Even though I don’t play the lottery or gamble with money, because I am a sore loser as far as losing money is concerned I voted yes when the Tennessee lottery was put on the ballot, simply for the fact that I thought the people of TN should have the choice if they wanted to have it or not
I get bored very quickly putting nickels in the nickel slot machines. I can get rid of about a roll of nickels and that’s all the interest I have in gambling.
Playing nickel dime poker with friends is fun...but technically illegal.
My sense is that if the state argues ‘freedom of choice’ to institute gambling, and then allows only 3 or 4 casinos as part of the law with everything else still illegal, then they’ve simply played the people and really have not been in favor of freedom. They’ve been in favor of enriching gambling industry cronies and their own tax budgets....not ‘freedom of choice.’
Free choice would mean that Joe’s Bar and Grill could set up a slot machine if they felt like it.