Unstained By The World
Stories
Lectionary Tales For The Pulpit
62 Stories For Cycle B
A good friend of mine lives just two blocks from the Saint Croix Casino in Turtle Lake, Wisconsin. On a recent visit he offered to take my wife and me out for dinner at the casino restaurant. He said they had a wonderful Saturday night buffet and it was cheap. We readily accepted.
When we arrived at the casino I was struck by the size of the parking lot. There were acres and acres of cars. Our friend pointed to the spots where six houses had been torn down to make way for the parking lot. About one third of his neighborhood had been bought out by the casino. Where he used to look out on trees and houses with green lawns, he now sees pavement, lights, and security cameras. Recently the casino announced their intention to buy another block of houses, including our friend's house.
As we entered the casino I noticed the presence of numerous security officers. We paused for a moment in the large lobby area at the door, and after the guards had checked us through, we began to make our way slowly through the masses of people gathered around the slot machines. The flashing lights, the buzz of the machines as the levers were pulled, and the occasional sound of coins clinking in the slots were mesmerizing. Our friend pointed out that there are no windows and no clocks in the casino. All sense of ordinary time stops at the door.
When we finally made it to the dining area, which is located in the back of the casino, we were greeted by a friendly waitress who told us the Friday night buffet was just $8.75 and it was all-you-can-eat. Our friend was right; the food was wonderful. We had our choice of prime rib, fried chicken, roast beef, pork chops, deep fried scallops, baked ham, barbecued ribs, mashed potatos, gravy, a host of salads, vegetables, dinner rolls and all the trimmings.
The best part of the buffet was the dessert bar. There was a large selection of pies, cakes, puddings - and chocolate turtle cheesecake to die for. I had three helpings.
After the dinner we strolled out into the casino to watch the action. There was very little conversation. All eyes were on the slot machines and the blackjack tables. I especially enjoyed watching the blackjack dealers contend with what I imagined were veteran gamblers trying to beat the odds. From the little we were able to observe it seemed that the house almost always won. Sometimes one of the gamblers got lucky, but mostly they paid their money and, I suppose, counted it the cost of a night's entertainment.
Every once in awhile a teller would come out onto the floor followed by an armed guard. He would roll his cart up to the blackjack table and collect the money. The action would stop for a moment. The crowd became very quiet. All eyes were on the money and the armed guard. There was little doubt about what is considered holy and what is worshiped in that place.
On the way out we passed the sandwich stand where you can get a half-pound prime rib sandwich for $2.75. "Delicious," our friend said. "None better. No restaurant in town can compete with the quality or the prices of the food at the casino." We went into the gift shop and our friend showed us stack after stack of cigarette cartons. "Why so many cigarettes?" we asked. He pointed to a sign listing the price. A carton of Marlboros cost $17.94 at the casino. Across the street at the Holiday station the same carton sells for $21.01.
Few of the local merchants have been able to compete successfully with the casino. Many of the buildings on the main street of Turtle Lake are empty or dilapidated. Some of the remaining businesses are struggling. When the casino opened in 1992 there were high hopes that the increasing number of people coming to town would mean higher profits for local businesses. A million and a half people pass through the doors of the Saint Croix Casino every year, but very few of them shop at local businesses. People come by the busload from all over Wisconsin and the upper Midwest. A High Rollers bus ticket from Milwaukee costs just $45.00. Along with the bus ride you get a night's lodging at the Saint Croix Motel, a steak and lobster dinner in the casino restaurant, and a twenty-dollar rebate in chips to get you off to a good start on the slot machines. It is not known how many out-of-town guests patronize area prostitutes or drug dealers, the two local businesses which have seen an increase in trade in the past four years.
The Saint Croix Casino takes in an estimated 12 million dollars a month. Most of that money is not spent in the Turtle Lake community or anywhere else in Northwest Wisconsin. And because the casino is owned by the Saint Croix-Chippewa Indian Tribe, no money is paid in state, federal, or local taxes. The largest business in Barron County pays no school taxes, pays for no utilities, and pays for no fire department, police, or ambulance services. Most of the 1,000 employees at the casino get minimum wage and no benefits.
One young family man with a wife and three children, who works in the maintenance department at the casino, earns $4.95 an hour. He gets no health insurance and no pension. He could make $90.00 more per month if he quit his job and went on welfare.
Recently, a woman from a neighboring town was arrested for embezzling $450,000.00 from the business where she worked. Much of the money was lost in gambling at the Saint Croix Casino. Unlike bartenders who will refuse to serve a perpetual drunk, the casino employees continued to take the woman's money until her life was ruined.
The next morning after our visit to the casino we went with our friend to worship at the local United Methodist church. The attractive new church building is located on a large lot on the east edge of town. The wood-paneled sanctuary is warm and intimate, about the same size as the lobby of the casino. The people were friendly and invited us to come again. I was especially moved by a children's choir that sang during the service. The quality of the music wasn't any better or any worse than the children's choir in my own church, but their smiling faces and the enthusiasm and the joy with which they sang about their love for Jesus touched my heart. At the same time I felt a deep sadness as I listened to their song. I knew many of these children would end up working at the casino when they were grown. I said a prayer for them under my breath: "O Lord, keep these beautiful children safe from the evil that is so powerful in this community."
When we arrived at the casino I was struck by the size of the parking lot. There were acres and acres of cars. Our friend pointed to the spots where six houses had been torn down to make way for the parking lot. About one third of his neighborhood had been bought out by the casino. Where he used to look out on trees and houses with green lawns, he now sees pavement, lights, and security cameras. Recently the casino announced their intention to buy another block of houses, including our friend's house.
As we entered the casino I noticed the presence of numerous security officers. We paused for a moment in the large lobby area at the door, and after the guards had checked us through, we began to make our way slowly through the masses of people gathered around the slot machines. The flashing lights, the buzz of the machines as the levers were pulled, and the occasional sound of coins clinking in the slots were mesmerizing. Our friend pointed out that there are no windows and no clocks in the casino. All sense of ordinary time stops at the door.
When we finally made it to the dining area, which is located in the back of the casino, we were greeted by a friendly waitress who told us the Friday night buffet was just $8.75 and it was all-you-can-eat. Our friend was right; the food was wonderful. We had our choice of prime rib, fried chicken, roast beef, pork chops, deep fried scallops, baked ham, barbecued ribs, mashed potatos, gravy, a host of salads, vegetables, dinner rolls and all the trimmings.
The best part of the buffet was the dessert bar. There was a large selection of pies, cakes, puddings - and chocolate turtle cheesecake to die for. I had three helpings.
After the dinner we strolled out into the casino to watch the action. There was very little conversation. All eyes were on the slot machines and the blackjack tables. I especially enjoyed watching the blackjack dealers contend with what I imagined were veteran gamblers trying to beat the odds. From the little we were able to observe it seemed that the house almost always won. Sometimes one of the gamblers got lucky, but mostly they paid their money and, I suppose, counted it the cost of a night's entertainment.
Every once in awhile a teller would come out onto the floor followed by an armed guard. He would roll his cart up to the blackjack table and collect the money. The action would stop for a moment. The crowd became very quiet. All eyes were on the money and the armed guard. There was little doubt about what is considered holy and what is worshiped in that place.
On the way out we passed the sandwich stand where you can get a half-pound prime rib sandwich for $2.75. "Delicious," our friend said. "None better. No restaurant in town can compete with the quality or the prices of the food at the casino." We went into the gift shop and our friend showed us stack after stack of cigarette cartons. "Why so many cigarettes?" we asked. He pointed to a sign listing the price. A carton of Marlboros cost $17.94 at the casino. Across the street at the Holiday station the same carton sells for $21.01.
Few of the local merchants have been able to compete successfully with the casino. Many of the buildings on the main street of Turtle Lake are empty or dilapidated. Some of the remaining businesses are struggling. When the casino opened in 1992 there were high hopes that the increasing number of people coming to town would mean higher profits for local businesses. A million and a half people pass through the doors of the Saint Croix Casino every year, but very few of them shop at local businesses. People come by the busload from all over Wisconsin and the upper Midwest. A High Rollers bus ticket from Milwaukee costs just $45.00. Along with the bus ride you get a night's lodging at the Saint Croix Motel, a steak and lobster dinner in the casino restaurant, and a twenty-dollar rebate in chips to get you off to a good start on the slot machines. It is not known how many out-of-town guests patronize area prostitutes or drug dealers, the two local businesses which have seen an increase in trade in the past four years.
The Saint Croix Casino takes in an estimated 12 million dollars a month. Most of that money is not spent in the Turtle Lake community or anywhere else in Northwest Wisconsin. And because the casino is owned by the Saint Croix-Chippewa Indian Tribe, no money is paid in state, federal, or local taxes. The largest business in Barron County pays no school taxes, pays for no utilities, and pays for no fire department, police, or ambulance services. Most of the 1,000 employees at the casino get minimum wage and no benefits.
One young family man with a wife and three children, who works in the maintenance department at the casino, earns $4.95 an hour. He gets no health insurance and no pension. He could make $90.00 more per month if he quit his job and went on welfare.
Recently, a woman from a neighboring town was arrested for embezzling $450,000.00 from the business where she worked. Much of the money was lost in gambling at the Saint Croix Casino. Unlike bartenders who will refuse to serve a perpetual drunk, the casino employees continued to take the woman's money until her life was ruined.
The next morning after our visit to the casino we went with our friend to worship at the local United Methodist church. The attractive new church building is located on a large lot on the east edge of town. The wood-paneled sanctuary is warm and intimate, about the same size as the lobby of the casino. The people were friendly and invited us to come again. I was especially moved by a children's choir that sang during the service. The quality of the music wasn't any better or any worse than the children's choir in my own church, but their smiling faces and the enthusiasm and the joy with which they sang about their love for Jesus touched my heart. At the same time I felt a deep sadness as I listened to their song. I knew many of these children would end up working at the casino when they were grown. I said a prayer for them under my breath: "O Lord, keep these beautiful children safe from the evil that is so powerful in this community."
