Rick: How can you close me up? On what grounds?
Captain Renault: I’m shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on in here!
[a croupier hands Renault a pile of money]
Croupier: Your winnings, sir.
Captain Renault: [sotto voce] Oh, thank you very much.
[aloud]
Captain Renault: Everybody out at once!
—Casablanca (1942)
Indiana – 2008: The Associated Press has a story on how the promised crackdown on illegal gambling has fallen well short of expectations. Some lawmakers promised thousands of slot machines and poker machines would be seized. Meanwhile, lawmakers authorized 4,000 new machines at Indiana’s horse tracks. So, it looks like we have a substantial increase in gambling.
I don’t have strong feelings either way. I don’t have any moral opposition to gambling, but I don’t have a strong desire to have gambling facilities in close proximity. I think we really need to figure out a rational system for gambling in the state. This patchwork of grudging expansions while pretending to oppose the practice is silly.
I don’t think the crackdown will come to much.
In fact, I’ll give you pretty good odds…