How much influence does Las Vegas have?
With the announcement of DHHL proposing a casino in Kapolei, Oahu, it would be interesting to know which of our politicians has received campaign contributions from Las Vegas interests.
It is no secret that Hawaii has a gambling-crazed population. So, it is anomalous that we are one of only two states not having some form of legalized gambling (casino, sports, lottery). Utah being the other.
The fact that Las Vegas is often termed the “ninth island” should speak volumes. Look at the number of discounted junkets offered and the tie-in with downtown hotel/casinos and Hawaii airlines.
This is one powerful constituency that doesn’t want Hawaiians to stay home to gamble. And it has the money and political clout and influence to keep that from happening.
So it begs the question; given the proclivity of Hawaii gamblers, the ready-made customer base of visitors, and the dire state of our schools, social programs and infrastructure, wouldn’t gambling and the revenues it would provide be a slam-dunk?
Many indigenous groups across the country have taken control of their own destinies with the help of gambling revenues. Maybe someone can explain to me the fundamental difference between an Indian reservation and Hawaiian Home Lands, but I don’t see it.
Opponents will wave their arms and proclaim the social ills that gambling will cause, and there will undoubtedly be some. But those jurisdictions that allow gambling dedicate portions of their revenue to mitigate these as much as possible, and designate the balance for the greater good (schools, shelters, social programs).
Detractors will say that visitors will burn up all their money and be unable to return home, leaving them destitute and wards of the state and cities. The Philippines addressed this by requiring proof of an outbound plane ticket before entering a casino.
So it begs the question; how much influence does this Las Vegas constituency and the Hawaii airlines lobby have on the way our politicians approach this issue. I bet one of your crack reporters could extract that information fairly easily.
Then we would know who and why our leaders opposed to the DHHL proposal, see it that way. Who is willing to forego Sam Boyd’s millions in contributions to objectively deliberate on whether gambling makes sense in Hawaii.
I, for one, would like to know.
John Bingham
Kailua-Kona
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