In Iowa we are fighting about smoking in casinos and the leg. is fearful that people will go to IL

[Skidmore]

to gamble if there is a ban because people just won't sit for hours cranking those one-armed bandits, chucking their hard earned cash away a nickel at a time.

Now let's talk about the most pernicious form of taxation out there--state run gambling. It is a tax from which some is rebated to those who can hit the right numbers. The prospect of a possible payout attracts those who hope to hit the big jackpot. We know people who will take every spare bit of cash they have and hit the casino. If the states want to tax people they should be honest about it and spread the pain. An additonal note of disgust to add to this is that quite often the gambling addiction program is among the first to be targeted in budget cut discussions. How craven is that?

[Oceansaway]

1. IL banned it too...

at Jumers in Rock Island theres a smoking lounge....

[GKirk]

2. The casinos should be the ones

funding the addiction programs.

[dmallind]

3. I have no problem with voluntary "sin" taxes

I pay some for beer. Smokers pay them. Gamblers can do it too. All of them can be abused and considered addictive, but all are 100% voluntary and non-essential. You have to decide whether any recreation is worth the cost, and I would rather the profits go to the state than individual owners.