There’s the story of the gambler who bets on every football game he can. He calls his bookie several times a day, betting pro, college, even high school football games. He looses every time. In fact, after the football season is finally over and he lost his bet on the Super Bowl, his bookie calls and tries to console him about his losses with this, “Hey, you had a terrible season, no doubt about it but look at the upside. Hockey season starts tomorrow!” The gambler replies, “Hockey? What the HELL do I know about Hockey!?!”
I think of this story each time I read reports of falling revenue projections at Plainridge Park Casino, news that the huge job creating casino in Springfield is now going to be no so huge, the ongoing problems with Wynn and the mayor and all that mess and I think of all the discussions I had with all my fellow Democrats who were in favor of casinos, who “knew” that in spite of the closing of casinos in Atlantic City and the falling revenues across the country, somehow, Massachusetts would be different.
We’re known for our schools, colleges, universities, our high tech, bio tech, our New England heritage and beautiful landscapes, all sure bets for a growing economy, but no, we’re like the guy in the story, missing the obvious. What the hell do we know about casinos?
