High rollers

In the category of “what were they thinking” goes Capital News 9’s report on the Saratoga Gaming and Raceway’s 45,000-square-foot expansion project, which was recently railroaded through by the state Lottery Division and Hollywood Joe Bruno.

In a by line-free story entitled “Racino addition to accommodate high rollers,” the channel grabs a few quotes from the Senate Majority leader to insinuate that the expansion is aimed at bringing affluent gamblers to the area, which will benefit both the Spa City and Saratoga County. This said, one must wonder if any of the News 9 reporters has ever seen the racino in full-swing during a weekday afternoon or if they even bothered to look at the plans for the expansion.

Had they done either of these things, the last phrase they would have used in this report would have been “high rollers.” Maybe the word “rollers” to describe the many wheelchair-bound senior citizens that gamble away their social security funds at the racino, or perhaps the word “high” to portray the average state of mind gamblers must be in to think they’ll win cash from the video lottery terminals; but never these two words together.

Not to mention, when the hallmark of any given expansion project is a booming dance club and 300-seat buffet serving a hodge-podge of Italian, Asian, Mexican and American classics, chances are pretty good it’s not aiming to attract rich folk.

Rather, the racino expansion is aimed at keeping more of the target demographic –the elderly and lower-middle class –gambling at a vicious pace. And what better way than to allow gamblers an opportunity to satiate their more animalistic thirsts on premise then to provide them with a cheap feeding trough and slut menagerie.

Still, there remains the real story about the expansion that continues to bedevil the more stalwart journalists and seems to flat-out elude the nimrods over at News 9: why is Joe Bruno on the racino’s payroll and how much is the good senator raking in from it each year?