'Wages of sin': California really requires casino - 2004-03-14
In hock to pay everyone's bills, California's political class has hardly noticed an elephant in the room. Certainly, it's not a popular subject for stump speeches or official conversations.
The elephant -- legalized casino gambling -- funds health care, schools and services in a growing number of cash-strapped states.

As for social costs, who can say existing compulsive plungers are not marred by poker rooms and Indian roulette?
Read the full story at Los Angeles Daily News, CA

A developer wagers on Florida fortune - 2004-03-14
The peaks and depths of James E. Billie's life are obvious in the hardened creases of his nine fingers. He wielded astonishing strength in his 22 years as chief of the Seminole Tribe of Florida - nose-diving in the tribe's private jets, touring with his band and establishing the Seminoles as one of the most influential and flamboyant tribes in America.

The Hollywood project will be comprised of a 500-room hotel, 2,000 electronic gaming machines, 65 poker tables and an 800-seat bingo hall, while the site close to Tampa will comprise 250 rooms and a slightly smaller gambling operation.
Read the full story at Baltimore Sun, MD