Poor Persons and Casinos

[Dennis Heaton]

HB2759..."An Act relating to poor persons; prohibiting welfare recipients from entering casino; providing exception; directing Department of Human Services submit names of disqualified persons; requiring dissemination of list; specifying frequency; providing process for removing person from list; establishing penalty; providing for forfeiture; defining terms; providing for codification; and providing an effective date."

Next up...Poor Persons prohibited from buying cigarettes.

[Bellaboo]

And beer....

[kevinpate]

Can you imagine the outcry if it were amended to include folks with more than X late payments on their credit reports.

[RadicalModerate]

Was it Thunder, or was it someone else, who was on that crusade in here, a few years ago, to prevent casinos from ripping off old people who were bussed in to play the slots? If the scenario had involved "commuter rail" it might have been Torea, but it didn't so it wasn't.

[Midtowner]

I don't think the state can tell the Indians which customers they're allowed to cater to.

[gjl]

But if they hit it big at the casino they are no longer poor and on welfare. What about playing the lottery?

[Dennis Heaton]

Can you imagine the outcry if it were amended to include folks with more than X late payments on their credit reports.

Child Support payments?

[kevinpate]

I decided to go read the bill. It's broad as all get out. It would subject someone to being charged with a misd. offense in this situation, which has not one whit to do with the intent of the bill, which is precluding folks on welfare from using any of their funds to gamble.

Sue is on welfare, and works for an eatery in Riverwind down on Hwy 9. Let's say Rick's, as that is the only eatery name I have heard, though there are others. Sue's hubby, works part-time at the Love's across the highway. Combined income is meager and they qualify for state assistance. Sue can go to work freely, but can only enter Riverwind on work days and during work shifts. She can not stop by to see a co-worker, even to say hiya and the leave, if it is not a work day. Doing so risks being charged with a misd. She doesn't have to gamble to commit a crime. Mere presence inside the structure on a non work shift is a crime under the act.

Hubby Carl, the p-timer at Love's can not, when his work shift ends, walk across the highway and have a soda or a pizza with his Sue at Rick's when she gets off work. She can bring a pizza to the car, but it would be a misd. for him to visit her on a break (for he can not enter at all) or for the two of them to sit down after her shift and share a soda or a pizza. Again, he can not lawfully enter the building, even with zero intent to gamble, and she can't remain in the building, as her work shift has concluded and she is no longer present for employment duties.

Part of me does get the intent of the bill, but its extent is too far reaching if a husband and wife can not eat a pizza together at the end of her work day without risking criminal charges for having a meal in the food court of a casino.

[OKCretro]

Playing the lottery or slots at a casino I call it a "stupid people tax"

[BBatesokc]

Playing the lottery or slots at a casino I call it a "stupid people tax"

Is that your opinion in general or would you conceded its only 'stupid' if one overindulges or has not the funds to partake in the first place?

[Bunty]

With poor people in mind, don't some of the casinos have penny slot machines?

[RadicalModerate]

With poor people in mind, don't some of the casinos have penny slot machines?

Yes, they do. It's their version of a "gateway drug."

[Achilleslastand]

But if they hit it big at the casino they are no longer poor and on welfare. What about playing the lottery?

As if that's an everyday occurrence.....
The odds of winning at the local Indian Casinos are even worse then the Las Vegas Strip. But then again they arent required to make public their payout odds nor regulated like the Las Vegas Gaming Commission.

[PennyQuilts]

I think it is unworkable but in all honesty, I'd just as soon welfare money be stretched a little further than for pizza at a casino. Most of us on budgets cut out eating out, first thing, when things are tight. Not expecting anyone else to do what I wouldn't.

[tomokc]

Playing the lottery or slots at a casino I call it a "stupid people tax"

It's called that for a whole lot of reasons, and these two will convince anyone regardless of their intelligence: 1) More people lose in casinos than win; and 2) Unlike in some other states, payout rates in Oklahoma aren't required to be at a minimal level, in fact, they're not disclosed to any regulatory agency in the state.

[kevinpate]

I think it is unworkable but in all honesty, I'd just as soon welfare money be stretched a little further than for pizza at a casino. Most of us on budgets cut out eating out, first thing, when things are tight. Not expecting anyone else to do what I wouldn't.

In the example, both folks are employed, although somewhat meagerly. To call eating a pizza not stretching their welfare money is, to me at least, a touch of an odd statement.

[gjl]

Why is using your welfare money to gamble at a casino any worse than using your SNAP card to buy candy, chips, and a big gulp at the 7-11?

[OKCretro]

Don't want to hijack the thread, but did see someone using their food stamp card at whole foods.

[Dennis Heaton]

Why is using your welfare money to gamble at a casino any worse than using your SNAP card to buy candy, chips, and a big gulp at the 7-11?

gjl...I have seen this same thing quite often at our neighborhood convenience store (dare I mention the name of the store again). I think this would be a very good subject to bring up to the Oklahoma Legislature, and if you wouldn't mind, I think I am going to send an e-mail to Rep. Todd Russ this afternoon and ask him about what you have brought up.

[ljbab728]

Don't want to hijack the thread, but did see someone using their food stamp card at whole foods.

Well there you go then, obviously the bill needs to be amended to prohibit anyone on welfare from entering a Whole Foods store.

[gjl]

With poor people in mind, don't some of the casinos have penny slot machines?

I'm going to guess you haven't played too many penny slots.

[PennyQuilts]

In the example, both folks are employed, although somewhat meagerly. To call eating a pizza not stretching their welfare money is, to me at least, a touch of an odd statement.

There has been many a time in my younger years when even a Big Mac was out of the question. Eating out was always a special treat, often saved up for.

[OKCretro]

Well there you go then, obviously the bill needs to be amended to prohibit anyone on welfare from entering a Whole Foods store.

to me its kind of like when you see a priest driving an escalade or someone using their obamaphone and getting an i5 with their govt coupon

[trousers]

So regulating businesses is ok if it keeps the poor people out? Some people like big government a lot.

[trousers]

I think it is unworkable but in all honesty, I'd just as soon welfare money be stretched a little further than for pizza at a casino. Most of us on budgets cut out eating out, first thing, when things are tight. Not expecting anyone else to do what I wouldn't.

So do we need to add Little Caesers, McDonalds, Taco Bell etc to this bill to fully round out all of the places that poor people don't need to go to?