I see gambling as a sport enjoyed by many Americans, including me.
I once lived in a state where the nearest city had five riverboat casinos. There was no state lottery, but the adjoining state had both a lottery and riverboat casinos. It was not too difficult to travel there for a lottery ticket when the desire hit.I've seen and heard a variety of comments on gambling in Texas during recent months, from casino-style video sweepstakes to the lottery and most recently online poker. During the recent Democratic Party primary election, there was a nonbinding question on the ballot regarding casino gambling, with the state share of the profits to be allotted to education.Much of the talk about casino-style video sweepstakes games centers on the legality of sweepstakes versus gambling. Supporters say one can enter the sweepstakes without paying anything by asking for a free entry. This may be true, but all of the machines I have seen require some form of monetary deposit in order to play.So, is it gambling or what? The prize has a direct relationship to how much money has been put at risk.If these machines, mostly old models removed from casinos, have found a legal way to exist for entertainment purposes only, surely Fort Worth and the surrounding areas can make way for real entertainment.Frankly, I would like to see a riverboat casino somewhere on the Trinity River in close proximity to Fort Worth. It would generate more money for education and provide a 24/7 entertainment experience for everyone who wanted it.Individuals who now drive their cars or ride buses to Oklahoma, Louisiana or any other state to be entertained at a riverboat casino would be able to do that right at home. The travel expense would be minimal, and it would not interfere with daily routines of employment or other forms of recreation.The lottery is not really entertainment unless you win. The Dallas NAACP wants to end it even though it has brought billions of dollars to the state to be used for education funding. They want it stopped because they say people have lost their homes and other necessities because they spend their money on the lottery.U.S. Rep. Joe Barton, R-Ennis, and some other representatives want to make Internet poker legal as a means of entertainment and a game of skill.I am not a skilled poker player, but if it is a game of skill and individuals wish to indulge in that skill, by all means it should be possible.It is a fallacy to think that gambling deprives many people of life's necessities.Individuals who gamble and lose worthwhile necessities were losing them before the lottery, before poker and before casinos.Those same individuals would have those same problems if and when gambling were ended, because they would have other weaknesses to succumb to instead.People are going to gamble, one way or another. We should make it a pleasant experience by legalizing a riverboat casino on the Trinity River for the Texas Hold 'em group, the video poker crew and people who just like to try their luck without leaving their hometown.Renetta W. Howard of Fort Worth is a member of the 2012 Star-Telegram Community Columnist Panel.Rhowrite@hotmail.com