Sunday, August 19, 2007

John Tory Promises Free Booze

John Tory's plan to allow Ontario Casinos to serve free liquor smacks of desperate politics. Why not just promise a six-pack to anyone that votes Conservative? And, as David Caplan suggests, the idea will harm local businesses in places like Windsor:

"If you're going to ask somebody to compete with a government institution which is giving away free booze, why would the patrons want to go to those restaurants and bars when they can go to a government operation?"

My experience of Laughlin, Nevada (a kind of mini-, cut-rate Los Vegas) is that this situation doesn't arise in the U.S. because the town is basically a waste-land around the casino complexes. There are almost literally no businesses to compete against, and all the Casinos are offering the same deal--a lady carrying a tray full of White Russians.

But you do have to pay for your drinks anyway, at least indirectly, in that the service is much better around the $5 slots than the $1 slots, and fairly non-existent around the 25 cent poker machines. So you get served more the bigger you lose. My trick was to follow the serving girl around the floor, then set-up in front of one of the more expensive machines and fumble through my pockets as though I was looking for my betting money.

I lost about $40 over the time I was there, and got about 20 unpaid drinks out of the deal. So it was almost the same as just hanging out in the bar for two days.

9 comments:

Ti-Guy said...

Man, the Conservatives really are running on empty. You can just imagine the kind of tourist that'll flock to Windsor or Niagara Falls for the casino "experience" and free booze.

Anonymous said...

Who is supposed to pay for the free booze?

JimBobby said...

Whooee! When the gummint was tryin' to get our cities and towns to buy into the casino idea, the biggest part of their pitch was the spin-off business that local merchants would get. That spin-off business is mainly restaurant and bar business.

Tory has just managed to add another weak plank in his platform. This and the $400 million private school funding idea are going to drive away far more votes than they'll bring in.

Dumb.

JB

Anonymous said...

"John Tory's plan "

Couldn't type 3 words without getting caught in a lie, eh? He does not have a plan for free booze, it is an outright fabrication to say "John Tory Promises Free Booze"

Here's what he said: you really should have quoted it and displayed it:

""I think we should look at the notion of being perhaps a bit more liberal in the case of liquor laws inside casinos," Tory suggests.

Just like Vegas, he says it's time for Ontario to consider giving out free booze at casinos. "I'm willing to take a look at the drinking rules that we apply in casinos and see if the operators feel that's a substantial impediment to visitors coming here and our being competitive. I'm willing to look at it."

No promise there.

Canadian Liberals:
Lying To Canadians Since 1867

bigcitylib said...

That, anon 12:29, is a quibble.

Deno said...

" Why not just promise a six-pack to anyone that votes Conservative? "

No, what he should do once he is in power is create an agency that will funnel millions of tax payer’s dollars to conservative friendly organizations.

Oh wait a minute, the Ontario liberals have already thought and implemented this idea.

Don’t you just hate the way the liberals have a lock on all the good corruption ideas.

No matter how hard the conservatives try they will never match the liberals for good old government corruption.

When it comes to corruption the liberals are Canada’s star performer that has no equal.

Deno

900ft Jesus said...

Thinking about it is one thing, but announcing it as elections are approaching makes for an election promise.

So what? Like the poorly prforming Nascar, it's preaching to the converted.

Möbius said...

JimBobby said...
Whooee! When the gummint was tryin' to get our cities and towns to buy into the casino idea, the biggest part of their pitch was the spin-off business that local merchants would get. That spin-off business is mainly restaurant and bar business.

Hey, JB,

The "gummint" under D.McG had all of 4 years to do something about casinos, but the money, it's just too darned attractive!

Anonymous said...

In Windsor the 'escort services' are legal and licensed so why stop at drinky poos.

Oh waiter! Can we have another round of bjs and Hot Karls?

Is that jb I hear shouting Phooee or Whooee?

Canadian Conservatives:
Crapping On Canadians Since 1867