I don’t usually like to quote myself, but it’s been a while since I’ve done this interview, so I actually forgot what I said, and was amused to see that it actually made it in print. It’s in an article about a potential Chicago casino that’s pretty good. From NEWCITYCHICAGO.COM: Street Smart Chicago“>New City Chicago:
“To think a state-run casino would be less corrupt is laughable,” says David Schwartz, Ph.D., author of “Roll The Bones: The History of Gambling.” Corruption and gambling are no strangers, even around here. In 1999 a casino project in Rosemont was scrubbed because a few made men were investors. Ironically, the idea of taking casino ownership out of the private sector and moving into the citys hand is to rid the industry of corruption.
NEWCITYCHICAGO.COM: Street Smart Chicago
You can probably tell that I don’t have a blind faith in big government. Later in the article, I self-consciously reference “fiscal discipline,” knowing that I sound like a guy running in a Republican Congressional primary.
Being born and raised in Atlantic City at a time when 3 out of 4 (or it might have been 4 out of 5) mayors ended up in jail, let’s say that I’m skeptical of the notion that elected and appointed government officials are, ipso facto, above reproach.
I think I found the idea that a government-owned casino would somehow be corruption free in the land of “vote early, vote often” particularly whimsical at the time. Some people don’t learn much from history, do they?