On The Economy: Rendell's score on jobs, not ice, to determine election fate

On The Economy: Rendell's score on jobs, not ice, to determine election fate a matter of far more importance in the Pittsburgh area -- jobs.

Jobs tied to gambling with slot machines are fleeting, at best. Jobs tied to gambling and table games are much better and more abundant. There are more jobs to be expected from a casino -- where ever it might be located -- with table games instead of slots. And, those jobs would pay more. Better paying and more of them -- seems like a winning combination. Furthermore, when Pennsylvania's slot bill was hatched, it sprang up from a bill that was to put slots only at the horse race tracks. Then came the parlors for the cities and for the resorts. In the end, PA is going to have plenty of locations with slots. The marketplace is going to have a big glut of options and the demand is going to be much less. When the supply is increased in such a drastic way -- there are expectations that the value of each location is going to be less. People in Pittsburgh can still and will still play the slots in Las Vegas, Atlantic City, West Virginia, Niagra Falls, Indian Casinos and perhaps in Erie and Seven Springs too, plus The Meadows in Washington County, Gettysburg, and the Downs near Harrisburg. The options are extensive for slots.

Indian Reservations have gambling too.

I think it would be wise to make a break-out statement and say Pittsburgh will do without its slots license and turn it into a license for table games. Then we'll have something on the front of the wave -- rather than getting crushed in the tail end. Being a laggard in terms of a marketplace offering is always Pittsburgh's way -- so far. They overbuilt the Convention Center in Pittsburgh and now the Convention Center is never going to be used to its capacity. It is a waste as all the other convention cities have out paced Pittsburgh. Looser again. If we asked for a TABLE GAME LICENSE, an exception that all the other slots places are sure to embrace, as the Pittsburgh venue will be less of a competitor to theirs, then we'll have something. Consider the game of 'BINGO' and its popularity. That game is much unlike that of playing a slot machine. With BINGO, it becomes a social game, a community game. Furthermore, BINGO is more of a mental game when contrasted to the slot machines. There are women who play bingo with 24 cards and no chips. That's amazing. That's mental stimulation that is worth its price in gold. I understand that BINGO isn't a "table game" -- but with Pittsburgh being what it is -- perhaps there are plenty of other interesting games that we'll be able to play, learn, develop and form into an attraction for others. In Florida they play the betting game of Jai alai, i.e, "HI-LIGH." ?? Right? In Asia, they play a betting game with FIGHTING FISH.

Ticket window to the Thai Boxing Stadium -- a real event and place to gamble.

In Thailand, they play the betting game of Thai Boxing. Well, I'm not going to go that far and suggest that any of these are 'table games' that would work in Pittsburgh. But, each has a bit of character and sense of being unique. 'When in ROME, do as the Romans do.' When in Pittsburgh -- let's NOT do what everyone else is doing. We are someplace special.

Action in a Thai Boxing match.

Finally, the other thing that would be interesting to see in Pittsburgh is a "re-match" among these gambling folks who are bidding for the rights to the casino. Double or nothing is a slogan that could fit in as a groundswell cry to put the brakes on the existing plans and make for another plan that has a better hope of being an economic boom to THIS REGION. A year delay or a delay of even six months -- could be good so as to string out the opportunities for more to get on the ground floor of the bribes and payouts. Why should Rev. Sims and Franco and that gang be so exclusive? This re-do will allow more to be in the fray -- more ads to run in the Post-Gazette, more community meetings, more time for tour bus operators to plan their trips.