‘There are two kinds of Video Lottery casinos in Sioux Falls, Ones that have been robbed and ones that will be robbed.’ – Scott Ehrisman
Let’s face it, all VL casinos in SF have become magnets for thieves. We certainly don’t need anymore. I have believed for a long time that the social cost to taxpayers far outweighs what the state makes from them.
Last night at the planning commission, (Item#8) they had a ‘sensitive use’ permit to approve for an alcohol license for a casino. Let’s face it, this isn’t about the license, this is about plopping another VL casino in the middle of an established middle class neighborhood that is already struggling with crime. The commission could have easily voted down the license (that is why it was sensitive use). Only one did, John Paulson.
The neighborhood testified against the casino, NOT because of the alcohol or gambling but because VL casinos get robbed, consistently and non-stop in this community. That’s a reality.
Commissioner ‘Know it all Nick Sershen’ said the neighbors were calling people who gamble and drink criminals. Uh, no they weren’t, they were saying VL casinos attract criminals. It just goes to show the planning commission members don’t give a rat’s ass about keeping neighborhoods safe. While they will debate the ‘safety’ of an electronic church sign for 45 minutes, they had ZERO discussion on this item before approving it. This was an easy one. They failed huge!
It’s funny, when the Bonus Round Bar by my house was a casino, it got robbed 1-2 times a month. Since they have converted it to an arcade bar, I haven’t heard a peep about a robbery. I’m not saying that there haven’t been any attempts, but I think burglars tend to case a place before robbing it, and once they realize it is NOT a casino, they move on.