License Fees and "Entertainment"

University of Illinois professor John Kindt disagrees [that gambling is simply entertainment]. “Playing games without a monetary incentive is entertainment. Gambling is gaming for money and it is not entertainment — as anyone can see by the desperate faces of the players around virtually all video gambling facilities and video gambling machines,” he said.

“If the state wants gambling dollars, the state should charge each casino licen[s]e holder the fair market value of a casino license, which is $500 million. The casinos in Canada contribute 100 percent of their profits to government because the casino companies only get paid a ‘management fee,’ with which the companies are happy,” Kindt said.