Pueblog USa

Tuesday, August 23, 2005

Casinos and Quality of Life

Would a casino give Pueblo the sort of quality of life it has and wants?

“Yu-u-uck!” That was my reaction as I read in the paper yesterday that some folks want to establish a casino here in Pueblo.

Okay, so I don’t like playing slot machines. They eat my money and they never give me any gum. And I don’t get any big thrill from winning a blackjack hand, probably because I’m not gutsy enough to bet more than two dollars. And I have memories of abandonment as a small child when my brother and I were left standing on the sidewalk with one parent, while the other went into a casino to play a few games. (Games? and they don’t let children in? What sort of place is that?)  Then the folks switched places, and we still didn’t get to go in. And we couldn’t figure out why, because there weren’t any naked ladies or anything like that that kids weren’t supposed to see.  And there was nothing to do out on the sidewalk. (Of course, at age six it’s very difficult to understand why you can’t do everything you want.)

So my first concern about a casino being set up in Pueblo is quality of life and quality of the Riverwalk. I have visions of children camped on the sidewalk, getting sunburned, while the custodial adult is inside pulling a lever. I can see dogs tied to lampposts for hours at a time while the owner plays for “just a few more minutes.” I see upset drivers who have just lost a bundle screaming out of the parking garage without noticing pedestrians, pets or bicyclists. I have visions of not finding parking because the parking garage either won’t be big enough, or will cost money.

And somehow, the noise and bright lights of a casino don’t jibe with what I thought was the desired image for the Historic Arkansas Riverwalk Promenade. I thought it was supposed to be about splashing fountains, floating boats, sno-cones al fresco, and strolling along sun dappled walks. In other words, I thought the HARP was supposed to be more or less family-oriented. Rated G. Suitable for all ages.

I’ll admit that a lot of my prejudices come from visiting Central City and Blackhawk. Gambling in those towns was billed as an atmosphere thing, something to re-create the ambiance of those towns in the heyday of mining. A tourist draw based on history, not the gambling itself. Something like what I experienced in the Yukon in the ‘70s. Instead, it ended up being a mini-Las Vegas, with flashing lights and endlessly circulating cocktail waitresses. If you go to the Central City Opera, you can’t find parking. What residents hoped would give them an income that would allow them to stay in their quaint little mountain towns, instead gives them a reason to leave.

Is that what Pueblo really wants?