Letter to the editor – Casinos and the retirees
In Liechtenstein we have 13 banks, around 130 trustees and 5 casinos. If you read “Volksmeinung.li”, the conclusion is clear: Casinos damage the country’s reputation, gambling addiction is encouraged, and we don’t need the income from play money. So the casinos have to be banned, not just by law, but by amending the constitution. Casino visitors can go to neighboring countries, so that’s an argument. The Süddeutsche Zeitung writes: “Pensioners against gamblers’ paradise”. The title is no coincidence. If you look at the pictures and read the names of the initiators, it quickly becomes apparent that it is mainly older people who are dying here and campaigning for a ban on the casinos. Where are the boys’ voices? Approximately 30 million tax revenues annually are a lot. That is around 750 francs per inhabitant, extrapolated to the population of Switzerland it would be around 7 billion francs. Incidentally, the Swiss let their lottery income flow into the AHV. We too could invest the casino tax revenue earmarked for AHV or health insurance, following the Swiss model. What remains with a casino ban is, among other things, the damage to Liechtenstein as a business location. Withdrawn permits, unagreed promises – that harms the country! We are mutating into a banana republic that cannot be relied on. Those entitled to vote decide on the initiative – the children and young people foot the bill. And gambling addiction cannot be cured with a casino ban either. There are better ways. I am in favor of keeping the casinos, despite my retirement age. Because ultimately the market WILL regulate the abundance of casinos. I am convinced of that.
Walter Meier,
Binzastrasse 28, Mauren