An idea is floating around Nevada to lower the state's gambling age from 21 to 18.
A gaming industry lawyer says it has the potential to create a windfall of new business.
November 11th, 2008 @ 5:33pm
By Randall Jeppesen
Sorry, we are not accepting new comments on this story.
141 messages
Community Comment Board
The messages posted here do not reflect the opinions or views of KSL or related entities. This service and the messages that are posted within the service are provided for public information purposes only. Read about the ksl.com comment guidlines here >>
@Legal Eagle - suppose the good folks at LDS headquarters will throw their support into whatever opposition arises?
They DO have every right to combat moral decay and sagging family values and erosion of traditional mores and anything else they deem a threat to their existence....don't they?
@Big Love - Your humor may not be grasped by many in here, but to answer your question, YES. The Lds Church has a right to politic for policy that they think affects them. If that means sending money to fight the age change or telling their members to start a phone tree to sway politicians or whatever then so be it.
@IDGI - I must apologize.
You know you hold a special place...in my heart.
I've no doubt that our friends at LDS-HQ will put forth attempts to thwart the pending lessening of the gambling age in Nevada....though likely with less fanfare than the recent California issue.
Too much negative press is unhealthy for anyone.
I'm liable to be near your neck of the woods this weekend...pending an onslaught of business...and you know how I feel about your neck....of the woods.
All I have to say is you mormons want to gamble, then "let your conscience be your guide" Sound familiar?
Im going to Wendover with my Mormon friends this weekend, they have no conscience! You LDS top dogs better get on this "lower the age to 18" ordeal or else my friends will bring their kids too!!!
@I am smrt - that don't make sense...they aren't getting any money from the good, self rightgeous, moral folks from Utah...are they? I mean, mormons don't gamble, drink or have sex...right? Although Utah is next door, there can be no expectation of getting any gambling money from this state.
@will o - The LDS Church will get involved.Many of the mangagers and pit bosses at Nevada casinos are LDS. The casinos hire them because Mormons tend to be hard working and honest and wont rip them off.18 is the age of legal adulthood so 18 seems fair enoug. Best to weed out the problem gamblers early anyway and get them in GA ASAP
@Big Love - ...if they have any money left over from the Proposition 8 fight...no doubt the brethen will stick their fingers in this one as well...seems what they do best.
@Big Love - The head of the Nevada Gaming Commission was an LDS bishop and is deep in the pockets of the church, or vise versa so why would this even be an issue if the church opposed it? If he acted without consulting the homeland all they have to do is make a phone call.
@Karl - Let's change the age for voting and military service to 24, and then raise the age limit for Drinking, smoking, and Gambling to correspond with that.
Every time I here this argument that you can die and vote at 18 why not smoke, drink and gamble at that age too, I want to scream at the stupidity.
If we change anything we need to change the voting age and fighting age back to 21!
@As a Matter of Fact - is because at 18 you are a legal adult so if we make all these legal ages higher you also put the burden back on parents and you could not prosecute a 18-20 year old as a adult without special hearings and circumstances.
@Serenity_May - raising the age limit would do much worse than good! In other countries the drinking limit is 18 and they seem to be just fine. It all really comes down to the type of person it is. The only negative thing I see if they were to lower gamling to 18 is that finacially it is not the smartest thing. It's too easy to get into debt at 18 and gambling would just make it worse. Well at least for me at 18 I didn't make to smartest finacial decisions!
@Service for you - A whole lot of 25 - 50 year olds all made terrible financial decisions in the last couple years and put us all in bad spots.
An 18 year old losing a couple hundred bucks in a slot machine is nothing compared to a 40 year old losing everything in a spec home with a sub prime mortgage/variable APR.
@Serenity_May - There is no reason we cant hold the age limit for fighting, voting, drinking, smoking and gambling at 21, and then move the prosecution age down to 16, If they are going to do grown-up crimes then they can do the grown-up time.
@As a Matter of Fact - you don't have the rights as a adult but we are going to charge you as one that's really really really unfair and wrong. Treat us like kids and expect us to act like adults that theology doesn't work.
@Serenity_May - what does the age limit for capital crimes have to do with age limit for voting, fighting, drinking, smoking, and gambling? They have to be directly linked for this to be hypocritical. are you saying that a 16 year old should have a legal right to kill someone?
@As a Matter of Fact - but a kid at 16 and taking the neighbors car for a joy ride shouldn't be stuck in prison just to get raped and abused and taught to be a better criminal.
We have a system in place to choose whether a kid under the age of 18 can be charged as a adult. We shouldn't strip a child of all rights cause a 16 year old while capable of doing adult crimes is still a kid.
@As a Matter of Fact - with you on lowering the prosecution age down to 16 it seems kids are getting more out of control at a younger age. But I disagree with raising everything else to 21. To much is expected of kids now-a-days and I just think 18 seems like a better age, just my opinion though. Being 23 I think I drank more between the ages of 18-20 than I do now, and it just makes more sense to me that 18 is good enough to be considered an adult. were exposed to alot more now than we were 20-30yrs ago and I just don't see the age limit being raised realistic.
@As a Matter of Fact - As soon as you do that you immediatly silence everyone under 24 becasue we would have no voting power. Stop trying to place laws on things that do not even affect you. Control freak
@Swimmer01 - If you get rid of the 18-24 vote, Republicans will win every time.
The only people really against this change are the people that are against gambling in general. It's just like the achohol laws here. They will pass anything they want, because the law they make will have no effect on them. It is so easy to be against things that don't make a difference to your lifestyle.
@Karl - At 18 you can sign up to follow orders. That is VERY different than making good decisions for yourself.
Yes, you can join the military and sign binding contracts at 18. And on military bases, under the supervision and with the approval of your CO, you can legally drink.
We don't let you buy a handgun from a federally licensed dealer or legally consume alcohol until 21.
We don't let you serve in Congress until 25, in the Senate until 30, or serve as POTUS or VP until 35.
Now, that all said, I don't much care what Nevada does with their gambling or even drinking age. But I do tire of this line of "logic" being applied.
@Ned McHaggis - But sad experience PROVED that as a group, 18 year olds make very poor decisions about alcohol. They are also in a much easier position to provide alcohol to the high school social scene than are 21 year olds. And so the nation raised the national drinking age.
Again, I don't really care what Nevada does with their age limits for gambling and drinking. Their business.
I'm simply pointing out that the overly simplistic sound bite of "old enough to die for their country" doesn't hold much water once one digs into what it really means. An 18 year old in the military is trained by and generally takes orders from someone who quite a bit older and quite a bit better trained.
I do not mean to disparage or minimize in any way the honor or importance of what they do. But the skill set required to be an 18 year old enlisted man does NOT mean the person has the skill set needed to serve in Congress, the Senate, in the Presidency, or to make prudent decisions about drinking alcohol, or be allowed to buy handguns. There simply is no logical connection between one skill set and the other.
Your appeal to the logical fallacy of reductio ad absurdum shows you lack any real arguments to rationally counter my position.
@Charles h - says that people who can be trained to shoot all sorts of weapons in the armed forces cannot buy a simple handgun ? That seems illogical if you really look at it.My argument isnt really the "old enough to go to war" but simply that 18 is legal adulthood and adults can and should be able to make adult decisions and deal with the consequences
@Ned McHaggis - My argument is twofold. Please try to follow along:
1-Being trained to shoot all kinds of weapons under the supervision and orders of superior officers does NOT necessarily translate into having the full maturity necessary to make prudent decisions when not under the supervision of superior officers.
I also note that the actual number of 18 year olds who actually receive this training is VERY small these days. So in fact, the majority of 18 years olds have NOT proven they even have these skill sets yet.
2-Under both statutory law AND constitutional provisions going back to the very founding of this nation, we have ALWAYS had "graduated adulthood."
SOME rights and responsibilities of adulthood devolve upon children as young as 12 when judges begin to consider their wishes in terms of which divorced parent to live with, refusing medical treatment, and so on. We have had to begin trying some minors as adults because the seriousness of their crimes is beyond the juvenile system to address.
At about 16 most States permit driving and the feds increase the amount of work that can be done for hire.
At 18, MOST rights of adulthood are bestowed. But not all.
Access to alcohol is limited to those 21 and older. Certain professional licenses may not be available until a person is older than 18. Legal purchase of long guns from dealers comes at 18, but handguns not until 21. And service in Congress, the Senate, and as VP or President are not possible until 25, 30, and 35 respectively.
Now you are free to argue the everything should come in one fell swoop at 18. But realize that such has NEVER been the law of this republic. 18 has NEVER been the single age at which all rights of adulthood are bestowed in this nation. So your argument is flawed. It is a fine opinion; but a historically and legally flawed opinion.
@Karl - Let's think logically now. What benefits are given through the military:
1-College tuition payed for.
2-A steady income.
3-Possible career for life.
4-Health Insurance
5-Training and expertise that can last a lifetime.
6-ETC....
Now lets take a look at gambling and drinking. If you can name 1 actual non-social benefit that comes out of them then I will consider that excuse, but as for now your going to have to come up with something better that the classic cop-out excuse of "If you can sign up to die for your country,then you should be able to drink and/or gamble."
@wtutalkingabout - I just can't find where Freedom76 said that everyone who gambles becomes an addict, but I do think that statistics will bear out the fact that a certain percentage of those who begin will end up as such. Conversely, those who never take it up don't become addicts, period. The proposal is iffy at best, and egregious and predatory at worst. It's a physiological fact that several parts of the brain in an 18-year-old (male)are not fully developed, including cognitive reasoning and control of impulsive behavior.* That makes them the perfect target for gambling establishments looking to increase profits. (*Sometimes these atributes aren't fully developed until the late twenties, but then girls and law enforcement have known that since time immemorial.)
@Freedom76 - Exactly. Imagine the influx of immature 18 year olds racing to Wendover every Friday night. As if it wasn't hard enough for them to be responsible with money, now we are going to give them an even easier way to part with their money, and with nothing to show for it?
@Legal Eagle - I don't think the gambling at 18 is such a bad idea but it would be all but impossible to regulate the potential for under age drinking.
@Legal Eagle - There is something to show for it: A state with no state income taxes.
The trouble is, that state is NEVADA. We need to legalize gambling near the border so we can interecept all that money. As it stands now, Utah is stuck with the derelict gambling addicts with no money to deal with them.
@TheLastLaugh - just keep taxing food and gasoline and property and other essentials. I dont want casinos but a lottery where people are paying what amounts to a voluntary tax maybe isnt a bad idea .
@mickeyqbitsko - Utah and other states who disdain gambling should fight this at the federal level. The age can and should remain 21 to participate in any sinful enterprise, be it gambling, purchasing alcohol or tobacco products or entering any den of iniquity!
@TheLastLaugh - I seriously think that you need to try some new meds or up the dosage on your current meds. Just because you feel something is sinful, doesn't mean that it is. If a responsible adult whether it be one age 18,21 or 40 for that matter chooses to drink or gamble, it's their choice. I personally don't have a problem with them changing the legal age of gambling. However, unless they're going to change the legal age to drink, it would be pretty hard to monitor that in a casino.
When you're 18, not only can you vote and join the service, you can also go to jail. You can't buy cigarettes or buy alcohol but you can be charged with a crime as an adult. I personally drank more between the age of 18-20 then I did after the age of 21. The idea of drinking wasn't as much fun once I was able to buy my own booze. I still enjoy a good beer or good glass of wine on a regular basis.
@Legal Eagle - is that it is the individual's responsibility to be wise with their money. Once someone reaches the age of 18, they need to learn to be an adult.
Facing unpleasant consequences is a great teacher.
@wtutalkingabout - that would work though, unless I misunderstood the story but if they were to lower the gambling age to 18 what about the drinking age? I mean in Vegas you get free drinks while you gamble, so I don't see how that would work out unless they lowered the drinking age to 18 as well. Alcohol is to easy to get in vegas, I just don't see how they would, enforce that with a bunch of 18 year old running around
@Service for you - You are right, it is near impossible. Just like when I go to Chili's and a table full of 18 year olds is able to get a beer because there ar so many people over 21 around that the poor little waitress gets confused.
@Service for you - In Fort Collins, CO there is a bar that allows anyone in that is 18 and over on Tuesday nights. Anyone under 21 has to wear a wristband or have their hand marked with a magic marker, so the bartenders know not to serve them. They let them in to dance. There is a bar in Laramie, WY that does the same thing on Thursday nights, or used to. That is one way casinos could keep an eye on underage drinking, if they were to lower the gambling age.
Though I do think that casinos probably wouldn't make much money off of sober gamblers.
@Legal Eagle - If you do you job as a parent, you wont need to worry about what they do! Therefore, you should NOT be troubled with everyone elses 18 year olds, unless you mormons just cant mind your own business!
@Freedom76 - I've heard business is bad in Vegas. Nearly half of the mortgages there are under water. This is just a new and greedy way of getting more business.
@Freedom76 - I assure you, minors who choose to gamble are already doing so. Peter Eastgate, a Danish professional poker player (Age 22) beat out 6,843 other players in the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas this year. The pot? $9 Million. Lets also not forget, Phil Hellmuth, who won the WSOP at age 24. Teens are playing cards at home, online, at school and I am certain, in casinos. Addiction is one thing but these kids can play. I say let them
Why not lower the age to 5? That would also create a windfall no doubt. Also let's get those toddlers smoking, the earlier the better-- big windfall there too.
@Pudgy - why shouldn't they be able to throw away their money they could go gamble legally right now in the stock market but chances are pretty low of winning there too.
@Serenity_May - Your chances in the stock market are much better than in Vegas. At least in the stock market everyone is shooting for the same goal and the odds are for you. The odds are heavily against the gambler. Even with roullette, which I've been told is the best bet, your odds are only 17%.
@Legal Eagle - the stock market is legalized gambling you put money on companies just like you put money on sports bets yeah they are all in it to win but not everyone does. So I say if a 18 year old can get a job and invest in a 401k why not be able to gamble with their money elsewhere. Heck the arcades in Vegas are amazing and that's just gambling too.
@Serenity_May - If that were true then people like Warren Buffet and Steve Cohen would not exist. That has got to be the worst argument I have ever heard Serenity_May.
@hjman - Many people compare gambling and the stock market. In many ways they are exactly the same.
In the stock market you can research companies and look at figures and reports to make an educated GUESS as to what companies will do well and which will not. But it is only a guess and anyone who invested in AIG, National City Corp, K-Mart, Enron, Tyco, Circut City, etc... will tell you that no company is guaranteed to make you money.
You can take my exact same example above and insert any sports team or race horse and the exact same rules are true.
You could even throw darts on a board and pick stocks at random and come out a millionare, not much different than roulette.
The stock market is risky and is just like gambling. Many people make that same comparison, even many in business and on wall street.
And as far as people like Warren Buffett and Steve Cohen... for every person that makes money in the market there are also some that lose money.
@steven j - Then many people are very ignorant. Gambling is a game of chance and there is really no skill (unless you can card count playing black jack) involved. When you buy stocks you are literally investing in a business. You start a relationship with that business and it doesn't end until you sell that stock. A true investor does his research and therefore the odds are in his/her favor, whereas gambling in a casino, the odds are never in your favor. They are always slightly tilted towards the house. And no, you can't take your example above because you're comparing a tangible purchase to an intangible one. Buying shares in a company isn't the same as buying a chance to win money on a sports bet. Your roulette example is just as awful. Your saying that if I throw a dart at a list of 37 stocks, that only 1 of those 37 will make me money? Right....
The fact of the matter is, is that comparing investing to gambling is apples to oranges. Many people make a living and build their retirements using the stock market. I don't know too many professional gamblers. Now if someone does decide to pick and buy stocks based off of throwing darts at a board, then yes, I believe that would be gambling.
But as someone who has made significant amounts of money trading futures over the last 4 years, I can say that it definitely is not the same as casino gambling. Like I said before, Warren Buffet is living, statistical proof that the stock market isn't the same as a casino. Nobody is that lucky. The argument you are trying to make makes no sense at all.
@Legal Eagle - Roullette does not have the best odds in gaming.
The best 3 games to play, as far as odds go are 21, Craps and Baccarat.
The odds are about 3 to 1.
@~666~ - I've never spent a penny in a casino. I figured out at a very early age that somebody was paying for those big, fancy buildings and all those flashy lights. And I knew they weren't doing it out of the kindness of their hearts.
@Legal Eagle - Roulette is NOT the best bet in a casino.The casino gets 5.26% of every dollar bet.Craps has better odds if a person knows how to play( NOT being a showoff who likes to yell "YO" or "Hard 8" which are VERY STUPID BETS) with the house advantage being about 2% depending on double odds etc. Blackjack is OK if you are REALLY good at counting cards and can actually find a one deck table The casino also like stupid players who dont know when to double down or split Aces or take hits on 16!Dumb or what !. Slot machines are the absolute WORST game in the house and that is where casinos really rake it in.I like to gamble but mostly on sports bets . I play penny slots for kicks and ALWAYS never bet more than I can afford to lose . I also have this ablility, that casinos hate, is to stop if I get a big win which of course does not happen very often.
@mickeyqbitsko - or would say a person can beat a casino . The odds are ALWAYS in the casinos favor . Simply saying what games have better odds than other s for the player.My lifetime wins ? I dont really know but in the long run I have lost money to be sure just like almost everyone else. My arguement is that if a person does decide to gamble at least know the odds and make bets most favorable to the player. IF you choose not to gamble then fine, some of us enjoy the entertainment.
That is a great idea, lets let the kids that we as parents still need to support gamble at the ripe old age of 18. That way they can spend the money that we give to them!!! Yeah good thinking...
@Serenity_May - Its called prenting, and every GOOD parent knows that our job as parents is never done, i am not saying support them, but helping a child is a GOOD thing where i come from..
@Desiree L. - Yes you should support your children but they also need to learn to grow up make choices for themselves.
Laws like this are dumb because the kids that want to do something like gamble will the ones that will become addicts will whether it starts at 18 or 21. Its all about parenting what the government puts as the proper age should have nothing to do with what you want your kid to do.
if your 18 year old was acting like a addict you wouldn't support the habit by giving them money.
I believe that once a kid starts to want extra stuff like cell phones and spending money when they are old enough to work they should earn these things not rely on their parents for them.
college freshman don't accumulate enough debt as it is. Now they can get that credit card on the first day of school and use it to go to Vegas and gamble the following weekend, while they're at it they should lower the drinking age too. What good is gambling without a nice cocktail?
faith, or so he alleges. He has been pushing the Nevada State Gaming Commission for this for a long time.
Give good old Harry's office in D.C. a call. I'm sure he will absolutely NOT CARE what anyone thinks.
He's another "stellar" Washington career scum bag, and a "good friend" of our own resident space alien, Orrin Hatch.
I know this is a little off topic, but I think the Military minimum age should be raised to 21. If we expect kids at 18 years old to be an appropriate age to go off and fight in wars (possibly to become injured or killed), how can we expect to tell them that they're not old enough to gamble or drink (or make decisions for themselves)until they're 21. 18 year olds need to have time to plan their future. How many 18 year olds graduate from High School and positively know what career to go after, as many of them change their directions quite frequently until they're experience life and get a good feel for what they're good at.
If your old enough to fight in a war and take a bullet for your country then why not? I guess gambling is much worse than dying. If it passes there goes tourism to Tijuana! It’s more of a gamble drinking the water in Mexico than rolling the dice in Vegas.
@Sambecks C. - good old arcades with tickets to get prizes... now its not a windfall of money but that big stuffed animal or RC car look like so much fun.
No matter how low the legal age they'll never get a dime of my money. I'm not stupid. Stupid people deserve to be ripped off. It's part of the great circle of life. Social Darwinism.
I think they should lower it to FIVE so we can confiscate stupid little kids' allowance money.
Utah should pass a law legalizing gambling within 1 mile of the border with any state that allows gambling. Let's keep stupid Utahns' money HERE, where I can benefit from it.
@Tdoger - 18 is old enough to know right from wrong. In many ways we expect our kids to grow up too fast, and then when they're actually grown up we treat them like babies. At 18, most kids are out of high school, or almost out of high school, many of them will be moving on to college or out on their own. Gambling's not the worst thing they could be doing. If you're worried about it, teach your kids good money habits and your beliefs about gambling WHILE THEY ARE KIDS.
Note to Utah:
The age requirement to play at most tribal casinos is 18 in California.
Don't blame Nevada for this idea and we should get paid big time for accepting the country's nuclear waste. Just like Alaskan's, we should get a "nuclear dividend" every year. If I were the governor, I would make it happen.
Utah residents are jealous that both Nevada and Wyoming are free from state taxes.
18 or not, young people can turn to the Internet to satisfy all of their evil desires.
@laughatar - are on federal land, not just "California Land." So why the heck would I blame California? Yes I am jealous of Nevada and Wyoming residents. I just wouldn't want to live there.
Why not? The majority of Utahns have gone to Wendover, Mesquite or Vegas at least a few times to gamble, even the goody two shoes churchy types sneak over there once in awhile.
That's stupid! Drinking and gambling are too closely associated. It's going to promote underage drinking and get more people addicted to the game at a young age. I also enjoyed trying to get away with gambling when I was under 21. It's more fun and it keeps the greater majority away. Not me obviously.
Daaaaa!!! Why not make gambling legal too? Sure, give every 18 year old a credit card, booz, cigarettes, and sex. Oh you silly boy/girl! The smart people can see where it leads. The idiots are just greedy and laughing all the way to the bank! Can't you see that? Someone wants to make an [no swearing please] out of you.
I hope it is not going to be Proposition 18
And have the LSD group go nuts over it
And telling all its members to vote agents it
And spending millions of dollars to protest it
I don’t know if Wendover can handle it, it is parity full now with all of YOU
ON THE WEEK END
But
Sundays is a good to go
Or, not smart!
First of all, gambling is very addictive and creates a whole lot of losers. These losers too often "bet the farm." I don't know about you Nevada, but it doesn't seem like contributing to college students mounting debt (since lowering the gambling age is advertising to more college students) is going to help the economy. Maybe it will help your (nevada's) bottom line for a couple of years, or maybe even a decade or two, but ultimately it will just hurt a lot of people, a lot of families and all of Nevada, not to mention the adjoining states.
18 year olds are foolish enough already. The only reason they are thinking of lowering the gambling age to 18 is because they are a bunch of vultures. Same thing back in the day with trying to get kids to smoke, and it worked!
I think that right now with the economy the way it is in Las Vegas this would be a good idea. I just recently moved from Payson, UT to Las Vegas and it was hard being under 21 and not being able to gamble with all your friends. They should do it
@Tb3402 - I voted disagree (respectfully) cuz Nevada makes a ton of money from gambling revenues. I think that's why they dont have sales tax. I think that casino business will increase cuz people are trying to find their luck there to overcome this economic crisis.
I can tell you the odds of every roll of the dice in craps. I can tell you the odds of every spin in roulette. Go ahead and tell me YOU know what the odds are of any investment. Gambling is an EXACT science of statistics. If you understand statistics, you understand gambling. My 401k lost 60% in the last 6 months. I would have been better off throwing dice and spinning roulette.
Can anyone tell me what is the difference between gambling in VEGAS and Betting on stock on Wall Street? Neither represent hard work, or make you a better person.
I gotta tell ya, as much as I think gambling falls into the same catagory of alcohol, tobacco, and other ills of society, 18 is old enough to go to war so it should be old enough to go to vegas.
Now in addition to the drunk morons which are tolerable, we may have SUPER OBNOXIOUS drunk morons with a side of immaturity. Not so tolerable. Security is going to be busy.
18 year olds can vote, drive, graduate, have a family, hold a job, pay taxes, fight and die for this country, but they can't drink or gamble. In fact most of these opponents could drink and gamble back in their youth.
How will they keep the 18 year olds from partaking of alcohol? I don't think those old, nasty ladies dressed like sluts are going to check id's before they yell....."Cocktails!"
@The Vandal - Why do church going folk try so dearly to remove free agency? I came back from my first tour in Iraq. Not only disabled, but unable to sit down at a bar or at a casino.
Kinda ironic.
I go on rare occasion. (Maybe twice a year) I want the choice, I wanted the choice. i felt at 18 I deserved to have the choice than 90% of the people that make the choice for me. I fought for my country... Why won't my country fight for me?
This has nothing to do with treating 18 year olds with greater respect. It is about treating them with greater contempt.
Due to the cash crunch, Nevada's revenue from gambling is way, way down. The casino operators and the State are looking for a new demographic that they can fleece.
The motive for this proposed change is to figure out how they can legally exploit more people.
Reframed, the protagonist argument is "Hey, if 18 year olds are old enough to serve and die for their country, they are old enough to be fleeced by unscrupulous gambling syndicates their political partners too."
Since 15 years olds can be tried and convicted as adults, maybe we should fleece that demographic too.
Gambling is taking what you need and throwing it away for a chance at obtaining what you don't need. Then, many come back and ask for state handouts, at taxpayer expense, because they don't have enough money to cover their needs.
A casino operator plays on "hope". "Yes you can" be a winner, just trust me with your hope and give me power over your resources. Too late, many who so gamble awaken only to find that the promised hope was an empty shill, and that the smiling operator that feigned friendship was little more than a venomous snake.
Things are seldom what they seem in this world; I wish that all men were see-ers.
If 18 year olds can vote,
If 18 year olds are legally classified as "adults"
If 18 year olds can serve in the military and kill bad guys,
If 18 year olds can legally sign all contracts,
than they should be allowed to legally gamble,
they should be allowed to drink and purchase alcohol.
Otherwise change the "legal age" back to 21.
To make some things "adult" and "legal" while others are not, (and arbitrary) seems incredibly stupid.
I really think this all comes down to good parenting. Although I'm not opposed to down time, a chance to relax every now and then, I know a lot of kids waste time and money on video games, which is a precursor to gambling. Certain games on game systems are just preparing today's youth to become gamblers. If a 7-year-old can play poker on his Xbox, who would stop him from heading to Vegas when he's "legal," be it 21 or 18? Everyone has his or her own free will, but good parenting (monitoring the things a child does in his youth) will help prepare kids for the decisions to come.
K so I am 20 and can already Gamble in Indian reservations, ONLINE, and I was recently in Puerto Rico and you can gamble at 18. If they change the age they are going to have the same problems they are already having. If some 18 year old has a gambling problem then he is already On the internet gambling away and its legal. Honestly When you are 18 you are considered and Adult and can make your own decisions with your money. You can buy a house, Tobacco etc. This really does not matter to me because I turn 21 in a month. IF IT CHANGES THEN IT CHANGES !
Sorry, we are not accepting new comments on this story.
KSL's public inspection files, including the Children's Television Programming Reports and the DTV Quarterly Activity Station Report, are available for viewing during regular office hours at the KSL Broadcast House.
3:38pm - Tue Nov 11th, 2008
3:42pm - Tue Nov 11th, 2008
3:46pm - Tue Nov 11th, 2008
3:58pm - Tue Nov 11th, 2008
3:59pm - Tue Nov 11th, 2008
4:40pm - Tue Nov 11th, 2008
They DO have every right to combat moral decay and sagging family values and erosion of traditional mores and anything else they deem a threat to their existence....don't they?
4:53pm - Tue Nov 11th, 2008
I hope they don't however.
Call me. It's been a while.
5:41pm - Tue Nov 11th, 2008
You know you hold a special place...in my heart.
I've no doubt that our friends at LDS-HQ will put forth attempts to thwart the pending lessening of the gambling age in Nevada....though likely with less fanfare than the recent California issue.
Too much negative press is unhealthy for anyone.
I'm liable to be near your neck of the woods this weekend...pending an onslaught of business...and you know how I feel about your neck....of the woods.
I shall make every effort to drop by.
7:45pm - Tue Nov 11th, 2008
2:26pm - Wed Nov 12th, 2008
Mormons and Vegas so much in common-NOT
5:46pm - Tue Nov 11th, 2008
All I have to say is you mormons want to gamble, then "let your conscience be your guide" Sound familiar?
Im going to Wendover with my Mormon friends this weekend, they have no conscience! You LDS top dogs better get on this "lower the age to 18" ordeal or else my friends will bring their kids too!!!
5:15pm - Tue Nov 11th, 2008
5:23pm - Tue Nov 11th, 2008
5:47pm - Tue Nov 11th, 2008
6:59pm - Tue Nov 11th, 2008
6:11pm - Tue Nov 11th, 2008
6:55pm - Tue Nov 11th, 2008
7:39pm - Tue Nov 11th, 2008
4:10pm - Tue Nov 11th, 2008
Every time I here this argument that you can die and vote at 18 why not smoke, drink and gamble at that age too, I want to scream at the stupidity.
If we change anything we need to change the voting age and fighting age back to 21!
4:16pm - Tue Nov 11th, 2008
4:20pm - Tue Nov 11th, 2008
4:23pm - Tue Nov 11th, 2008
An 18 year old losing a couple hundred bucks in a slot machine is nothing compared to a 40 year old losing everything in a spec home with a sub prime mortgage/variable APR.
4:23pm - Tue Nov 11th, 2008
4:26pm - Tue Nov 11th, 2008
4:31pm - Tue Nov 11th, 2008
4:36pm - Tue Nov 11th, 2008
We have a system in place to choose whether a kid under the age of 18 can be charged as a adult. We shouldn't strip a child of all rights cause a 16 year old while capable of doing adult crimes is still a kid.
4:31pm - Tue Nov 11th, 2008
4:24pm - Tue Nov 11th, 2008
11:30pm - Tue Nov 11th, 2008
10:22am - Wed Nov 12th, 2008
The only people really against this change are the people that are against gambling in general. It's just like the achohol laws here. They will pass anything they want, because the law they make will have no effect on them. It is so easy to be against things that don't make a difference to your lifestyle.
5:42pm - Tue Nov 11th, 2008
Yes, you can join the military and sign binding contracts at 18. And on military bases, under the supervision and with the approval of your CO, you can legally drink.
We don't let you buy a handgun from a federally licensed dealer or legally consume alcohol until 21.
We don't let you serve in Congress until 25, in the Senate until 30, or serve as POTUS or VP until 35.
Now, that all said, I don't much care what Nevada does with their gambling or even drinking age. But I do tire of this line of "logic" being applied.
6:14pm - Tue Nov 11th, 2008
7:13pm - Tue Nov 11th, 2008
Again, I don't really care what Nevada does with their age limits for gambling and drinking. Their business.
I'm simply pointing out that the overly simplistic sound bite of "old enough to die for their country" doesn't hold much water once one digs into what it really means. An 18 year old in the military is trained by and generally takes orders from someone who quite a bit older and quite a bit better trained.
I do not mean to disparage or minimize in any way the honor or importance of what they do. But the skill set required to be an 18 year old enlisted man does NOT mean the person has the skill set needed to serve in Congress, the Senate, in the Presidency, or to make prudent decisions about drinking alcohol, or be allowed to buy handguns. There simply is no logical connection between one skill set and the other.
Your appeal to the logical fallacy of reductio ad absurdum shows you lack any real arguments to rationally counter my position.
8:38pm - Tue Nov 11th, 2008
9:02pm - Tue Nov 11th, 2008
1-Being trained to shoot all kinds of weapons under the supervision and orders of superior officers does NOT necessarily translate into having the full maturity necessary to make prudent decisions when not under the supervision of superior officers.
I also note that the actual number of 18 year olds who actually receive this training is VERY small these days. So in fact, the majority of 18 years olds have NOT proven they even have these skill sets yet.
2-Under both statutory law AND constitutional provisions going back to the very founding of this nation, we have ALWAYS had "graduated adulthood."
SOME rights and responsibilities of adulthood devolve upon children as young as 12 when judges begin to consider their wishes in terms of which divorced parent to live with, refusing medical treatment, and so on. We have had to begin trying some minors as adults because the seriousness of their crimes is beyond the juvenile system to address.
At about 16 most States permit driving and the feds increase the amount of work that can be done for hire.
At 18, MOST rights of adulthood are bestowed. But not all.
Access to alcohol is limited to those 21 and older. Certain professional licenses may not be available until a person is older than 18. Legal purchase of long guns from dealers comes at 18, but handguns not until 21. And service in Congress, the Senate, and as VP or President are not possible until 25, 30, and 35 respectively.
Now you are free to argue the everything should come in one fell swoop at 18. But realize that such has NEVER been the law of this republic. 18 has NEVER been the single age at which all rights of adulthood are bestowed in this nation. So your argument is flawed. It is a fine opinion; but a historically and legally flawed opinion.
5:49pm - Tue Nov 11th, 2008
11:14pm - Tue Nov 11th, 2008
1-College tuition payed for.
2-A steady income.
3-Possible career for life.
4-Health Insurance
5-Training and expertise that can last a lifetime.
6-ETC....
Now lets take a look at gambling and drinking. If you can name 1 actual non-social benefit that comes out of them then I will consider that excuse, but as for now your going to have to come up with something better that the classic cop-out excuse of "If you can sign up to die for your country,then you should be able to drink and/or gamble."
6:21pm - Tue Nov 11th, 2008
3:58pm - Tue Nov 11th, 2008
4:04pm - Tue Nov 11th, 2008
4:08pm - Tue Nov 11th, 2008
The trouble is, that state is NEVADA. We need to legalize gambling near the border so we can interecept all that money. As it stands now, Utah is stuck with the derelict gambling addicts with no money to deal with them.
4:11pm - Tue Nov 11th, 2008
Not to mention Indian casinos you only have to be 18.
4:15pm - Tue Nov 11th, 2008
6:18pm - Tue Nov 11th, 2008
4:12pm - Tue Nov 11th, 2008
4:15pm - Tue Nov 11th, 2008
Just because you do not agree does not make something sinful. you need help.
6:08pm - Tue Nov 11th, 2008
When you're 18, not only can you vote and join the service, you can also go to jail. You can't buy cigarettes or buy alcohol but you can be charged with a crime as an adult. I personally drank more between the age of 18-20 then I did after the age of 21. The idea of drinking wasn't as much fun once I was able to buy my own booze. I still enjoy a good beer or good glass of wine on a regular basis.
4:18pm - Tue Nov 11th, 2008
I trust most parents to educate their children about the pros and cons of gambling and I don’t need you to tell me what’s best for my children.
You religious people just can’t mind your own business.
4:19pm - Tue Nov 11th, 2008
Facing unpleasant consequences is a great teacher.
4:23pm - Tue Nov 11th, 2008
4:30pm - Tue Nov 11th, 2008
4:32pm - Tue Nov 11th, 2008
Though I do think that casinos probably wouldn't make much money off of sober gamblers.
4:38pm - Tue Nov 11th, 2008
5:49pm - Tue Nov 11th, 2008
4:42pm - Tue Nov 11th, 2008
5:41pm - Tue Nov 11th, 2008
6:09pm - Tue Nov 11th, 2008
12:31am - Wed Nov 12th, 2008
I do have a question though... Why does the church preach free agency, yet take away all choices of your so called sin?