For the past month, they have been discussing building a casino in downtown Lansing, and those who support the idea claim the real benefit of such a project is the revenue it will create for the city. Many of those who are opposed to the casino say gambling is basically a tax on the poor, and while that may be true in some ways, I have always felt that gambling is a tax on the foolish.
As for me, I would never waste my time or money visiting a casino 12 miles away, should it ever be constructed, and there are currently casinos operating in Central Michigan an hour's drive either north or west of us. (Firekeepers and Soaring Eagle) We have only been to Soaring Eagle one time, and that was nearly 20 years ago, and only because my mother enjoyed going there so much. To me, since the odds always favor the house, you are basically throwing your money away.
Most nights we can view commercials on our TV that show couples with movie star good looks winning megabucks at those two casinos mentioned above or enjoying one of the other amenities available there (dining, dancing, massages, fancy lodging, etc). My brother and his wife went to the Soaring Eagle casino last weekend, mainly because their oldest son attends college in that city. My nephew later told me my sister in law won $50, but not how much the three of them spent to "win" that much.
Casinos tempt us by saying "you can't win if you don't play"....yeah, have YOU ever played and won? We never did.