Gambling issue to be put on Nov ballot in Dallas

TheGeneral+ · Aug 19, 2004

ADEL - The Dallas County Board of Supervisors received a petition Tuesday morning that requests an election to put a gambling issue on the November ballot.

The Board did not discuss the matter, as it was not on the agenda for its regular meeting, but the petition was presented to the Board's administrative assistant Ann Mau.

She said the County must review the petition, count the signatures and make sure they are valid before the Board can take action on it.

The petition requires 1,649 signatures, or 10 percent of the voters in the 2002 governor's election, to be considered.

Mau said the Board will most likely take action on the petition on Aug. 24, one day before the 5 p.m. deadline to present the petition to the Auditor's Office to get it on the November ballot.

The issue is to expand gambling.

Story

oldmantime · Aug 19, 2004

When "W" goes the polls to vote for himself--how will he vote on this one?

Inquiring minds want to know

WildBill · Aug 19, 2004

How can Dallas do much with this? Gambling is always controlled by the state first, then the counties and cities can pass more specific legislation. If the state doesn't allow it, then the city can't just offer it. The state of Texas is strongly in the hands of anti-gambling people, "W" and his staff were amongst the biggest opponents of it. He did say he had no problem with it being legal elsewhere, say Nevada or Atlantic City, but he didn't believe it should expand beyond what was already legal. The typical politician response, "we have enough gambling, lets not legalize anything else".

oldmantime · Aug 19, 2004

Maybe Dallas is to Texas what Hollywood is to California! LOL Or Miami is to Florida.

In other words they make their own rules.

Marco · Aug 19, 2004

Practically all forms of gambling the states look into or vote on are horse$hit forms of gambling like keno, lottery, scratch cards.....casino games are pretty much about being in the right place at the right time...(any puffs of talent are quickly shown the door)....

Maybe the best thing about this whole thing is that it opens minds and states to the possibilities of other types of gambling, like of the sportsbook variety....

Current policies would dictate that two conditions exist:

1) That the state get a large percentage of the profit.

2) That the player be given forms of gambling with some of the crummiest odds and largest vig to overcome.

oldmantime · Aug 19, 2004

Just yesterday on ABC News I heard where the Governor of Illinois (That is still in the US--Right?) said it was ok for Illinois citizens to buy their medicines from Canada?? Now--I want to agree with him 100% since it's ok for US citizens to buy most other products made in China Brazil or India. "Free Enterprise and all
that good stuff". But don't mess with Eli Lilly and Don't mess with Texas! What a joke state laws are anymore!

WildBill · Aug 20, 2004

OMT,

Dallas can't make its own rules without state consent, just like states generally can't make rules that supersede federal law. My guess would be that they are looking into either a race track or possibly a bingo-based casino. Dallas gamblers are flocking up to Oklahoma to play the bingo-based Class II machines in the tribal casinos so this might actually be a bit of news on second thought. Still the county could get itself into hot water with the state because the governor is fairly strong anti-gaming.

As for the governor, you are overdoing it there. It isn't illegal to buy drugs from Canada with a prescription, but he is proposing that anyone that buys drugs with a state benefit, ie. state employees or pensioners as well as some welfare, that they be allowed to buy from Canada when it is cheaper. He isn't saying anything that shocking except that it is a government condoning a practice that is generally legal already.

Phaedrus · Aug 20, 2004

For some reason I thought that Texas already had gambling machines along the lines of Cherry Masters and similar setups.

Phaedrus

oldmantime · Aug 20, 2004

Bill--One of us is badly confused about buying medicines in Canada. I saw a show not too long ago where busloads of people (older folks) living in Washing State went to Canada to get their prescriptions refilled. I'm 90% sure the news commentator said to a spokesman that this practice was illegal. Did I hear that wrong?

In any event--our government is in the US drug Manufactures pockets!

WildBill · Aug 20, 2004

OMT,

It is legal to get prescriptions filled in a foreign country as long as it is for personal use and for a limited period, I believe 3 or 6 months worth. Mexican and Canadian pharmacies near the borders make a lot of money off of this crowd. What isn't legal is to have a company or entity import them, which is essentially what the state of Illinois and others are asking to do.

Texas does allow what they call "8-liners", but only for amusement, which usually brings with it limits on prizes such as $5 in value or less. These would never be confused with real slots and the low payouts prevent much play on them. The only legal location for slots is in Eagle Pass, the Kickapoo tribal casino has Class II machines, the same thing they have in Oklahoma. Their very isolated location makes them very modest winners. Other tribes have attempted to have operations in the state, but after a few years of operation they were effectively shut down, namely the Tigua tribe of El Paso. So in effect there is gambling allowed in Texas, but that enforcement action against the Tiguas done then by the Attorney General, who is now a US Senator and acknowledge future candidate for Governor, shows that it will be quite tough to get any gaming through in Texas despite the obvious demand for it.