Gaelic Green and Gaelic Grey
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Seven Factors Why Ireland Has Not Had Legal Casinos
The Irish Personality and the “All-In” Spirit
There is an “all-in” spirit that defines much of what is “Irish.” Mythical
heroes such as Cuchulaiann fought to the death and then kept on fighting. Rebels
took to the streets with the odds and well armed enemies stacked against them.
And when they won their revolution, many couldn’t stop. They started a civil
war. An inability to realize the second rule of the Kenny Rogers poker game
(“Know when to fold them”) might make casino play a very dangerous
commodity. Within the Irish a burning desire to fight on remains; but a major
change has occurred as well. Ireland was a land of isolation politically,
economically, and ethnically until very recently. Now the leadership of the land
has opened its doors to world trade and to immigration. A political need to
protect the Irish common folk from their own foibles is blended with a
realization that growing numbers of the population are eastern Europeans and
Asians. Moreover, the Irish can no longer tell themselves to “Let it Ride, we
have nothing to lose.” There is now much to lose: money.
Poverty and Casino Prospects
While leaders could feel that the Irish may need protection from the effects
of their innate personality drives, it could also be suggested that some economic
protections would also be appropriate. Casinos work best when they are located
to exploit particular markets—markets comprised of people with money. Time
and again, I met people who commented “The Irish do not have money, hence
there are no casinos.” A cab driver offered his opinion that the “Irish don’t have
money, poor people can’t gamble.” A government official offered that the law
against gambling was in place to “protect the poor.”22
Irela