Chicago Sun-Times: Chicago casino: Worth a crapshoot?

Mayor Daley proposes adding a spanking new facility to the downtown area that could potentially provide an unprecedented spark to Chicago's tourism industry. This new toy could add an estimated $250 million annually to the city's coffers.

What is the catch? This new entertainment option is a casino.

So why is "casino" such an unmentionable word? Is it because we don't like the idea of government operating an industry that's designed to prey on our shortcomings?

Illinois, along with 36 other states, runs a state lottery.

It allows racetrack betting and all kinds of charitable gambling.

Think the lottery is entirely too innocent and altogether different from casino gambling?

Think again.

The lottery pays out approximately 50 percent of what it takes in. Returns on casino games are well over 90 percent. A game like blackjack gives you nearly even odds against the house.

Is it because we don't like the people who gamble?

Perhaps we should take a look in the mirror first.

According to a government-funded study, 86 percent of Americans have gambled; 68 percent have gambled within the past year. More than a quarter of adult Americans gambled at a casino in 2001.

Gambling has become a normal American activity, simply another form of entertainment. And it is one of the few entertainment options that hold appeal for every rung of society.

Where else can you find the everyman rubbing shoulders with the wealthiest of the wealthy?

Is it because we think gambling is affiliated with organized crime?

Gambling's current affiliation with organized crime is one of the most commonly held misconceptions.

What better way to eliminate the vice elements from gambling than to allow the government to regulate?

Or is it that we just don't like gambling itself?

Gambling -- just like going to the movies, or a bar, or a Steppenwolf show -- is a form of entertainment that holds immense appeal for many folks. For a set amount of money, consenting adults get in return the opportunity of winning, the thrill of taking the risk, and the camaraderie of doing it with others in the same boat.

Once considered exotic, gambling has now rooted itself in mainstream culture. Just observe the wild commercial popularity of televised championship poker, a card game.

Besides, casino gambling already exists around the Chicago area. Places such as Gary, East Chicago and Hammond already attract a line of Chicagoans. Why not allow the city the opportunity to become the beneficiary of Chicagoans who are already willing to spend?

The fact is, casino gambling is surrounded by myths and treated differently than other forms of entertainment. We do not ban bars because some patrons are alcoholics.

And it's not a regressive tax: People with higher incomes visit casinos more. Only 22 percent of persons with incomes under $35,000 visited a casino in 2001, in contrast to about 35 percent of those with incomes over $95,000.

If Chicago decides to build a casino, why not build it right? Let's complement the casino with shopping venues, restaurants, perhaps even an amusement center for those under 21. Let's create a world-class entertainment venue. Let's emphasize table games over slot machines.

Let's provide jobs for the thousands of Chicagoans who need stable jobs in a booming industry. Let's provide access to Gamblers Anonymous in the casinos for those who need help. Let's have voluntary patron-tracking systems so casinos can identify and help those showing signs of gambling problems.

Let's pump the funds generated from gambling into improving our schools, our parks and our libraries.

Let's create a better future for this city, and let's do it sooner, rather than later.

Victor Zhao, Alyshea Austern, Shaudy Danaye-Elmi, Brian Hill, David Gearey, Jenny Maldonado, Mary McKinney, Brad Russo, Andrew Sherman and Sean Williams are students at the University of Chicago Law School studying gambling law as part of a course on Advanced Criminal Law.