Gambling

Re "No Dice to Casinos," Ventura County editorial, April 1. On Jan. 1, 1956, a resolution of intention to outlaw card clubs in Oxnard took effect. The City Council committee that recommended this action stated that "many police and social problems develop as a result of gambling. It is hoped that the county and other political jurisdictions study the problem and arrive at a similar decision in the interest of general county improvement." On June 20, 1993, the City Council, after hearing loudly and clearly from residents, the ministerial association and the district attorney, again concluded that gambling detracted from our quality of life.

The NCAA took perhaps its strongest public stance on sports gambling here Monday, putting on a session at the group's annual convention that was clearly designed to get the attention of member schools. Among those speaking were Tom French, who said he has been with the FBI's Organized Crime Unit for 28 1/2 years, and Michael Franzese, a self-proclaimed former member of the Colombo family of the New York Mafia.

When Santa Anita Park opened on Christmas Day in 1934, the occasion struck many Angelenos as a brazen social move and others as a downright reckless business venture. The new racecourse was the brainchild of onetime minor league second baseman and San Francisco dentist Charles Henry "Doc" Strub, whose dream was to bring horse racing back after it had been banned in California for almost 25 years. Pulling teeth wasn't enough for Strub, who also was active in many real estate dealings.

Touomou, Aw and Ya-Ya Dia, to name a few of the basketball players John Thompson coaches, stood hugging, mugging and chest-bumping near center court, in celebration of Georgetown's 98-90 success against Texas Tech in an NCAA East Regional game Thursday night. And, for one fleeting moment, Thompson almost joined them. What a sight that would have been, all 6 feet 10 and 300-plus pounds of Big Bad John, jiggling and gyrating while the Georgia Dome shook.

There won't be Las Vegas-style gambling in Eureka any time soon. An initiative to legalize casino gambling here didn't get enough signatures to qualify for the Nov. 5 ballot. The initiative would have amended the state Constitution to legalize gambling in this North Coast city for 28 years. Robert Wilson, the Studio City man leading the initiative drive, has tried several times in the past to legalize gambling in various cities in Northern California. The initiatives have all failed.

The City Council has endorsed a gambling compact between a Pomo Indian group and the state, an early step toward bringing a casino to the Richmond waterfront. The Scotts Valley band of Pomo Indians has offered $10 million for Terminal 3 at the Port of Richmond, where it hopes to build a casino-hotel complex. To do so, the band must get a Class 3 gambling license, which requires a pact with the state.

In your article "Fiscal Crunch Gives Casino Backers Hope" Jan. 3, only one reason can be cited for any form of legalized gambling in West Hollywood: revenues. We must also consider in this question of the legalizing of gambling the negative impact of gambling: crime and degradation of the neighborhood. It is not the only way West Hollywood could raise revenues. West Hollywood could increase revenues by encouraging the development of retail business and other working professionals within the West Hollywood Community.

A U.S. House committee approved a bill that would outlaw Internet casinos and most other forms of online gambling. The Judiciary Committee voted 21-8 to send the legislation to the full House. The measure would would impose a fine equal to the value of the bet or $20,000, whichever is greater, and a maximum four-year prison sentence. Supporters said the bill will help control an unregulated and growing industry.

Bill Plaschke, you're absolutely right! I realized that I don't care about college basketball and that the NCAA tournament was only a sorry surrogate for my gambling addiction -- albeit, a once-a-year gambling addiction. Why live a lie? I'm now pursuing my true calling and moving to Vegas. Oh, by the way, I've also given up golf, since I realized that I was playing the game only to wager against my friends. David Shin Tokyo

The first piece of a massive gambling expansion plan cleared its initial legislative hurdle Thursday, the day after Gov. Rod Blagojevich said he was open to the concept that he had campaigned against last year. If passed in their entirety, Wednesday's proposals would change the face of gambling in Illinois, extending it from riverboats and horse tracks to corner bars and restaurants -- and place a casino in Chicago.