Every once in a while a politician comes up with a good idea. Not all that often, but every once in a while.
And I think Wildrose Party leader Danielle Smith stumbled onto a good one recently in putting the gambling money of Albertans to better use for Albertans.
Having said that, I think she’s way off base wanting that money to go to supporting new facilities for the National Hockey League’s Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames.
First, she wants the province to get totally involved in a game called Keno. But not the same one you’d see in any VLT machine in your local bar or lounge. This would be province-wide and be fashioned after what they do in British Columbia where it’s been widely successful for years now. Mind you, there are no VLT machines in B.C.
The concept is a good one. But where Danielle wants to give the profits to already-rich owners, I say we should look to the past and the hopes and dreams of Mary English who died without fulfilling those hopes and dreams.
Long before we had lotteries, Sport Select and the aforementioned VLT’s, we had horse racing to gamble on. Not horse racing at Northlands in Edmonton, Stampede Park in Calgary or any of the little tracks that dotted the prairies, but the Irish Derby. Or, to be more specific, the Irish Derby Sweepstakes. And, while illegal, I can remember my parents turning giddy when they bought a ticket and then waited for the results which would arrive, if you won, by mail months after buying the ticket. All of that money raised went to making hospitals in Ireland better by providing an outside source of revenue, gambling on a horse race. It was Mary’s idea that Canada did the same, but everyone shunned her for some reason.
So years later we spend millions on get-rich-quick schemes and the profits, which are plentiful, go to the province for whatever our fast-spending politicians want to do with it. Danielle wants a huge Keno project to fund hockey arenas that house professional teams.
I agree with the Keno plan, although I know of only one lounge that has a machine right now and only one active player of that machine. But why couldn’t the money go to something else, like minor sports, education, needy charities or maybe even hospitals?
If there is a hole in her basic plan, it’s that the game of Keno is already available on the VLT machines which would be located wherever the huge Keno games would be installed.
I am a regular ($5-a-day) Keno player on the machines but, just recently, gave the one machine I know a shot by wagering the $5 on the game Danielle hopes will be used province-wide soon.
To explain the difference: if you were to play Keno on a VLT machine, the maximum you could win by playing the maximum credit would be $2,000. That’s choosing 10 numbers out of a potential 80 and having all 10 get selected. I have never seen 10 of 10 or even nine of 10 but have, in fact, hit on eight of 10. And with my 50-cent wager it means a profit of just over $160.
The province-wide game, which means you could fill a card in at one lounge and check it later at another, could result in a much bigger payout. In fact, if you were to wager $1, pick 10 numbers and hit all 10 you would be $100,000 richer. That bet is next to impossible. But the chance is still there.
Danielle has an interesting idea in trying to turn gambling profits into the people’s money. But she’s short-sighted thinking it should benefit a relatively small, affluent portion of our population.
For my joke today I bring up an oldie where 89-year old Jim says to his wife that he is going to give up golf because his eyes are so bad he can’t see where he hit the ball. She suggests he take her brother Bob with him. But he argues that Bob is even older than he is. She says: “He may be 90, but his eyesight is perfect. He’s got the eyes of an eagle.” The next day Jim and Bob go out, and Jim swings and makes contact on the first tee box and says: “Bob did you see the ball?” Bob says: “Of course I did, I have perfect eyesight.” Jim asks where it went and Bob replies: “I don’t remember.”
