Having a casino in Bermuda is not a very good idea. Gambling in casinos causes a lot of problems, and the simple fact is if casinos were introduced in Bermuda we would have much more criminal activity as a result.

In Bermuda we already have a gang problem. If we introduce a casino and gambling then the gangs will have another reason to go out and kill people. Right now the people here are just killing each other over grudges, but if we get money and debts involved it will be even worse. Another big reason that there are gangs is the drug trade. Drugs, alongside grudges, are another huge reason that we have a gang problem. If we have a casino, the gangs will start using it for a place to trade, share and bet drugs. The tourists that the casino will bring in will also expand the drug market as they will become targets for these drug dealers.

Another factor to consider is that casinos are made to lure the customer in and to let them spend all of their money. Most people will lose and then give up, but there are some people who will keep playing until they've lost everything. Gambling is an addiction! Some will continue until they have lost their home and all their life's savings. This is what happens to a lot of people that play casino games. People have spent over $2,000 in just one day!

Say the parents go to a casino one night and spend all of their life savings. They got addicted and couldn't stop and now they are all out of money. What about their families? No money equals no food and other necessities, and if they don't have the things they need, the kids or the adults will have to result to other ways to get their money. Some might go into the drug dealing business, some might steal and some might try and kill someone. Not only will they have to do drastic things to survive, their children will be greatly affected too. If the kids are having a hard time at home then they will either drop out of home or just forget about school and their education and grades will drop. This will make them go and try and do what there parents are doing and then they might even become parts of the gangs were trying to stop. It is a downward spiral. Think about it. Do we really want this to happen?

Finally, it is very likely that the casino will become a hang-out for gang members and other tough or criminal types. Right now the only places they can go and hang-out are at their own little hideaways that they've made at each other's homes and maybe in a few secret places. As soon as a casino is built in Bermuda they will all gravitate towards it and then that will be the most popular place for them to go. That will be the place where the most violence occurs and we don't want any more shootings, do we? Think about the effect this will have on tourism. People won't want to come here if everyone is trying to kill one another. People that live here aren't even going to want to live here if everyone if trying to kill one another.

Everyone knows that Bermuda gets a significant amount of money from its tourism so if we take that out then will be getting less money then we already have. Sure, we could use the casino to get more tourism, but if the casino is the meeting and fighting place for gangs, then again no one would want to come. Also the expatriates won't want to come and work here either. People are always saying negative things about the expatriates but really, we need them. They bring business here for us and help out small business grow. Sure, they shouldn't take away all of our businesses and the Bermudians that work here should be able to be just as qualified as the people from away, but without them we are nothing.

If our Government is considering casino gambling, they need to look very closely at all the issues. The introduction of casinos may have the opposite effect of what is intended.