Legalize Slots for Social Clubs

Hey, I gut an idea. Instead of giving a very few number of local rich guys who have been around forever the right to own and operates slots and/or giving another two or three large international corporations the right to operate full casinos, and giving a few downtown law firms (such as Diane Patrick’s) opportunities to continue to make money representing large corporate interests in gambling related businesses, and giving a few local lobbyist opportunities for the huge fees from these same interests Massachusetts should allow every properly licensed social club in the state to own and operate two or maybe three machines. With a few rules of course.

Let’s look at the word social. As in ‘social isolation’. It does not just apply to the physically or self-imposed shut-in. It applies to many of the faceless/nameless old ladies that sit in front the slots for hours on end (till their money runs out) at Foxwoods and  Lincoln Park.  Social isolation. A major contributor of depression and other ailments, especially among the elderly. This epidemic will be magnified with coming storm of aging baby boomers. (Boston College’s Center for Retirement Living is doing great work on this.)

Now let’s look at the word social as in ‘social club’. You know. The places all over the state with the bar downstairs and the hall upstairs. The places where old men with drinking problems congragte and don’t like outsiders.

No respectable person  would ever join the Elks Club  or the VFW or the 4-2 club( some named after ward and precinct of location)? Right BMgers?

Well, these places were at one time the life blood of many communities. Without the booze.

Wouldn’t it be nice if they each were allowed a few machines for use of members and their guests(you’d be amazed at how much dough one machine can generate) from which the club takes the percentage that would have gone to Charlie Sarkis and George Carney under the current House plan. The money would be tightly audited. Percentage of the club’s take can put back into club for benefit of members and the other used for the benefit of the “local community”.

Who better to know where money should be spent. From a wheelchair ramp for a disabled kid to larger endeavors. The clubs can pool money for specific worthy expenditures.

The  money spent for the club and members should be used to increase membership and events to emphasize the “social” in social club. Grow membership because of the lectures and trips and bridge clubs and many activities that go well beyond the hard liner old timers who never leave the bar downstairs. But they’re the staple. Don’t disturb them.

And as for the old lady in front of the machine losing her money? Well, the community within the club would be much more aware of her problem, and unlike the race track, be concerned and try to help.

Another small percentage from the slots should go to the horse racing industry. The people have spoken. Dogs are over. As sad as I am about it. I too miss Swifty. But tough shit Sarkis. You and Carney ran a shitty campaign.

As for Suffolk Downs, well, we need to do everything we can to save it. That doesn’t mean owning slots. It means just giving the horsemen a small piece of other people’s slots. Get those purses up. It’s not rocket science. The state already has an investment in horse racing. It has been a business partnership since the beginning. Unlike giving them slots, (which anyone can own and run – it’s like a coke machine), and produces no jobs (other than the little Hispanic couple, she walks around with spray bottle and rag, he with broom and dust pan) the horse industry has jobs on and off the tracks. Good jobs. It is a great industry to redistribute wealth. Rich people pay to buy and to train and feed and house and breed and treat horses for which they will probably lose money.

Now I must confess,  I like the horses. My dream job, as you may recall, is to be an announcer on the TVG Network. Yes, I am a proud TVG account holder. So I am bias.

But screw Joe O’Donnell, screw Charley Sarkis (you youngin’s have no idea who he is, but he  has cool background. His father was one of the biggest bookies in Boston back in the day and was banned from Wonderland Dog Track, the one his son owned.) Screw that carnie George Carney. (Carney the carnie – he owns the Brocktom fair) Screw the white shoe law firms connected with Deval. Screw the Boston Globe/NYTimes who reversed their long held fundamental belief against casinos for ad revenue and only ad revenue. (just ask Renee Lott) Screw the lobbyists, screw Bob Deleo, and most of all screw those lemming frauds in the legislature who will do whatever the speaker tells them to do on this. Regardless of the long term consequences. The “progressives” up there are frauds.

‘Let’s sell out so the speaker is not mad at me. Let’s make this dramatic, once-the-tooth-paste-out-of-the-tube type decision that has many long term financial and social costs because of economic cycles. And I have always been against legalized gambling. But the speaker wants it so I’ll vote for it’

This legislation has as much do about as jobs as sex addiction did with tiger’s philandering. Absolutely nothing. It is all about self-interest.

Why aren’t the reps from out side Revere and Winthrop screaming bloody murder. Their constituents are getting raped on this.

The best gambling is where the money goes back to the bettor. Giving the slots to the social clubs will give the money back to the bettor in many more ways then the pay out.

Besides, many of the clubs have them already. Time to go legit and give the members an accounting.