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Thursday, October 20, 2022
Times Square May Get One of the Few Spectacles It Lacks: A Casino
The New York Times: Times Square, New York City’s famed Crossroads of the World, could hardly be considered lacking. It has dozens of Broadway theaters, swarms of tourists, costumed characters and noisy traffic, all jostling for space with office workers who toil in the area.
The first takeaway from this is do not believe it when Casinos vie for a spot by saying they are going to give a lot of money to some good cause. Maryland had casinos come back about ten years ago under Larry Hogan. The idea that was pitched was for a significant percentage of money to be given “to the school system.” The government then just rearranged where the public school system funding was coming from so they removed the prior source of tax-based funding to use for something else and then added this new casino cash flow with a completed net-zero for the schools. So saying that it’s worthwhile because “we’ll give our money to people who need it” is kind of an empty argument. This is an age old question of ideals - I don’t like that people gamble away all their money but in the same vein, it’s a free country and if they want to they should be able to.
So, a casino in Times Square is an interesting thought and also something that can spark multiple opinions. On one hand, if the gambling revenues fund safety and sanitation measures in the city, or the casino brings extra security to an already dangerous area, that’s a plus. But, it is true that Broadway thrives on tourism. Hypothetically, tourists could be a) choosing to go to the casino instead or b) going to the casino and seeing a broadway show while they’re visiting or c) be seeing a broadway show and decide to go to the casino instead. Even though they’re different ventures, MAYBE hypothetically they could be mutually beneficial? Though I’m not sure if the odds would swing that way, Actors’ Equity seems to think that they might. Now, I will say that the mention of “surveillance drones” absolutely terrifies me in its casualness. Will that push us closer towards dystopia or will it effectively lessen crime in the area?
2 comments:
The first takeaway from this is do not believe it when Casinos vie for a spot by saying they are going to give a lot of money to some good cause. Maryland had casinos come back about ten years ago under Larry Hogan. The idea that was pitched was for a significant percentage of money to be given “to the school system.” The government then just rearranged where the public school system funding was coming from so they removed the prior source of tax-based funding to use for something else and then added this new casino cash flow with a completed net-zero for the schools. So saying that it’s worthwhile because “we’ll give our money to people who need it” is kind of an empty argument. This is an age old question of ideals - I don’t like that people gamble away all their money but in the same vein, it’s a free country and if they want to they should be able to.
So, a casino in Times Square is an interesting thought and also something that can spark multiple opinions. On one hand, if the gambling revenues fund safety and sanitation measures in the city, or the casino brings extra security to an already dangerous area, that’s a plus. But, it is true that Broadway thrives on tourism. Hypothetically, tourists could be a) choosing to go to the casino instead or b) going to the casino and seeing a broadway show while they’re visiting or c) be seeing a broadway show and decide to go to the casino instead. Even though they’re different ventures, MAYBE hypothetically they could be mutually beneficial? Though I’m not sure if the odds would swing that way, Actors’ Equity seems to think that they might. Now, I will say that the mention of “surveillance drones” absolutely terrifies me in its casualness. Will that push us closer towards dystopia or will it effectively lessen crime in the area?
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