Crime Commission, said during a news conference.
The proposal calls for a city-owed casino run by a five-member board, three appointed by the mayor and with a license, critics say, that could never be revoked even if mismanagement or corruption flourished.
Jay Stewart of the Better Government Association questioned how the city could manage a billion dollar casino, when it “can’t do a $40 million hired truck program.”
Tuesday, Mayor Daley made it sound as though all casino decisions were out of his hands.
“We don’t have any decision making there, the state regulates, the state basically okays all contracts,” Daley said.
But critics say, the proposal also allows no-bid contracts to manage the casino, contracts the state gaming board wouldn’t oversee.
* More gaming and budget stuff, compiled by Paul…
* Illinois House close to a casino deal
* Chicago Public Radio: War of words over Chicago casino; more here
* City report of Olympics cites need for transit, marketing help ASAP
* CTA cuts may send kids into gang turf
* Sun-Times Editorial: Creaky CTA needs a lift
* Governor seeks federal funds for road projects
- Surfing downtown - Wednesday, Oct 17, 07 @ 9:33 am:
Concerning the self-exclusion list, why wouldn’t he just give the ticket to someone else to cash for him? (yes, I know about tax issues, but it’s still better than nothing)
- Pat collins - Wednesday, Oct 17, 07 @ 9:34 am:
Why can casinos operate in Elgin, Aurora, etc without the mob, but not Chicago?
I am not a casino fan, but that’s an obvious question…..
- Puzzled - Wednesday, Oct 17, 07 @ 9:35 am:
Possible Chicago casino: What is the difference between organized crime and Chicago city government? The level of organization?
- Ghost - Wednesday, Oct 17, 07 @ 9:41 am:
I would like to help gambling addicts as well. I will sell them all the raffle tickets they can buy on credit cards, equity loans, title loans. payday loans and with their pawn shop cash. But I promise I will never allow them to win any of the prizes over $50. That way they will be able to overcome their addiction, this time, by applying logic to the risk versus reward, that so far they have not been able to do anyway. Then ill increase the number of casinos to give them alternatives to my raffle.
- Cassandra - Wednesday, Oct 17, 07 @ 9:55 am:
Puzzled is so on target.
Actually, if they’d throw in some real property tax relief (instead of giving all the gadzillions that will be falling off the gambling truck to the mob, Daley pals and Blago pals and contributors) this could stem the income and sales tax increases for a while and actually benefit somebody besides
these most corrupt members of our Illinois society.
But I do feel a twinge of guilt. Is there no end to Daley’s and the Dems’ ability to rationalize really evil projects in the name of doing good. Is there no end to the number of individuals who will literally turn over their wallets to the casinos.
A happy day for the mob and for those many crooked friends and relatives of Daley, Blago, et al. Courtesy of us Illinois voters if we let the Gen Assembly get away with this.
- Yellow Dog Democrat - Wednesday, Oct 17, 07 @ 10:03 am:
Who gets the money?
- Fan of the Game - Wednesday, Oct 17, 07 @ 10:09 am:
Rich,
Agreed. Goofy idea. Is this just a ploy to help expand gaming? The state “takes away” incentives for people to gamble, so we can expand casinos with a clear conscience now?
Goofy.
- Siyotanka - Wednesday, Oct 17, 07 @ 10:21 am:
Doesn’t it seem a little hypocritical…to cut +400B from spending…and “Gov seeks Federal funds for road building”. Yes, I know about the matching funds…and yes I know about NOT all $$ was for highways…but, it just sounds way too off key to be real…but, then again this is Illinois.
- DC - Wednesday, Oct 17, 07 @ 10:29 am:
The new gambling policy is sadly hilarious.This is no different than letting a patient with cardiac disease order a Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese Extra Value Meal and let them voluntary decide to only eat 1/3 of the fries. The other questions is, what happens to the difference between what they they could win and the actual amount of the prize? Maybe they could use that money to replaced the frayed carpets on the Governor’s tax-supported airplane. Maybe if the difference was large enough, he could get some ceramic tile or wood floors on the plane.
Is the Governor asking for transportation money for the other half of the bridge he approved? Blagojevich asking for more money is a like a kid who ate all his fundraising candy bars asking his parents to pay for them. To paraphrase an old movie line, “the generosity of voters never ceases to amaze me.”
- Leroy - Wednesday, Oct 17, 07 @ 10:38 am:
Me thinks the unclaimed money will wind up in someone’s slush fund.
I am sure this tactic is an actuarial trick: if we put rules in place that make it impossible for the hardest core gamblers to win, how much extra $$$ does that net the state?
- Shallow Pool - Wednesday, Oct 17, 07 @ 11:05 am:
Right, we don’t want the hardcore gamblers to stop gambling. I mean, that would cut into state revenues.
The hardcore gambler doesn’t gamble because of the big winnings, they gamble for the psychological sensation of gambling. This is a perfect example of terrible policy that looks like it solves the problem when in reality it does nothing but insure the state continues to make money off of other people’s problems.
- wallace - Wednesday, Oct 17, 07 @ 11:53 am:
The mob has its tentacles in and around many of the departments of City government as well as a good share of contracts. They own Daley and when he says anything anymore don’t believe it. He is a hardened liar who will stop at nothing to get his way. Putin in Russia could learn from Daley. We don’t need nor want a casino in Chicago, it is a sorry way to finance government.
- Truthful James - Wednesday, Oct 17, 07 @ 12:53 pm:
We gamble every day with property valuation roulette.
- Ghost - Wednesday, Oct 17, 07 @ 12:54 pm:
If we want to expand casinos to pay for education, why not just add a State run Casino to every school. let them keep what they make. heck we can add classes on dealing and poker playing to the lesson plans.
- Truthful James - Wednesday, Oct 17, 07 @ 1:05 pm:
If you look at Cook County hard, you will see an underdeveloped third world in the sout suburbs that does need financial help, where the sales tax income of the more fortunate suburbs has passed them by. No Walmarts in Harvey, in Robbins, in East Chicago Heights. That is money spent by residents but exported from there to other villages. where property tax collections fall well below the 85% of extensions, where scavengers cull and decide not to buy delinquent taxes for pennies on the dollar, but if they do, don’t pay the taxes afterward.
These governments and the school districts need money to operate. The school districts get 85% and more of their revenue from the State
Gambling is bad, no doubt about it, but…
- Capitol Bill - Wednesday, Oct 17, 07 @ 2:23 pm:
I am not a gambler - but I love the idea of Chicago having a casino in the post office building. It will great for the SW side of Chicago, create many jobs, pay for all the ‘doomsday’ problems with roads, transportation and taxes, make Chicago even more of a tourist destination, etc, etc…. It seems like we will have less crime with a casino and being able to continue to pay the salaries for 2000 troopers.
- downhereforyears - Wednesday, Oct 17, 07 @ 5:57 pm:
Ask Jim Wagner what law enforcement agencies he’s referring to in his statement. There wouldn’t be a Chicago Crime Commission if they couldn’t claim organized crime was about to infiltrate this industry. They should get a new bogey man