Legalize gambling to dodge tax increases

BY STEVE SEARS

Listen. Listen closely and you can hear the rumblings.

We hear this sound every once in a while. Some are bothered; others are not.

This is not the rumblings of a spring thunderstorm or of the hooves of the cattle drive for Cheyenne Frontier Days. It’s not the rumbling of hundreds of Harley Davidsons headed

Central City, Colo., has gambling. Why not Cheyenne?

to Sturgis, S.D. Nor is it the sound of a giant Union Pacific Train pulling into the depot.

The rumblings I am talking about come from those talking about corporate and a personal income taxes being voted in by the Legislature in the 2020 budget session.

It appears Wyoming could be facing a budget deficit of close to $1 billion by the end of 2020. The cause appears to be out-of-control spending. No matter what you do or how much tax revenue government collects, out-of-control spending will wipe out any budget.

I consider myself as an independent when it comes to politics. I probably lean a little more to the Democratic Party, but by no means do I identify with either party.

Like most of you, I don’t like more taxes. But I also have no problem paying more if I am getting something back. 

Now, the business side of me says: “If I can create more value, I will make more money.” I feel the same way here. Instead of mandating more taxes, is there a way we can add value to Wyoming and create more tax revenue? 

We have the best national economy in 50 years, and the lowest unemployment in 50 years. How good does the economy have to be and how low does the unemployment rate have to be before we don’t have budget problems?

We have to cut spending; that’s a given. But is there a way we can create more revenue?

Well, I’m glad you asked. 

Yes, and it all starts with repealing the McGill Act of 1901.

Repealing that act would allow every county and every city to vote on legalized gambling.

Now hear me out. I would never vote to legalize gambling if we just allowed every gas station to have slot machines. But I would if we did it in an organized, balanced way.

Legalized gambling has to be done with a balance of gambling and entertainment. 

If it’s just gambling, you get another Deadwood or Central City. DO If you want to put in a casino, there has to be a percentage of live entertainment. More like a Las Vegas or Reno, Nev. This way we have more of a draw to bring people to Cheyenne as opposed to just people who want the thrill of gambling.

If we can attract concert goers and capitalize on Cheyenne's amenities, this would be a win/win for the Capital City and the state of Wyoming. We finally would start to diversify the economy and become a destination for more than just 10 days in July. 

Will there be a small percentage of people who have a gambling problem? Yes. But no more than those who have drinking problems, and gambling would bring in more revenue for treatment.

The key is to have gaming and entertainment, balanced and controlled. There has to be regulations or else you will have just the gamblers, which will become corrupt.

Will we legalize gambling? I don't see it happening because we are too afraid to evolve. But wouldn't it be nice to have people flying into Cheyenne for long weekends that include some shows and some gaming and spending money?

It took a lot of work to get an airline to look at us without knowing they are going to lose money by being here. Can you imagine five flights a day to and from multiple airports? 

Stretch your mind and imagine having family and friends coming to see Sawyer Brown during their week’s stay at the Little Bear Casino and Resort. Or to catch one of the two nights of the Kenny Chesney Blue Rocking Chair Acoustic tour. 

How many people would come to see Sammy Hagar at the Hard Rock High Plains Casino and Resort? 

All of this would be left up to the voters as gambling would remain illegal until it is passed by the voters.

Every person, every relationship, every product, every service and every business has to evolve. It’s the same with every community. The question is: How do we evolve? 

Legalized gambling is a concept Cheyenne and Wyoming can handle. Yes, there will be some obstacles, just like every concept that moves one forward.

But keep in mind: Gambling is a part of our history too. It was legal until the passage of the McGill Act of 1901.

Doc Holiday seldom visited places that didn't involve a spirited game of poker. And Cheyenne, and many other Wyoming communities, have all the amenities and history and culture between our Western heritage and the railroad to make this work and work successfully.

Let’s do our research and see if we can create more revenue instead of legislating more taxes. All it takes is some vision, and a lot of courage.

This will not replace the need to control spending, but it will diversify the local and state economies enough to make it easier to weather the rough spots.

Steve Sears is a small businessman and entrepreneur in Cheyenne. He recently opened Elevate Group Training Studios at 1408A E 13th St.