Under the B...

Days May Be Numbered for Town's Bingo Game By GREG BLUESTEIN, Associated Press Writer ROSSVILLE, Ga. - Most nights, a hushed crowd of at least 50 sits at lunchroom tables in this border town's bingo parlor, scratching off each square with oversized markers. Many of the regulars make the short trek from Tennessee, where bingo was banned in 1989, for the chance to win as much as $1,500. [Yahoo News]

OK, I can understand the government of Georgia not wanting money from Georgia residents filtering into Tennessee, but is it really any different fundamentally than people going to Las Vegas or Atlantic City? Yes, I understand the arguments (and I am a little bemused by the entire gambling is a sin mentality that pervades most states in the union, yet they allow bingo and ban poker). Perhaps it would be better to ask for a cut of proceeds. That, frankly makes more sense in the long run. People are going to gamble. Might as well make money at it. After all, what is the lottery but state sanctioned gambling?