Taken from the 3 Dec 2005 News and Observer:
Closing a 'casino'
I'm sitting here at the N.C. Education Technology Conference in Greensboro. This conference is a great way for teachers and administrators from all over the state to share ideas, learn new technologies and find better ways to use current technology. The conference lasts all week, and seemed to be calm; it's a conference full of educators after all.
Apparently not. For years, the NCECT people have hosted a Casino Night for teachers to unwind and play some games and mingle with each other. Instead of money, tickets are won to put into raffles for prizes. Earlier this week, state Alcohol Law Enforcement officials came, trying to shut the Casino Night down.
They returned the next day, threatening to arrest the coordinator and cite each person (over 1,000 at my estimate). Instead of Casino Night, the organizer scrambled to put on Activity Night. It was a success, but had many people scratching their heads.
As a busy educator, I scratch mine as well. We know there are numerous underground casinos and raffles going on in our state. Instead of going after these real gamblers, ALE officials go for educators. In a state that just passed a lottery and is contemplating allowing another tribe to run a real casino, our tax dollars go toward shutting down an innocent night of fun for our teachers.
I think I'll cash in my chips now.
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