Wanna Bet?

by Kerry Thomas

October 3, 2006

No one in the Wisconsin Legislature seems to be willing to address a nagging problem plaguing this State. Thanks to one judge’s interpretation of the word “lottery” Wisconsin has 13 casinos. And thanks to our Governor, they operate almost completely without regulation.

Because Indian Tribes are seen as “dependent domestic entities.” regulation of the activities on Tribal lands falls to the jurisdiction of the Tribes themselves and to the federal government. 25 U.S.C. 29 (Indian Gaming Regulations) requires that States negotiate compacts with the Tribes o further regulate their gambling operations. But these compacts differ greatly from one Tribe to the next.

So even though Wisconsin’s Constitution prohibits gambling and casinos (with exceptions for bingo, raffles, the lottery, etc), we have casinos operating in Wisconsin.

We also have numerous gambling operations going on in virtually every town in the State. Walk into almost any bar and see the video gambling machines. Of course, these are “for amusement purposes only.”

According to vendors, the State of Wisconsin collects approximately $130 million from these gambling machines every year, even though using them to gamble is illegal. The tax is on the “amusement games” and sees these machines as little more than pinball machines.

Even though these machines are operationally illegal, the State still collects tax revenues from them.

There was a time when my great grandfather has slot machines in the front of his grocery store. Sometime between then and now, they were outlawed. Then Wisconsin began to once again allow gambling in the State, in the form of bingo and raffles. It was expanded to allow for the lottery, and dog tracks. It’s time Wisconsin made up its mind.

Do we want to legalize all current forms of gambling, or should we outlaw it totally? The question is just that simple.

From the success of the Tribal casinos, it would seem there are quite a few people who frequent these establishments. It’s not just the criminal element who go to them. Casinos have become mainstream.

As it currently exists, gambling in Wisconsin is a racist enterprise, restricted to only those of a certain ethnic background. The State of Wisconsin will not even allow a caucasian citizen to apply for a casino license. It’s institutional racism.

How much has the lottery reduced your property taxes? Does your local Catholic church even offer bingo any more? The time has come to either allow all business enterprises who meet the criteria to conduct gambling operations, or we should again outlaw all gambling in Wisconsin completely.