Editorial: Let's leave gaming to tribes and kill Arkansas casino bid

It seems Cherokee Nation Entertainment wants to get involved in the casino business in Arkansas. So say folks on a committee formed to get more casinos on the ballot. The argument seems to be: The tribe knows how to do this sorta thing.

They're probably right about that. Cherokee Nation Entertainment manages the tribe's gambling, hotel and entertainment businesses. That outfit probably has a lot of experience in the ins and outs of taking money from the suckers.

So let's not.

The effort afoot to open three casinos in Arkansas is in the early stages just now. Apparently canvassers are getting signatures. They'll need almost 85,000 to get the matter on the ballot come November. And the deadline for getting those signatures is July 8. What a country! What a democracy! What a bad idea!

The lottery is doing plenty enough damage to the poor and gullible in this state. Every time the lottery announces that its revenue has gone up, it means more people are being taken by the state's legalized numbers racket. Or at least the same people are giving up more money. As for college scholarships, if you wanted to redistribute money from the poor to the middle class, can anybody figure out a better way than the lottery?