Hollywood Dinner Club At 6102 Avenue S.

[Jeebus]

Texas doesn't need gambling that is a "give up" industry when you have nothing else to offer....the gambling pie is already cut into too few pieces as it is and if one looks behind the flashy casinos you will see it really does ZERO for the vast majority of the community

Shreveport is still a hell hole out side the casinos.....same with Atlantic City....Vegas is a HORRIBLE place to actually live with drunk drivers 24-7 and prostitutes and every other form of street freak imaginable all over the place and a horribly over blown economy that has taken unaffordable to a new level

If you think casinos will do anything for the locals or for the economy you are clueless and if you need to gamble so bad that you want to go a few miles down the road where there are few if any perks for having your money methodically taken from you then you need help and you are easily blinded to reality by neon and bling and you can do us all a favor by moving to some place that bling has already trashed

Well.. where to start..

Go to this link and read, to see how many billions in taxes the state of Louisiana has collected from casinos. To say that they do NOTHING for a community is simply incorrect. It provides thousands of local full-time jobs with benefits - as well as pays millions, and eventually billions, in taxes to both the local and state economy. It brings new businesses to the area in the forms of restaurants, retail, and service industry. It also brings in new money from outside the local economy - which is very important, and more beneficial than turning over the same local money again and again.

Las Vegas is far from a horrible place to live. My mother-in-law lived there for five years (moved back to Houston three years ago) and we loved visiting. There was not hookers and drugs on every corner as you insist. In fact, even downtown on Freemont, where it's supposed to be seedy, was more kid friendly than most of the Vegas strip.

You're obviously bitter about gambling. Perhaps its a religious thing, or maybe you have a family member who ruined their life with chronic gambling. Either way, everything you posted is simply not true (except for the Atlantic City part - as I've never been there, nor have any plans to do so).

Even though it would be hugely successful here, I personally don't want gambling in Texas - as we already have it in Louisiana where all my family and friends live and work. If gambling is brought here, sure Galveston will grow and prosper from it - but my family might lose their jobs. Its a double-edged sword I suppose. But as for drugs, prostitutes, drunk-drivers, chronic gamblers and all that other mess - we already have them, with out the casinos.

EDIT: Oh, and as for the newest local arguement that casinos will help Galveston recover from Ike? That's ridiculous. It will take three to five years to get a casino up and running in Galveston. By that time, the economy will have more than recovered.

Edited November 13, 2008 by Jeebus

[west20th]

Last time I checked, both Perry and Hutchinson were Republican. So what exactly was the point of your rebuttal Red? Too blinded by the poster's political affiliation to actually read the content of their post?

At the end of her quote she added for some inexplicable reason:

ps..

(thats if BO doesnt ruin it for us all)

As if BO has anything to do with casinos in Galveston.

[Jeebus]

As if BO has anything to do with casinos in Galveston.

It was flame bait. Its best to ignore that stuff.

Edited November 13, 2008 by Jeebus

[TexasVines]

why would I be bitter about gambling when I already said I have nothing against it

and for every decent job it provides it provides dozens if not hundreds of other jobs that are extremely low skilled and low paying and offer little in the way of benefits....that is why Shreveport, Lake Charles, Atlantic City and Vegas are not that great a place to live.......you said yourself you only VISITED Vegas which is a great deal different than actually living there

as for the tax revenue I am sure most of it gets eaten up providing social services for all the low paid 24-7 workers that the industry attracts and little if any of it actually does any good for the community

How many more "gambling meccas" can the USA have

While any job is better than no jobs, Restaurants, Retail, and Service industry jobs are exactly the jobs that people are complaining about in the new economy.....jobs that depend on someone else to actually produce or create something so they have the money to come and employ people that just provide a service to them ......once a cities economy tilts too far towards only having service jobs it is in for a very up and down economy and in a tough situation to move back to actually producing something

as it is now Galveston is not flooded with low skilled workers and the almost unemployable like Shreveport, Lake Charles, Tunica, Hobbs NM and Oklahoma border towns, and Galveston has a great deal more to offer than those places ever did so setting up an industry to employ the few low skilled workers in Galveston (that probably don't really want a job) and in turn attracting a great deal more low skilled workers to actually fill the jobs is not an answer to the real issues unless you like a city with a bit of "glitz", sky high prices for many things (especially since Galveston is land locked and actually offers a beach ect.) and then an underbelly of low skill and low wage workers trying to live a horrible 24-7 work life on service industry pay

the people that have employment issues in Galveston will always have those issues because of the numerous other lifestyle issues they have......casino gambling will do nothing for them except totally run them over or exacerbate those preexisting issues while turning Galveston into just another over priced place with not much to offer anyone, but those that find it necessary to go around the corner for a "few pulls and a couple of hands of black jack" and those people have plenty of other options available

[west20th]

It was flame bait. Its best to ignore that stuff.

I realize that. I only brought up that part of her rambling post to point out that Red's rebuttal was because of that "speaking of B52's" PS and not because he was "Too blinded by the poster's political affiliation to actually read the content of their post?".

Edited November 13, 2008 by west20th

[Jeebus]

and for every decent job it provides it provides dozens if not hundreds of other jobs that are extremely low skilled and low paying and offer little in the way of benefits....that is why Shreveport, Lake Charles, Atlantic City and Vegas are not that great a place to live.......you said yourself you only VISITED Vegas which is a great deal different than actually living there

Well, I guess my childhood in Louisiana was a fantasy, as was the five years my mother-in-law spent in Vegas, and the lifetime my other family members have spent in Shreveport and Baton Rouge. But as much as I can remember, there weren't bums standing on every corner, hookers turning tricks up and down the feeder roads, and drug dealers working the intersections. At least nothing compared to what I see in Houston - a city with NO gambling.

as for the tax revenue I am sure most of it gets eaten up providing social services for all the low paid 24-7 workers that the industry attracts and little if any of it actually does any good for the community

Do you know this for a fact or is this just biased conjecture?

And could you provide an example of these low skilled, low paying jobs - and even more importantly, what jobs these people would instead work that would be so much better paying and higher skilled if the Casinos didn't employ them?

While any job is better than no jobs, Restaurants, Retail, and Service industry jobs are exactly the jobs that people are complaining about in the new economy.....jobs that depend on someone else to actually produce or create something so they have the money to come and employ people that just provide a service to them ......once a cities economy tilts too far towards only having service jobs it is in for a very up and down economy and in a tough situation to move back to actually producing something

What would you propose then? A coal mine or steel mill open up on the island?

as it is now Galveston is not flooded with low skilled workers and the almost unemployable like Shreveport, Lake Charles, Tunica, Hobbs NM and Oklahoma border towns, and Galveston has a great deal more to offer than those places ever did so setting up an industry to employ the few low skilled workers in Galveston (that probably don't really want a job) and in turn attracting a great deal more low skilled workers to actually fill the jobs is not an answer to the real issues unless you like a city with a bit of "glitz", sky high prices for many things (especially since Galveston is land locked and actually offers a beach ect.) and then an underbelly of low skill and low wage workers trying to live a horrible 24-7 work life on service industry pay

the people that have employment issues in Galveston will always have those issues because of the numerous other lifestyle issues they have......casino gambling will do nothing for them except totally run them over or exacerbate those preexisting issues while turning Galveston into just another over priced place with not much to offer anyone, but those that find it necessary to go around the corner for a "few pulls and a couple of hands of black jack" and those people have plenty of other options available

So instead of providing jobs, you would rather the unemployed stay unemployed?

Edited November 13, 2008 by Jeebus

[TexasVines]

you must have been BLIND when you lived in Shreveport because it is a very dirty bum filled city....Baton Rouge has no gambling as far as I know so that makes it useless in this discussion and it has a major state university which always helps an areas economy....Vegas may have decent parts out in the sprawling McSuburbs, but the strip and Freemont are filled with bums, pick pockets, scammers, loiters, and porn advertisers

I would prefer a natural gas terminal in Galveston, more cruise lines calling, and increased shipping options jump started by better rail service and for it to maintain more of the family vacation/visit feel that it has now VS the "man I am feebing for a pull and a well drink" that you prefer

most anyone in Galveston that does not at least have SOME job currently does not have one because they are too lazy or addicted to have one so bringing in more low paying low skill jobs will do nothing to motivate them and will only bring in more low skilled low wage workers into a place that does not need them....that is why in the Chronicle story about possibly knocking down some if not all of the public housing in Galveston the vast majority of the people in the story complaining about "their neighborhood not being rebuilt" had lived in public housing for DECADES if not GENERATIONS which proves they were too lazy and stupid to ever make anything for themselves and proves that no matter how many low wage low skill jobs you offer them they will not take them and even if they do take them they will still make nothing of themselves even when being provided with government support for DECADES

Every time the economy has gone down Texas has looked at adding the major give up industry that is gambling and every time Texas has wisely gone a different direction and when the economy improves Texas always improves more and for a longer period of time than any place that has gone the give up route......that is all the proof I need

and lastly a city and state does not make its way in the world by looking at what others have done and getting jealous over it and trying to imitate it and "get their cut" that is a recipe for failure and constantly fails which is why so many of the places that do it stay mired in misery while so many others make something better for themselves

http://www.worldcasinodirectory.com/americ...nos/casino-list

http://www.dmoz.org/Games/Gambling/Casinos.../United_States/

look at all the casinos already in the USA and look at the places where they are at.....it is either a place that had an existing attraction like skiing or some other form of outdoor recreation or natural beauty and it is usually a LONG ways away from a major population center which keeps out the riff raff or it is a place that has totally given up like the vast majority of places on the list and it is near a major population center and all they attract is the riff raff and the addicted and the mathematically challenged....many of them have seen the casino go under at least one time and no matter how well the metro areas near them do their area stays dirty and unimproved

Temecula, Fresno, Joliet, Aurora, East Peroia, East Chicago, Topeka, Detroit, go through the list any place on there that is not a major metro area or is not an Indian casino is a dump that I would say has given up on being anything but a dump....and even some of the major metro areas are failed

The only reason some of the Indian Casinos can be called successful is because they have the natural attractions and they cut hard deals with the casino companies to share the revenue with the majority of the tribe.....and that is not Galveston.....even the places that are major metro areas it is either the area that is a different city than the metro area (and it is the failed area) or it is an area that was a major dump never to be improved in that metro area and even after the casino came it is the area that is a dump with a casino

I will pass on what 90% of the places on that list that do not have existing REMOTE natural beauty have to offer.....and the 10% that is left Galveston can't compete with because the others are already well established....and Galveston is not an Indian area so that kills that part of the deal and even the Indians have seen the light at the end of the tunnel and invested in other things because they are much wiser than people in Detroit, Fresno, East Chicago, or Topeka or downtown LA

Gambling is an extremely mature industry with low paying jobs and little else to offer as shown by the vast majority of places that have tried it and seen it is no magic cure for their underlying problems......underlying problems that I would say Galveston has very little of on the comparison scale to the oh so many other hell holes on those list

Edited November 13, 2008 by TexasVines

[moni]

I don't think I understand the argument. First of all, if gambling ever comes to Galveston Island, the beaches would still be there for families not interested in Casinos. Many more family fun attractions would naturally gravitate to where the tourists go. The increased tax base would give the Island much more money and probably relieve the tax burden on residents and small businesses. The only argument I have ever heard in Texas opposing Casino style gambling, is from a conservative religious standpoint. They think GAMBLING IS A SIN!!!! I am not making this up, just ask any of your Southern Baptist friends.

[VicMan]

Vines, I had a teacher who used to teach in Vegas. She said that many of the low-skilled positions at LV casinos were actually very highly paid, while some highly educated people in Vegas tend to make little money relative to the LV casino workers.

Edited November 13, 2008 by VicMan

[Jeebus]

Yeah, by the content of that last post you (TexasVines) definitely hold something personal against casinos.

I'm not going to yell anymore at the deaf.

Edited November 13, 2008 by Jeebus

[TexasVines]

Yeah, by the content of that last post you (TexasVines) definitely hold something personal against casinos.

I'm not going to yell anymore at the deaf.

and you are clearly blind to the fact that casinos are a mature industry with little growth potential and just because you and your mother-in-law consider sitting around in a smoke filled room with a cigarette hanging out of your mouth and swilling well drinks while methodically and mathematically having your money taken is entertainment many others don't

and yes the beaches will still be there....but the prices for the rooms on the island will be driven to a point that many families will choose to go elsewhere and the element that will be on those beaches and other areas will also drive any decent family elsewhere again especially at the price....and many of the big spenders in Vegas actually wish all the family attractions would leave and go elsewhere because it gets in the way of their gambling...and Moni in case you are not aware casino owners have little interest in people going to other attractions they prefer that you stay right there in the casino 24-7 and gamble which is why you never find a clock in a casino and the only reason Vegas did add any family attractions is because the industry was maturing and it was a desperate grab to try and draw families which if you look around you will notice that many of those attractions are not being built because the pay off was not there....because Vegas is not a "family place"....which is why they do not advertise it as a family place they now advertise it as "what goes on there stays there" which hardly sounds like the place any decent family wants to vacation

and yes VicMan isn't amazing that with all that "tax revenue" Vegas still can't find a way to pay teachers, fireman, and police a decent wage especially relative to the cost of living in Vegas......it sort of puts a HUGE CRUSH on the idea that casinos are some magic fix full of tax revenue falling from the sky doesn't it......and while Vegas may be the one exception where casino workers still make a decent wage (because Vegas was first, is the oldest, and actually still attracts the big spenders, and it is unionized) I would defy you to show me any other place that has done the same when it comes to casino wages

so I think you have made my argument for me....when casinos move in they actually take over and do everything they can to avoid paying taxes and drive down tax revenue per capita to the point where basic services and basic service workers can't afford to live there and again Vegas is maybe the one exception where the casino workers make any type of "decent" wage and that depends on what you consider decent for having to live a 24-7 lifestyle and it has a great deal to do with unions and the unions are there because the mafia used and uses them to control other aspects of the government in that town

Galveston is no Vegas and never will be.....I would defy anyone to show me anywhere with a few exceptions (extremely remote areas with existing attractions and or Indian casinos) that has done any different once gambling has moved in....and even in those remote areas and or the Indian casino areas there are many issues once gambling moved in like driving out the people that originally came there to just enjoy the attractions and or slowly declining revenues.....Galveston will not be Indian controlled and will not have any of that "share the wealth" going on and Galveston is way to close to major metro areas to keep out the total riff raff

there is ZERO for Galveston to gain from Casinos unless you consider Atlantic City, Shreveport, Lake Charles, Tunica, Joliet, East Peoria or places like that to be an example of what you want Galveston to be

it is clear as others have stated.....the tax revenue is not there just ask any public service employee in Vegas and outside of the original (Vegas) the casino worker wages are not there and even in Vegas I would argue the wages hardly make up for the cost and the 24-7 lifestyle that comes with them and the union control and I have seen few if any other areas really do anything but continue on the same failed path after casino gambling comes and the only "benefit" is that once the casinos are there they screw up the government even more

just because Jeebus and his mother-in-law and a few others can't control the urges is no reason to trash yet another place that is really not too bad currently

I challenge anyone to show me a place with gambling that they would want Galveston to be like that is not

A. Vegas (even with all the tax revenue issues it has)

B. Indian controlled which Galveston is not and never will be and even many Indian casinos have still not done wonders for their area

C. Extremely remote like Idaho, Cloudcrofft ect. (where high prices have driven out many of the people that originally came there) and again they are still not economic wonderlands and they are too far for all the riff raff to come there on a regular basis

that gets you to the Lake Charles, Shreveports, Tunicas, Fresnos, Temeculas, Joliets, East Peorias, Atlantic Cities ect. which I want Galveston to be nothing like

Edited November 13, 2008 by TexasVines

[Deut28Thirteen]

Not sure if this has been said but if Texas were to get gambling state wide, or just on the Texas gulf coast that will hurt Louisiana and New Orleans deeply. Knowing that I still would like Gambling in Texas. Could that be a reason in why Texas has not allowed gambling?

[Jeebus]

I don't know why I waste my time, but..

and you are clearly blind to the fact that casinos are a mature industry with little growth potential and just because you and your mother-in-law consider sitting around in a smoke filled room with a cigarette hanging out of your mouth and swilling well drinks while methodically and mathematically having your money taken is entertainment many others don't

Let me tell you.. there is nothing better than smoking one of mom's virgina slims while a throwing back watered down bourbon & cokes, all while rocking the penny slots!

Woo Hoo!

Vines, its more than painfully obvious that you haven't even stepped foot inside of a modern casino in at least the last twenty years - much less stayed in one of their hotels. Otherwise you'd realize your description is more akin to a seedy truck-stop with some video poker machines and a small lounge.

Edited November 14, 2008 by Jeebus

[musicman]

with the recent announcement by utmb, i'll bet people will seriously gambling as an option.

[memebag]

Gambling left Galveston?

[RedScare]

Let me tell you.. there is nothing better than smoking one of mom's virgina slims while a throwing back watered down bourbon & cokes, all while rocking the penny slots!

Woo Hoo!

Post of the Day.

[SilverJK]

Shreveport isn't that bad of a place. The louisiana Boardwalk is a fairly nice place to go, and ever expanding, lots of public parks, and the bum situation downtown (close to the casino's at least) is minimal. I guess technically Bossier City is the one that is nicer, but the casino's definitely saved that town. (in the late 80s-early90s people were leaving shrevport by the hordes). The new Youree Drive devolpement definitely shows signs of a growing community.

And Texasvines... just so you know... this business that you say doesn't help out, the tax profits help pay for thousands of kids in Louisiana to go to college...

Oh how i enjoyed free college.

[TexasVines]

Shreveport isn't that bad of a place. The louisiana Boardwalk is a fairly nice place to go, and ever expanding, lots of public parks, and the bum situation downtown (close to the casino's at least) is minimal. I guess technically Bossier City is the one that is nicer, but the casino's definitely saved that town. (in the late 80s-early90s people were leaving shrevport by the hordes). The new Youree Drive devolpement definitely shows signs of a growing community.

And Texasvines... just so you know... this business that you say doesn't help out, the tax profits help pay for thousands of kids in Louisiana to go to college...

Oh how i enjoyed free college.

free college or not Louisiana is still one of the poorest states in the union and even their TOP state university LSU is rated 4th tier by US News.....and while those rankings do have flaws I would find few if any that put LSU up with any of the top public schools in the USA.....ULL with a few more dollars will probably pass LSU in academic reputation soon, but for all the people that think UT and TAMU keep other schools down in Texas, LSU really does keep other schools down specifically ULaLa

so it is no surprise Louisiana has found a way to give something away to appease the masses while keeping them basically in the same position they have always been in

[Jeebus]

Jeez man, you're a real debbie downer.

[SilverJK]

It doesn't just work for LSU.

Louisiana Tech University is quite a good school as well as Centenary (private school).

And you can not possibly say that shreveport is worse, or the same as it was in the 80s-90s. Because it is simply not true. But your right, giving people college educations is a very negative thing, I mean how dare Louisiana try to crawl out of their placement as one of the poorest states in the nation.

I think casino's could be a very positive thing for Galveston, as long as they were done correctly (like shreveport, not lake charles).

Eeyore.

[TexasVines]

if just because I don't want a casino in every gas sation makes me a downer then I am proud of that

and what makes anyone think that Galveston or Texas will properly set up casinos?....especially since it took them forever to get horse racing off and running even decently and there are still plenty of changes that could be made to it for the better

and while Shreveport might be improved from some of its worst years I hardly see it as a model for what Galveston should be.....their casinos themselves when I went are cramped with low ceilings and stuffy and quite boring

as another poster mentioned I do think casinos in Texas would harm Louisiana and I have no interest in that as well....because I feel Texas can do better than casinos as an economic generator and has done better and will continue to do better so I am content with letting Louisiana and other places have the give up industries like casinos....again I don't think looking at what your immediate neighbors are doing and trying to copy it especially in a mature industry with many pitfalls surrounding it is a model that Texas needs to take on

if that makes me a downer.....oh well

[J.A.S.O.N.]

Biloxi seems to be doing well with their casinos (I mean without all the related social ills)

As a Galvestonian, I'd be willing to give it a go. I'd also be willing to bet Tilman's etablishments would be first rate!

Edited November 19, 2008 by J.A.S.O.N.

[SilverJK]

remember that shreveports casinos are actually riverboats...

[VicMan]

I must also add that the "Las Vegas Strip" is actually south of the city proper in an unincorporated area.

[TexasVines]

remember that shreveports casinos are actually riverboats...

at one time all Louisiana casinos were river boats.....then New Orleans got one exemption only one year later in 1992......it took 3 years until construction was started on the New Orleans facility.....and also three years until the temporary facility was started and it went under once in the municipal auditorium after being open only 7 months and the new building was stopped before even being completed.........it then went bankrupt a second time after the new facility was only opened for two years.....what happened to all the promised big time tax revenues.......they were cut in half in a deal to keep the place barely opened.......there were several river boats in New Orleans that failed as well

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html...753C1A96F958260

read many of the quotes in this article

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn42...s_/ai_n14600894

look at all the DOWN revenues for nearly every casino mentioned over a 9 year period from 1995 to 2004.....look at all the huge % they are down as well

look at all the corruption mentioned.....please don't tell me "it is Louisiana" as if Galveston and South Texas have never had their fair share of corruption and ballot box stuffing

Lets look at what casinos have done for Nevada children in the 2007 "Kids Count Fact Book" published by UNLV

http://kidscount.unlv.edu/2007/econ-poverty_2007.pdf

look at where Nevada is compared to the USA......and look at when the numbers are from.....2004.....one of the EXTREME boom times for casinos and casino gambling....every one of the economic well-being indecators were below the US average even during the best of times for casino building and casino revenues....from 2000-2004 when all this boom was going on....the number of children living in poverty INCREASED....the only thing Nevada was over the US average in was the cost of housing

lastly for all those that say such lies as "it will only be on the island" or "it will bring in lots of out of town and out of state revenue"

remember in Louisiana in 1991 when it was only going to be a few boats on the rivers.....then in 1992 it was onlt a few boats and one land based casino in New Orleans because New Orleans is such an "adult and convention and tourist town"

well here is where Louisiana is today

http://louisiana.casinocity.com/

for those that don't know what a "plaza" is......it is a fancy word for a TRUCK STOP.......look at all that total CRAP.....25 slot machines....19 slot machines.....30 slots and video poker......WHOOOOO HOOOOO

so yes Jeebus you are correct.....I have been nowhere near the "modern hotel and casino".......because the modern hotel and casino is now a smoke filled room on the side of a crappy truck stop with slot machines and video poker and "clean shower stalls"

I defy anyone to tell me these "modern casinos" that are very similar to the "modern casinos" all over Oklahoma attract all this big out of state money.....or do they attract local gambling idiots wasting their life away at one of 22 slot machines and some video poker at the local truck stop

NOT SOMETHING I AM REMOTELY INTERESTED IN FOR TEXAS AND NOT SOMETHING I THINK TEXAS WILL AVOID ONCE GAMBLING GETS THEIR GREASY FEET INTO THE STATE.......NOT INTERESTED

and again I have no issues with gambling.....until it is in a local truck stop or C store near you which is what has happened in Oklahoma and Louisiana and several other states where it started out in "only a few areas"

gambling is a mature if not a declining industry full of BS promises and corruption that sucks the life out of most places it comes near....it was done properly in a few places in the USA and now it has turned to garbage....because it is no longer anout Vegas it is about losers at a truck stop just having their money mathmatically taken with the odds ever decreasing for the gambler

[Jeebus]

and while Shreveport might be improved from some of its worst years I hardly see it as a model for what Galveston should be.....their casinos themselves when I went are cramped with low ceilings and stuffy and quite boring

You go to the casino to gamble. How exactly did you get bored?

As for the ceiling being too low, that was the drawback of the original design of the riverboat casinos. They have all since been renovated, and now feature a open atrium, better ventilation, lighting, and a modern design. You would know this had you been to one in recent years.

lastly for all those that say such lies as "it will only be on the island" or "it will bring in lots of out of town and out of state revenue"

remember in Louisiana in 1991 when it was only going to be a few boats on the rivers.....then in 1992 it was onlt a few boats and one land based casino in New Orleans because New Orleans is such an "adult and convention and tourist town"

well here is where Louisiana is today

http://louisiana.casinocity.com/

so yes Jeebus you are correct.....I have been nowhere near the "modern hotel and casino".......because the modern hotel and casino is now a smoke filled room on the side of a crappy truck stop with slot machines and video poker and "clean shower stalls"

I defy anyone to tell me these "modern casinos" that are very similar to the "modern casinos" all over Oklahoma attract all this big out of state money.....or do they attract local gambling idiots wasting their life away at one of 22 slot machines and some video poker at the local truck stop

and again I have no issues with gambling.....until it is in a local truck stop or C store near you which is what has happened in Oklahoma and Louisiana and several other states where it started out in "only a few areas"

Which type of gambling do you have no problem with? You've bashed every type of gambling short of cock fighting and the lottery.

As for truck-stop gambling.. video poker and a riverboat casino license are two different things for Louisiana. There are 15 riverboat casino licenses, always have been, and always will be (per current legislation). Video poker/slot machines were separate legislations each. It would be up to the powers that be in Texas to define what they want to allow. I actually agree with you that video poker and slot machines outside of a licensed casino is a bad thing.

Unfortunately, Texas has already opened the door to gambling, with the lottery. That's exactly how it happened in Louisiana twenty years ago.

I think casino's could be a very positive thing for Galveston, as long as they were done correctly (like shreveport, not lake charles).

Eeyore.

Could you expand on that statement?

Edited November 19, 2008 by Jeebus

[TexasVines]

You go to the casino to gamble. How exactly did you get bored?

As for the ceiling being too low, that was the drawback of the original design of the riverboat casinos. They have all since been renovated, and now feature a open atrium, better ventilation, lighting, and a modern design. You would know this had you been to one in recent years.

Which type of gambling do you have no problem with? You've bashed every type of gambling short of cock fighting and the lottery.

As for truck-stop gambling.. video poker and a riverboat casino license are two different things for Louisiana. There are 15 riverboat casino licenses, always have been, and always will be (per current legislation). Video poker/slot machines were separate legislations each. It would be up to the powers that be in Texas to define what they want to allow. I actually agree with you that video poker and slot machines outside of a licensed casino is a bad thing.

Unfortunately, Texas has already opened the door to gambling, with the lottery. That's exactly how it happened in Louisiana twenty years ago.

Could you expand on that statement?

I get bored because sitting on my ass for hours at a time with a very few choices of table games that are either extremely crowded with people that have no clue how to play the games and or have very high betting limits is not my idea of how to spend my free time....especially when even after I leave the casino there is next to nothing to do besides go back to an over priced hotel room in a boring city like Shreveport, Bosier City, Lake Charles, Tunica and or go back and sit in the "big rig" at the travel plaza

Vegas at least has shows and in the past they at least charged a price that made them worth seeing VS. sitting around playing 8 deck shoe blackjack....Vegas also had nice buffets that were a great deal for the price.....now they charge too much....Vegas at least has Circus Circus......and free give aways and various one time chance pulls and sports books and in the past thay had bars and clubs that did not charge an arm and a leg....Vegas you can at least get up from the various casinos when you are bored with one and go to another and take some time and find what slots are the loosest or what other decent odds offerings they have or find single deck black jack with low limits

Oklahoma and Louisiana travel plazas have last weeks fried chicken and a frozen fried burrito and 12 kinds of fruity sodas on tap......yea this is living.....for people watching I guess you can go watch truckers take a shower or look at the whores roaming the parking lots of the "travel plaza"

I happen to enjoy horse racing.....even if I don't bet which I often do bet small amounts....but off track betting and simulcast is probably worse than travel plaza casinos.....I can care less about sports betting, but I have no issue if others do it....and you don't need a bunch of tacky over priced crap to run a sports book even though it will probably be full of the same losers that are at the travel plaza casino or the OTB

again it is not the issue of gambling that I am tired of....it is what gambling specifically casino gambling has become.....which is crap like travel plazas with 22 slots and some video poker and some "clean showers"......and that is 100% positive the kind of crap that will eventually end up in Texas no matter what you or any other gambling addict believes....because the people that are behind gambling have left the "great deals and cheap Vegas shows and buffets behind" and now they just want any money from any loser that stops at Stuckys to take a piss

why do you think that when Vegas and all the big gambling operators have invested hundreds of billions into vegas to make it what it is (which sucks compared to what it was) still will get behind a big push to allow any and every state in the USA that wants to allow gambling.....anyone with a brain that lives in reality would think "won't this cut into the people that go to Vegas".....yes it will slightly.....but the big opperators know that will be made up for by all the down and out losers that will never make it to Vegas that can spend a few hours every week at 80% odds video poker and crappy slots....and they care nothing about developing an area or helping its economy....which is why even after Louisiana allowed river boats and one on land casino the big operators still allowed the travel plaza crap (that one would think would cut into the river boats take) that now infest Louisiana and Oklahoma......because they are not scared to shoot even lower.....because there are still some down and out losers that can't even get it together enough to make it to Shreveport, Bosier City, Lake Charles, or New Orleans......but their sorry ass can make it over to the local "travel plaza" to mathmatically give their money away in a smoke filled truck stop side room filled with losers just like them

so while some GIANT FOOLS think casion gambling and its expansion is about bettering a location it is really about getting gamblings footin the door so they can shoot ever lower until every 7-11, Stuckeys, and crappy truck stop has some video poker and a few slots so the total losers of society can have some way to watch their money disappear

when Gambling had the Vegas "experience" to go with it it was interesting.....now that most of the Vegas experience cost probably more than it is worth on it's own merits it has lost most of its charm for me....and gambling in a pissy little river boat or in a truck stop holds no allure for me what so ever and it offers all the down sides of being a loser give up society with short term tax greedy politicians that will be bought off with wildy over stated tax projections and job gains

I will just stick to the horse track and possibly go to Vegas on occasions with the goal in mind to actually make the trip about still finding the few bargins that are left and totally avoiding most of what has become well over priced not to mention the casinos that have become tiresom even in Vegas for the most part

[Jeebus]

I get bored because sitting on my ass for hours at a time with a very few choices of table games that are either extremely crowded with people that have no clue how to play the games and or have very high betting limits is not my idea of how to spend my free time....

It sounds like to me that:

1. You only go on the weekends when everyone else who works a regular M-F job would go.

2. You don't know how to play any table games except Black Jack because you can't stand people who don't know how to play the game, and BJ is the only one where stupid players affect your hand.

3. You're too cheap to go sit at the $25.00 dollar tables where no one is sitting, but would rather hover around the cheap 5,10, and even 15 dollar tables which are all jam packed with other cheap, uninformed players looking for a quick weekend score.

especially when even after I leave the casino there is next to nothing to do besides go back to an over priced hotel room in a boring city like Shreveport, Bosier City, Lake Charles, Tunica and or go back and sit in the "big rig" at the travel plaza

Oklahoma and Louisiana travel plazas have last weeks fried chicken and a frozen fried burrito and 12 kinds of fruity sodas on tap......yea this is living.....for people watching I guess you can go watch truckers take a shower or look at the whores roaming the parking lots of the "travel plaza"

again it is not the issue of gambling that I am tired of....it is what gambling specifically casino gambling has become.....which is crap like travel plazas with 22 slots and some video poker and some "clean showers"......and that is 100% positive the kind of crap that will eventually end up in Texas no matter what you or any other gambling addict believes....because the people that are behind gambling have left the "great deals and cheap Vegas shows and buffets behind" and now they just want any money from any loser that stops at Stuckys to take a piss

If you are not a truck-driver, then you have lost all credibility as this entire thread is about CASINOS on the Galveston boardwalk, and not travel plaza truck stops with all the ammenties as you describe them above.

As for having nothing to do, you go to a casino to GAMBLE! You don't go for any of the other reasons you describe below - which I'm about to get to. If you would gamble a little, you would realize that you can eat and stay for virtually free. Of course it demands that you having a working knowledge of your game of choice, the patience to know when to play or walk, and the commitment to sit down at the $25.00 table and up. Playing 3 hands at the 10 dollar black jack table, then getting up because 1. you're out of money, and 2. you're mad that the other players are messing you up is why you can't enjoy yourself.

Vegas at least has shows and in the past they at least charged a price that made them worth seeing VS. sitting around playing 8 deck shoe blackjack....Vegas also had nice buffets that were a great deal for the price.....now they charge too much....Vegas at least has Circus Circus......and free give aways and various one time chance pulls and sports books and in the past thay had bars and clubs that did not charge an arm and a leg....Vegas you can at least get up from the various casinos when you are bored with one and go to another and take some time and find what slots are the loosest or what other decent odds offerings they have or find single deck black jack with low limits

Apparently you haven't been to a Las Vegas show in ten years as well. Blue Man Group? $99.00 EACH; Phantom of the Opera? $76.00 EACH; Cirque De Soliel? $112.00 EACH! You can go to www.vegas.com/shows/ to confirm.

But that's why you go to Vegas. You go for the Variety. When you go to Lake Charles for a weekend, its for a quick get away - not because you want 20 different casinos and 40 different shows but because you want to drive in, valet, gamble a little, eat a nice dinner, gamble a little more, hit the sack, then wake up and get a nice massage at the spa before going home.

Consider Lake Charles Vegas ultra-lite and Galveston would be Vegas medium, if you will. It would be more like Biloxi, except it would probably attract more A list shows & celebrity performances due to it proximity to Houston.

I happen to enjoy horse racing.....even if I don't bet which I often do bet small amounts....but off track betting and simulcast is probably worse than travel plaza casinos.....I can care less about sports betting, but I have no issue if others do it....and you don't need a bunch of tacky over priced crap to run a sports book even though it will probably be full of the same losers that are at the travel plaza casino or the OTB

So of all things gambling you prefer the one where animals are used - and sometimes abused? Really? Using an animal to gamble your money is the most pathetic form of gambling there is.

why do you think that when Vegas and all the big gambling operators have invested hundreds of billions into vegas to make it what it is (which sucks compared to what it was)

If you are referring to the day of the Brat Pack, that's when casino's were the SEEDIEST! They were then exactly as you described the riverboat casinos of the 90's you so dislike. They were stuffy, full of smoke, full of locals spending every penny, and poorly lit. Worst of all, they were run by the MAFIA!

So what you're saying is that you liked it when Casino's were like that, but you don't want that same environment to come to Galveston, because you think its disgusting? Please clarify on this one.

which is why even after Louisiana allowed river boats and one on land casino the big operators still allowed the travel plaza crap (that one would think would cut into the river boats take) that now infest Louisiana and Oklahoma

If by "big operators" you are referring to politicians and their lobbyists, then yeah - they allowed it. Money talks.

......because they are not scared to shoot even lower.....because there are still some down and out losers that can't even get it together enough to make it to Shreveport, Bosier City, Lake Charles, or New Orleans......but their sorry ass can make it over to the local "travel plaza" to mathmatically give their money away in a smoke filled truck stop side room filled with losers just like them

Again, I really hope you are a truck-driver that has seen this hundreds, if not thousands of times. Otherwise you have no credibility.

so while some GIANT FOOLS think casion gambling and its expansion is about bettering a location it is really about getting gamblings footin the door so they can shoot ever lower until every 7-11, Stuckeys, and crappy truck stop has some video poker and a few slots so the total losers of society can have some way to watch their money disappear

NEWS FLASH! Both of Gambling's feet are in the Texas door with things like the state lottery, multi-state lottery, horse racing, dog racing, and "Indian" casinos.

when Gambling had the Vegas "experience" to go with it it was interesting.....now that most of the Vegas experience cost probably more than it is worth on it's own merits it has lost most of its charm for me....and gambling in a pissy little river boat or in a truck stop holds no allure for me what so ever and it offers all the down sides of being a loser give up society with short term tax greedy politicians that will be bought off with wildy over stated tax projections and job gains

I will just stick to the horse track and possibly go to Vegas on occasions with the goal in mind to actually make the trip about still finding the few bargins that are left and totally avoiding most of what has become well over priced not to mention the casinos that have become tiresom even in Vegas for the most part

You're clueless as there is plenty of authentic, old school, mafia inspired, single deck table game playing action in Vegas - you obviously just don't know where to go. As for the horse betting - you ought to be ashamed of yourself.

And if anyone tries to tell me that the horses/dogs/chicken/whatever love it, and that its what they're born/bred/raised to do - it's gonna be on like Donkey Kong, flame war style until I get banned. I might be a crazy, gun-toting, right-wing, nut-job - but I'm an animal lover first. Animal sports have no need in the modern world - from cock fighting to polo.

Edited November 20, 2008 by Jeebus

[RedScare]

And if anyone tries to tell me that the horses/dogs/chicken/whatever love it, and that its what they're born/bred/raised to do - it's gonna be on like Donkey Kong, flame war style until I get banned. I might be a crazy, gun-toting, right-wing, nut-job - but I'm an animal lover first. Animal sports have no need in the modern world - from cock fighting to polo.

I have a newfound heartfelt respect for you. If you need any flamewar help, count me in.

[TexasVines]

if fighting cocks are not genetically programmed to do what they do then why are they born with spurs on their legs and why will they fight naturally if allowed to