This is in response to the Sun Journal editorial printed Feb. 9 about Rep. Sawin Millett’s proposal for a casino in Oxford County. The editorial stated, “Ballot boxes have been filled for years with yeas and nays about gambling, with each time, save one – Hollywood Slots – the gamblers losing.”

I think gamblers lose big-time at Hollywood Slots. The business that runs Hollywood Slots wins millions more than it gives out. The state gets some of the take, but the amount pales in comparison to what the gambling industry takes out. The Sun Journal published the figures a while ago. All that money comes out of the pockets of people who get fleeced while “having a good time.”

I can just see Millett looking at roads that connect Maine and New Hampshire for an Oxford County location. The casino could get the minimum wage workers from both states, and the high-fliers from Massachusetts could dump scads of cash at the casino instead of at other area resorts, or instead of paying property taxes to towns with summer residents. That becomes a win-win for the gambling industry, a lose-lose proposition for New Hampshire and Maine, the county, towns and families.

The recession won’t last forever. There are viable industries in Oxford County. The area certainly could use another industry that employs people to make a good product or perform helpful services, but not one that empties the pockets of people trying for that elusive big win.

Vickie Rogers, Otisfield