• Twitter
  • Facebook
News-Sentinel.com Your Town. Your Voice.
Opening Arguments

Vice squad

Yes, by God, get 'em when they're young, and you'll have them forever:

This is one of Maryland Live's most daunting challenges: Young people might check out the new casino, but will they consistently choose it over Atlantic City, a relatively close tourist destination that's frequently expanding and renovating in order to appeal to new crowds?

[. . .]

While Maryland Live's president and general manager, Robert J. Norton, acknowledges live table games "would help" draw a younger crowd, he says the majority of Live's clientele will be the 40-60-year-old demographic. Still, he's aware of the importance of getting potential customers such as Tewell through the doors now.

"You have to consider them in everything you do," Norton said.

Naturally the government, desperate for as much gambling revenue as it can get, will help all it can.  A governor's task force is studying ways to expand gambling, including allowing now-forbidden live dealers at the table games. That'd bring in the young'uns, you see, 'cause they think of slots as "old people's games."

I know I am naive and idealistic and a hopeless romantic to keep being surprised that government so seldom tries to promote civic virtue these days. But how utterly depraved it is that government actually spends so much time trying to lure its citizens into vice.

Quantcast