This Sunday, 60 Minutes will be airing a feature on gambling — slot machines, in particular — and whether the machines themselves might be ... addictive.
That this *shocking* possibility still evades nearly every mainstream news outlet in Pennsylvania is another story, considering the abundance of evidence readily available at your local casino.
In any case, The 60 Minutes piece, called "The Big Gamble," appears to contain something of a gem: In a preview (available online), Governor Ed Rendell appears to flip out on the reporters, calling them "simpletons," and "idiots" if they "dont get that," — althought what "that" is isn't clear from the clip.
It looks like it'll be an interesting watch, and there's a bonus: expect Ben Franklin flanked by sequin-bikini-clad women, from the opening of Sugarhouse in September.
Questioned by correspondent Leslie Stahl about whether Pennsylvania is creating new problem gambling, Rendell lashed out.
"The biggest downside is that some people lose their paychecks, 'said Rendell during the exchange, as reported by The Philadelphia Inquirer. "But understand, Leslie, they're not losing their paychecks because Pennsylvania instituted gaming. These people were losing their paychecks in Atlantic City, in Delaware at the racetracks, or in West Virginia." [Rendell conveniently ignores that proximity increases addiction.]
When pressed by Stahl about the prospects of people losing their money for Pennsylvania to gain revenue, Rendell again clarified.
"Your not getting it. Those people would lose that money anyway. Don't you understand? You guys don't get that. You're simpletons. You're idiots if you don't get that...That's the answer, and it's the right answer."
Pennsylvania passed casino legislation at midnight on the Fourth of July and omitted important considerations, like child abandonment, and removed local control.
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