Real gambling story can't be told by lobby
News that a Dallas-based casino company pumped more than $200,000 into local lobbying efforts heading into the 2001 Legislature suggests at least one thing:
It suggests that Hollywood Casino Corp. is meticulous in its record-keeping. While the $207,428 laid out by Hollywood Casino outstripped the traditional big spenders at the Legislature — oil, liquor, health companies and the tobacco industry — the others are still ahead over the long term and in the aggregate.
But what the surge in pro-gambling spending also suggests is that someone, somewhere, senses the time is right for a big push. Altogether, the casino and gambling industry spent close to $350,000 between May of last year and February of this year.
The final totals for the legislative session will undoubtedly be much higher.
Gambling is a legitimate, legal business in 47 states, and the industry has every right to put energy and money into making Hawai'i the 48th state in its roster.
There was a time when the casino industry had little interest in Hawai'i. If anything, the interest was in making sure that avid Island gamblers kept on dropping their bankrolls at existing casinos on the Mainland.
That clearly has changed. Whether it is simply a matter of developing new markets or an awareness that the political climate has shifted, gambling now has Hawai'i clearly in its sights.
Lawmakers must not be distracted by the big surge in lobbying, advertising and pressure. The basic issues remain the same as they always have.
There is little evidence that legalizing gambling would do any long-term economic good for Hawai'i. Hard-core gamblers would still likely prefer to travel to Las Vegas or other major gaming resorts. Hawai'i visitors might drop a few bucks in the casinos, but those would largely be bucks they would have otherwise spent elsewhere, on attractions, dining or sightseeing.
If Hawai'i ever does legalize gambling, it should be because the economic and social benefits are obvious and the downside negligible. That's certainly not the picture today, and no amount of lobbying should convince us otherwise.
