Sports betting/casinos

[BeerThirty]

That's like saying that anyone voting yes loves bigger government and loves giving bigger government more money. Neither are true.

Let it come if that's what the people want, but be aware of the unintended consequences of it and know that this same government is going to take more money from you eventually because it won't allow people with no self control to live with their bad decisions.

Adding a few extra blue collar jobs to the state or county payroll is not the kind of "big gubermint" that scares me.

And yes, what I stated is in fact true. Anyone telling a gambler how to spend their money is PRECISELY restricting their freedoms.

Should GA also implement a new measure to limit personal investing due to the associated risk of losing everything?

I shouldn't be surprised with this state anymore. There are actually still counties around here where you can't even purchase liquor...

 

[SarahFair]

I think good arguments have been raised on both sides...

Why should the government tell me how to spend my money?
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The people who are already on welfare or right on the borderline will most likely be the ones gambling, furthering their need for government assistance, which could also lead to them crying they need more money for welfare programs?
Has anyone looked up the statistics on that?

(and then there's the fact the government is only allowing this so they can get their grubby little hands on more tax dollars )


So do we take some rights back from the government or make them mad by denying them tax dollars?

 

[The Original Rooster]

Adding a few extra blue collar jobs to the state or county payroll is not the kind of "big gubermint" that scares me.

And yes, what I stated is in fact true. Anyone telling a gambler how to spend their money is PRECISELY restricting their freedoms.

Should GA also implement a new measure to limit personal investing due to the associated risk of losing everything?

I shouldn't be surprised with this state anymore. There are actually still counties around here where you can't even purchase liquor..

As I've said before, don't get me wrong, we can legalize everything, drugs, gambling, prostitution, etc., and society would be just fine except that the government often won't enforce the other laws that keep the results of those bad decisions, habits, and addictions controlled and in private, which is where they should be.
They'll end up raising taxes on us instead of enforcing the law and they'll take care of those people that should have been spending their own money on taking care of themselves. It happened in California, Washington, and Oregon, and it could happen here too.

 

[BeerThirty]

As I've said before, don't get me wrong, we can legalize everything, drugs, gambling, prostitution, etc., and society would be just fine except that the government often won't enforce the other laws that keep the results of those bad decisions, habits, and addictions controlled and in private, which is where they should be.
They'll end up raising taxes on us instead of enforcing the law and they'll take care of those people that should have been spending their own money on taking care of themselves. It happened in California, Washington, and Oregon, and it could happen here too.

Makes sense. Valid point.

Where I grew up, we had Native American casinos everywhere... I have family and friends who have worked at the casinos in the past, and some who still do. So I've definitely heard my fair share of stories, some good, some bad. Unfortunately, you mainly hear about the bad ones because they are so bizarre that one cannot forget something so outrageous.

Not sure if this vote in Nov. involves Native American influence. That can be an entirely different ballgame to consider.

 

[The Original Rooster]

Makes sense. Valid point.

Where I grew up, we had Native American casinos everywhere... I have family and friends who have worked at the casinos in the past, and some who still do. So I've definitely heard my fair share of stories, some good, some bad. Unfortunately, you mainly hear about the bad ones because they are so bizarre that one cannot forget something so outrageous.

Not sure if this vote in Nov. involves Native American influence. That can be an entirely different ballgame to consider.

True, a Native American casino would even avoid a lot of taxes, so we wouldn't even get that benefit. I think this is mainly about online sports betting books though that would be easily available to anyone with a phone.
From the Georgia Recorder:
The bill proposes that the state issue 16 licenses that cost $100,000 to apply for and require companies to pay a $1 million annual fee, as well as a 20% tax on the revenue made off sports gambling.
A bidding process would be conducted by the Georgia Lottery to award seven licenses to sports gambling companies. The other licenses would be distributed among Atlanta’s five major professional sports franchises, NASCAR, Georgia Lottery, PGA and Augusta National.
Sen. Harold Jones, an Augusta Democrat, said the state’s projected $100 million collected annually in sports betting revenue is likely a conservative estimate. There are several thousand children on the waiting list for pre-K, a number that could be alleviated by tapping into an additional money, he said.

Here's what makes me worry; If the state is getting over 100 million annually from this (and that's only 20% of the total), that means that Georgians (and other state's residents too) will be spending in excess of 500 million dollars on this annually. That means those that are losing 500 million dollars a year won't be spending it on something else that actually produces something like groceries, gas, houses, consumer goods, etc. You get the idea. I just see this as hurting the economy of the state overall. That's all I'm saying. Those are just some of the unintended consequences. I know all the articles online say legalized gambling helps the economy, but it doesn't mention that it produces no product from all the jobs it creates and takes money away from those that do.
But hey, if democracy wants bread and circuses, I support democracy. I just won't be at the circus fighting for bread.

 

[Whitefeather]

The world is full of stupid people. This is just another way for them to spend money on something they don’t need, but at least some of it will be going back in the coffer.

 

[Ruger#3]

Casinos won’t make much of a difference. Those addicted to gambling are already online gambling with mostly offshore companies making profits.

If folks are going to gamble their house payment anyways your just decide who gets the profits.

 

[sinclair1]

Well, investing, while also carrying risks, is generally seen as a way to grow wealth over the long term, whereas gambling is often associated with more immediate and unpredictable outcomes.

Sports betting is absolute. I have made a mistake on a stock only to hold and have it come back to me.
Lotto tickets scratch offs are absolute as well.