Legalizing Gaming and Gambling in Tennessee.

This is a paper that I had to write and I thought it was topical and maybe some of you with lots of free time my like to read. As always, I encourage your feedback.
"Why gambling should be legalized"
by Clay Chavis

I used to like putting an occasional bet on a football game during football season. I like to bet on stuff and I always have. Whether it be a simple bet as a child on who could skip a rock across a pond the furthest or betting $100 on the Super Bowl each year. I think gambling should be legalized. I don’t think that I was hurting anyone. In my opinion that makes it harmless, or a victimless crime. I like the action of it. See, I used to make wagers on football games every fall and winter, both college and professional, but I only bet $10 or maybe $20 per game. I didn't have much money to spend so I only bet on games that were on TV or was the “big” game of the week. This allowed me to be interested in a game I normally would not shown any interest. Obviously, I was not going to get rich shelling out that much coin, but like I said, I did it for the excitement of it. I mean, if I could have afforded the $10, then who is getting hurt. That is why I think gambling is not a crime. I think it is a vice, or maybe a bad habit, but not a crime. **For the record, I have not bet on football in 3 years....and as noble as I sound, it's been for lack of resources that have lead to my gambling abstinence**
Whether you realize it or not, but legalized gambling abounds. Let’s see, it is late in the afternoon and you are waiting in line to pay for gas at a local station. It is taking forever. The line just will not move. You ask yourself, “What is taking so long?” Of course then you realize a man is at the head of the line buying lottery tickets. He is putting down money on the chance of winning more money by purchasing these lottery tickets. I have not looked it up in Webster’s Dictionary, but this sounds a lot like gambling to me. Have you ever entered a “March Madness Basketball Pool” for maybe $5? Technically, that is gambling, and you are breaking the law. How about poker night over at a friend’s house? Again, you are gambling and it’s against the law. Of course, with these examples, you have not added a steel door to your home with four deadbolts or your not scared that the police is going to kick the door in at your friend's house while you are chip leader on poker night.
According to the Tennessee Code and local laws, gambling is illegal, but between the double standard of running a statewide lottery to raise money for government programs, and the small time element of gambling, you won’t read anything in the local papers or hear on the news about a crime involving




gambling. With the priority going to violent offenders and then white collars criminals that defraud others, it does not seem to me that the police is remotely interested in chasing down card games. I think the police have their priorities straight on this matter by the way. Go after the criminals that matter, not a bunch of married guys betting five dollars at a time.

According to the magazine “The Futurist,” an article was written in regards to legalizing gambling in January of 2007. The article stated that “A growing number of states are legalizing gambling to improve their economies and increase government revenues. However, gambling can cause social problems such as reduced productivity, gambling addiction, and crime like petty theft and fraud. Many local, regional, and state governments have been strapped for cash and feel themselves caught between diminishing support from the federal government and growing unwillingness of citizens to pay for higher taxes. “ The Futurist also stated that the stigma of gambling was more of a problem than the actual act itself. “Many people don’t understand that the legalization of gambling would have several economic benefits. Jobs would be created and the tax money from these casino’s would allow lawmakers to find a new way to stimulate the economy besides tax breaks or even raising taxes.” “The problem is that gambling is given the same social stigma as prostitution or even drug abuse.”

While gambling in many areas was once prohibited, it now is seen by many legislators as a welcome new industry.”Who better to ask about gambling than a real life bookmaker, or bookie if you will? His name is Bob and he lives a pretty normal life. I’ve personally known Bob for 7 years and he used to be my golfing buddy, so from just being around him socially I have seen him take bets in person. He doesn’t fit the “bookie” stereotype at all. Bob is a little guy. He lives in your typical middle class neighborhood and is married with two older sons. The only thing colorful about him is his language, which can be harsh. Oh, and the fact he has a funny Boston accent. My outlaw, lawbreaking, bookie friend has worked full time with the United States Postal Service as a mail carrier for nearly 20 years and only takes bets during football season.
According to Bob, “football season is king.” “I have between 25 -30 bettors that are regulars. I don’t allow anyone to bet more than $200 a game and I cut off those that can’t pay. It’s pretty simple for me, if you bet and win, then you want to get your money on payday (Tuesday) regardless of how bad I did. Nobody feels bad for when I have a bad week. Well, I expect those that owe me money to pay me just as promptly. Of course, bettors bet more than they should sometimes have dug themselves into hole and can’t pay me all my money on time. I don’t mess with threats and all that drama. I just cut them off until they have paid off their balance. It’s easy for me to erase a $300 debt. All it means is that that guy is not going to pay on time and be a hassle, so why bother with them. My regulars are great about making payments and I know some of them very well. Hell, I have at least five of my regulars over at my house for football and BBQ every Sunday. It’s really casual and not what you see in the movies.”

Bob would not tell me exactly how much money is bet or how much money he makes, but he says that it usually covers half his yearly salary. He also shared with me that his clientele ranged from doctors and attorney and everything in between.

In order to get a view about gambling that was not all ice cream and roses, I decided to conduct another interview. Dr. Roger Thompson is a professor here at UTC and was the head of the Criminal Justice Department for 12 years. He has also worked with local law enforcement in educating new police officers on the law and interacting with our local community. Dr. Thompson has had several opportunities to work out in the field with police, so he has seen how the local police conduct themselves in certain situations. I asked him a series of questions and he spoke freely on several subjects pertaining to the legalization of gaming and gambling.
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“Gambling can affect family members and friends if the spending gets to be too much. A violent crime does not necessarily have to occur for gambling to be destructive. I don’t think that gambling itself is the culprit when life savings are dashed by betting. I think that like anything else in life, a person has to be responsible and understand what is at stake. If someone decides to put their mortgage money down on football game, then that person is not being smart and gambling just happens to be the outlet they choose to self-destruct. That being said, authorities don’t put a ton of effort in order to stop those that choose to gamble in some fashion. I think it’s because it’s a quote victimless crime. I disagree with that term, but police are concentrating on making us safer from violent offenders and those that try to defraud us. It would be asinine for cops to get organized to take down a bunch of friends playing in a card tournament. Many would feel that the police should be concentrating on bigger fish to fry. I would agree with that myself. Obviously, if someone was to make threats or draw attention to themselves by becoming violent, then the police would move quickly. As for the money, the only way it would really become relevant would be if there was such a substantial amount that organized crime from out of the state were to get involved. Everyone has seen gangster movies, but that kind of thing just doesn’t really happen. I’ve never heard of a bookie being taken down unless extortion or violence was involved. "

I wanted to go beyond the enforcement of the law and how police handled “small-time” gambling and ask him about the apparent double standard that exists with the lottery, casino boats, and other ways to gamble. I started with a question as to whether the Tennessee lottery set a bad example and was hypocritical.

In addition to the current climate in regards to policing gambling, I wanted to get Dr. Thompson’s view of whether Chattanooga would benefit from some sort of legalization of gaming. I mentioned how gambling boats in rural areas with high poverty levels like Biloxi or Tunica, MS seemed to have flourished and have brought in tons of revenue to those local areas. Tunica, for example started out with just two “casino boats,” in 1993, but now Tunica and surrounding areas have nearly 28 casinos generating millions of dollars and those monies have led directly to the urbanization of a once small town like Tunica, which is approximately 45 miles south of Memphis, TN.

According to Dr. Thompson, “Legal Gaming would be a great idea for Tennessee. Look how the lottery is working hand in hand with the Hope Scholarship for college students. However, legal gambling would be a tough sell in this area because of the moral dilemma it would bring. This is a very conservative community and I don’t think it would go over very well. Gambling has a stigma that people have a hard time overlooking even if some of the proceeds were taxed and financed other programs like the Hope. To a majority of men and women in this part of Tennessee, gambling is morally corrupt and would lead to a rise in crime and poverty. This is not to mention that gambling in many ways has the stigma of being tied together with organized crime, and the influences that come with it. Too many people in this area are stuck on ethics and not able to see the financial benefit gambling would bring and the jobs that would be created.”
In closing, I think that eventually some sort of gaming will become legal in Tennessee, whether it be a river boat on the banks below Market Street Bridge, or areas designated for gaming. The folks that run our state need to think outside the box when it comes to legalizing gambling. The economy is struggling there is no question that there is a demand. If it’s ok for a man to blow his paycheck on lottery tickets, then it should be ok for him to pull a lever and hear bells and whistles. Obviously the side effect is crime and addiction, but alcohol sales are booming right now, and booze leads to more domestic violence and other violent crimes than any other contributing factor. You know that it might be fun to play some blackjack or try my luck at the Texas Hold Em table. I think that I should have the right gamble by going “all in” instead of scratching off lottery tickets. In the end, it’s just the same.