Jumble Spoiler – 11/26/13

Gambling (Photo credit: sincerelyhiten)

Visual Description:  A ritzy alpine gambling den.

TILIM  =  LIMIT,  SUQAH  =  QUASH,  GEHGAL  =  HAGGLE,  PYMSIK  =  SKIMPY   —   Giving us:  ITASHHGESK

Clue/Question:  The mountaintop casino featured – – –

Pair of Dice (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Answer:  HIGH STAKES

(Not a bad pun!  I’m not in favor of the proliferation of these gambling establishments.  I think, in the long run especially, it – gambling – is much more damaging than the other two traditional societal taboos:  drugs and prostitution.   It’s every bit as – if not moreso – addictive, and it can destroy both the individual and entire families.  I also see it as part of the increasing transferal of wealth, that has been taking place over the last 30 odd years.  Lots and lots of individuals lose more and more money, while these corporate entities get richer and richer.  Their lobbyists push for it, so the politician$ get behind it, under the pretense of job creation and revenue that will “help fund education.”  Most of the jobs are of the low-paying, highly transient variety, and the education angle was already played when states started to promote the Lottery.  The lotteries are bigger than ever, but how is the state of education in this country?  Hardly commensurate, my friends.  If it were would we be dragging up this same haggard gambit?  Expanded casino gambling was recently passed in New York state because the only thing the people heard were all the positive praises . . . paid for by the gambling industry.  Just the pros.  No commercials from the cons.  Will we ever learn?

Great clue word jumbling and answer letter layout.  Swell cartoon, too.  Be well and do good, friends.  Remember friends, the house always wins!)   —   YUR

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• New Jersey becomes 3rd state with legal online betting (trentonian.com)
• Bookies machines known as ‘crack cocaine of gambling’ target most deprived areas (mirror.co.uk)
• Turnout brisk as voters have their say on Milford casino proposal (boston.com)
• County reconsiders casino vote (timesunion.com)