The Mask Slips

The Gambling Vultures circling Beacon Hill would pretend that their costs don't include the ultimate cost:


SUICIDE

Gambling Addiction has the lowest rate of self-referral and the highest rate of SUICIDE.

They leave behind grieving families, orphaned children who grow up without a parent, friends sometimes betrayed, tattered lives torn asunder to enrich the already wealthy.

They silence the media, monopolize the conversation and repeat their false mantra hoping you won't notice:

JOBS, JOBS, JOBS, REVENUE, REVENUE, REVENUE



You won't find the TRUTH printed in your local paper that has clearly been put on notice to print NOTHING negative about this phony scheme.


Every once in awhile, the sexy mask slips, you catch a glimpse of a sleazy business that simply doesn't want you to know what it's about, a business in which the foundations of Democracy are extinguished, the lesser among us are exploited and sensible public policy sacrificed to surrender control in the ultimate "Something for Nothing" scheme.

Shortly after Three Rivers opened, local media reported the “first suicide at the Florence casino.”

On the morning of Feb. 29, 2008, Steven L. Martin, 58, of Westlake, died of self-inflicted gunshot wounds in the parking lot in front of Three Rivers Casino along Highway 126 in Florence.

Although casino marketing quickly moved to hush this suicide and other crimes of pain associated with those who’ve also lost their shirt at Three Rivers, “a chill moved through Florence as if it was saying we screwed-up and sold our beloved Florence for a parking lot full of grief and service oriented gambling jobs,” said Mavis Walters of Florence.

“They no longer keep track of the suicides associated with gambling losses, but look at this economy and no jobs and yet the casino here is full with those who want to hit the big one. Nobody really hits the big one, and if they do it's one in hundreds of thousands. It’s all very sad to see a tourist community held hostage to gambling. But that’s the case with more than 200 jobs at Three Rivers. Many of my senior friends loosing much too much on slots,” explained Walters with a sense of chagrin.


What's the "deal" with Three Rivers Casino, say Eugene gamblers who've lost big bucks in Florence


EUGENE, Oregon – With one eye on the population of Eugene and the valley and the other on the need to market more during this terrible recession, Three Rivers Casino wants to be the go to casino for Lane County.

“Wherever you go in town – from the beltline and up or down Coburg Road – there’s these $7.77 buffet posters and other signs telling us Three Rivers is the place for a girl’s night out or whatever. I lost my shirt at that casino and there’s nothing fun about it,” said Eugene native Craig Brightman.

In fact, Brightman points to a recent “60 Minutes” interview with the legendary casino owner Steve Wynn who is credited with spearheading the resurgence and expansion of casino gambling in Las Vegas.

“I’ll never forget hearing Wynn – one of the most connected casino bosses in history – saying on 60 Minutes that ‘nobody really wins at casino gambling other than the owners. You’re a fool to think you can win at slots or other casino gambling,’ said Wynn, and he should know,” explained Brightman who noted he dropped “several grand at Three Rivers Casino.”

Unlike Nevada, where one has to travel far to get to Las Vegas or Reno for casino action, Three Rivers is right off Highway 126 outside of Florence on the central Oregon coast.

Another difference between Vegas/Reno and Three Rivers is there are no laws in Oregon about the minimum amount a slot machine must pay. Also, Oregon’s Native American-run casinos can change the odds while the customer is playing.

In other words, tribe-run casinos are different than mainstream casinos in Vegas and other places.

Back in my former hometown of Atlantic City, New Jersey, for example, there is a set requirement to pay back a certain amount to the gambler. But in Oregon, casinos are free to choose which player wins, and how much they win.

“That’s why they call it gaming in Oregon, and not gambling. They can control the slots and other games a lot more than say Las Vegas for Atlantic City,” explained Brightman who recently completed a state-sponsored gambling anonymous program.

The Three Rivers Casino in Florence has it beginnings back in 1994 when the Confederated Tribes of the Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw wanted to secure a parcel of land near the confederated tribe headquarters in Coos Bay. That plan changed because of the opening of another tribe casino in North Bend called the “Mill Casino” that also caters to Eugene area gamblers.

Flash forward to the 2006, and there appeared a temporary 10,000 square foot tent version of the Three Rivers Casino. The current Three Rivers Casino opened on Jan. 22, 2008, with 650 slot machines and an expanded “games” area with blackjack, craps, roulette and live poker.

Shortly after Three Rivers opened, local media reported the “first suicide at the Florence casino.”

On the morning of Feb. 29, 2008, Steven L. Martin, 58, of Westlake, died of self-inflicted gunshot wounds in the parking lot in front of Three Rivers Casino along Highway 126 in Florence.

Although casino marketing quickly moved to hush this suicide and other crimes of pain associated with those who’ve also lost their shirt at Three Rivers, “a chill moved through Florence as if it was saying we screwed-up and sold our beloved Florence for a parking lot full of grief and service oriented gambling jobs,” said Mavis Walters of Florence.

“They no longer keep track of the suicides associated with gambling losses, but look at this economy and no jobs and yet the casino here is full with those who want to hit the big one. Nobody really hits the big one, and if they do it's one in hundreds of thousands. It’s all very sad to see a tourist community held hostage to gambling. But that’s the case with more than 200 jobs at Three Rivers. Many of my senior friends loosing much too much on slots,” explained Walters with a sense of chagrin.

Sadly, this year marks the fifth anniversary of the passing of James Lott Sr., who served as the chief of the Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians. Lott was elected to this ceremonial position in 2000.

I remember working with Chief Lott on several cultural projects associated with the tribe's long history.

Chief Lott believed strongly in keeping his tribes culture relevant, and he hoped the plan for Three Rivers Casino would further his dream of having a confederated tribal cultural center for the 800-member tribe that historically occupied land between the Siuslaw and Umpqua rivers from the coast to Eugene.

While there’s a nice photo of Chief Lott in his ceremonial chief headdress near the cashier’s cage at Three Rivers Casino, there’s no cultural center or anything other than slots, bars and dining rooms at this casino that caters to Eugene and other local clientele.

Chief Lott once quoted the late runner Steve Prefontaine when discussing his “dream” for the Three Rivers Casino Cultural Center.

“To give anything less than your best, is to sacrifice the gift,” said Prefontaine in this quote that Chief Lott appreciated.

So it goes.