Robert A. Scott
Downstate New York will become home to up to three new gambling casinos according to the governor and Legislature. Upstate already has some and it is now our turn.
There are 13 applicants for the three licenses available, assuming the “racinos” in Queens and Yonkers, now limited to horse racing and slot machines, apply to add cards and wheels to their business models.
The 11 other locations include five in Manhattan: Hudson Yards, Penn Station, Times Square, Saks Fifth Avenue, and one adjacent to the United Nations between First Avenue and FDR Drive.
Without debating the morality of gambling, the consequences of gambling addiction on individuals and families, and the irony of promoting gaming to fund our constitutional obligation to provide schooling, I would like to focus on the symbolism of a gambling casino next to the world forum for peaceful exchanges between nations.
The United Nations is not perfect. It is, after all, the creation of humans and is run by them. However, it does have ideals, brings distinction as well as world-wide dignitaries to our City, and would have to be created if it did not already exist.
The preamble to the United Nations Charter states, “to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war …and to practice tolerance and live together in peace with one another as good neighbors, and to unite our strength to maintain international peace and security, and to ensure that armed force shall not be used … save in the common interest, and to employ international machinery for the promotion of the economic and social advancement of all peoples…”
The United Nations is a symbol of what humans of all nations can aspire to and achieve.
Contrast these ideals with the symbol of the gambling casino. The very name conjures up reckless behavior, shady operations, and victims.
We know that gambling is a regressive tax known for political corruption, addiction, and financial ruin. It symbolizes the worst images of the U. S.: the Wild West, winner take all, life after dark.
Is this how we want the world to see us when they visit the United Nations?
Does the U. S. think so little of the U.N. that it would put an enterprise long associated with loose morals, criminal elements, and chicanery next to the citadel of noble aims Eleanor Roosevelt helped build?
Would we sully the world’s home for peace and cooperation with a symbol of greed and exploitation where the house never loses?
There are other problems with the site, of course. Casinos aim to attract lots of people.
How will they travel to the site on First Avenue? By car, by bus? Where will they park? Buses are not permitted on the FDR. Will the surrounding streets be mired in traffic jams due to the increased congestion due to buses?
These problems apply to many of the other proposed sites as well. What distinguishes this proposed site, and what should be honored, is its symbolism as the United States’ home for the world’s leaders to meet in peace and harmony.
Robert A. Scott, PhD, is President Emeritus of Adelphi University and Ramapo College of New Jersey, and author of How University Boards Work, Johns Hopkins University Press.
