Cripple Creek voters gave a resounding OK to expanded gambling Tuesday.
More games, longer hours and higher bets passed in a landslide, 267 for it and 13 against in the Teller County town of 1,200 people.
City leaders have said the change, which takes effect July 1, will mean more tourists, more tax revenue and more jobs.
Cripple Creek will be the first of the state's three casino towns to raise betting limits from $5 to $100, add games such as craps and roulette, and keep gambling hall doors open around the clock.
Even though the gambling expansion initiative was presented using the argument that expanded gambling would lead to more tax revenue, the end result is more personal freedom. The fact is that $100 a hand blackjack might seem like a lot to most people, but it might sound low to someone like Bill Gates. There is no reason for the government to decide what threshold of risk is appropriate for different individuals to wager. I think the $100 dollar limit is a good step in the right direction, but the ultimate step is for the government to acknowledge that it is not the role of the government to dictate to individuals how much they are allowed to spend wastefully.
Having a limit is not that bad. At least, people will have some restriction. When we are given too much freedom, it gets rather difficult to stay away from being addicted.
Posted by: Online Gambling | January 06, 2009 at 02:58 AM