If an Indian tribe, worked through all the bureaucratic process with all the Bureau of Indian Affairs and can build an online casino in downtown Enid, are you for or against it? If you live in Enid and occasionally visit other casinos throughout the state, you probably run into other folks you know from Enid, partaking in the recreation supplied by the casinos. These are the same people who have left our town and so are spending their recreation dollars elsewhere. They are shopping with the stores, eating in the restaurants, and staying in the hotels within the area.
A brief history:
The power to run bingo games was one of the numerous concessions designed to tribes in Oklahoma. Then some very ingenious person developed a bingo game that looked like a slot machine. We have seen the little digital bingo card with the top corner in the display screen of the slot machine. From that invention forward, Oklahoma casinos started to spring up everywhere. After all, you had been still playing bingo, just in a new and technical way. Later, a gaming compact between your tribes as well as the State of Oklahoma allowed the usage of Vegas style slot machines, poker, and blackjack. Thus, bigger and casinos were built and so are still being built throughout Oklahoma.
A casino can only be built within historic tribal boundaries after which placed in a trust using the U.S. government. Since Enid does not have any casino, could be that the reason? Then upon researching Garfield County, Oklahoma via Wikipedia, it was found, that before the Land Run of 1893, Garfield County was named O County and was part from the Cherokee Outlet, occupied by the Cherokee people pursuing the Treaty of New Echota and the Cherokee trail of tears. Historically, the area was a hunting ground of the Wichita, Osage, and Kiowa tribes. Does that qualify us as being within historic tribal boundaries?
Positive areas of a casino in Enid:
1. The revenues generated from casinos are taken up operate tribal governments and programs because of its citizens. In addition, a portion of the revenue is split while using State of Oklahoma.
2. Tribes utilize the revenues to boost infrastructure.
3. Related attractions are built.
4. Jobs are manufactured.
5. The added income and influx of tourists increase retail trade.
6. Promotes tribal economic development.
7. The casinos donate to local charities.
8. A survey of casino patrons discovered that over 80 percent from the visitors to casinos were thinking about also doing something aside from gambling. So the casino becomes an anchor for other tourism attractions such as family water parks.
9. The casinos create new lines of cooperative economic development between American Indians and non-Indian business people.
10. Casinos give you a magnet for outside money that would not previously exist.
11. Local resident who employed to travel outside with the area now stays within the region.
12. More construction jobs are set up building casinos.
13. Gambling can be an accepted means for governments to boost funds. It is described as source of money which is easier to obtain because it is not a tax on individuals.
14. In several communities the subsequent businesses showed an increase in profits, attendance, and customers after an internet casino came to their area:
a. Retail stores
b. Golf
c. Local arts and crafts shows
d. Hunting and fishing activities
e. Horse trail rides
f. Festivals and events had higher attendance
g. Movie theaters
h. Historical sites were visited more regularly
i. Scenic drives
j. Walking trails
k. Water parks
l. Biking trails
m. Roller skating
n. Fitness centers
Negative elements of a casino in Enid
1. Tourism dollars hinge on what well the casino pays out. Winners may spend freely, but losers may return purchases and cut their hotel stays short.
2. For some gambling becomes a dependancy.
3. Gambling kills time, and subtracts from time allocated to useful endeavors.
4. Locally-owned businesses go bankrupt because consumers have changed their expenditures to casinos.
5. Wealthy Indian gaming tribes pour vast amounts into political campaigns at both state and federal levels. (Source: Special Investigation poker online promo by Donald L. Barlett and James B,. Steele, Time Magazine, December 2002.)
6. Wealthy Indian gaming tribes are also influencing gambling as well as other policies affecting Native Americans by handing a lot to influential lobbying firms. (Source: Special Investigation by Donald L. Barlett and James B, Steele, Time Magazine, December 2002.)
7. In towns with casino's, there is definitely an increase inside following:
a. Crime
b. Suicide
c. Addiction
d. Bankruptcy
e. Domestic violence
f. Drug and alcohol addiction
g. Divorce
h. Embezzlement
What is Gambling Addiction?
Gambling addiction is known as an action addiction. When gambling, those hormones, adrenaline and endorphins, are self-produced. As the person gambles more frequently, it brings about tolerance to the adrenaline and endorphins, so it takes more gambling and stakes, to find the equal high. Recent studies show that video slot gambling fires up the human brain exactly as cocaine does. (Source: Stop the Casino 101 Coalition)
If an internet casino were to petition arrive at downtown Enid, what would be your opinion? Do you think it would enhance our community or bring social problems we might not want to manage?