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shillyshally t1_je98dnk wrote

I had to look at the date because this has happened before.

https://www.casino.org/news/pennsylvania-woman-charged-leaving-children-in-car/

https://www.mcall.com/2022/10/21/paul-muschick-no-excuse-for-parents-who-gamble-with-their-kids-lives-by-leaving-them-alone-in-cars-at-pa-casinos-2/

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/cops-pennsylvania-mom-left-boy-9-alone-in-car-to-play-casino-slots/

https://www.thereporteronline.com/2013/07/10/police-toddler-left-in-car-outside-pa-casino/amp/

https://6abc.com/parx-casino-philadelphia-bucks-county-pennsylvania/553111/

https://patch.com/pennsylvania/te/woman-banned-valley-forge-casino-leaving-infant-car

etc.

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PhillyAccount t1_je9d1j5 wrote

Just wanted to extend another 'thank you' to all the big brains who thought opening a bunch of casinos in Philadelphia were an economic panacea.

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lateavatar t1_je9dkf0 wrote

As a child of the 80’s this would have been perfectly acceptable

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joeltheprocess76 t1_je9eri4 wrote

If anyone who thought a casino at 8th and market would have been a great idea, it would not have been.

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darkhorsechris t1_je9frjg wrote

My dad used to work for Parx casino. He said they used to patrol the parking lots bc it is common for this to happen. Wtf

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Hib3rnian t1_je9gkbo wrote

If these casinos were smart they'd just open a pay by the hour daycare and be done with it.

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kekehippo t1_je9jwi6 wrote

Replying to nalgene_wilder (#2,481,038)

Less bad publicity because as you know people are idiots and will leave their kids in a locked car in summer with the windows up. If I were the casino I would hedge people's idiocy to avoid headlines like "Dead children locked in car in front of Casino"

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hndsum_dan t1_je9kmih wrote

Small world I was just watching Lucky Number Slevin, gambling is a weird addiction

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AlVic40117560_ t1_je9ktru wrote

Replying to Edison_Ruggles (#2,481,298)

Totally agree. I need the government to tell me if gambling, prostitution, abortion, guns, being gay/trans, or drugs are ok. If they say it’s legal, I will then fully participate. If they say it’s illegal, I’ll simply say no thank you. The government serves as my moral campus and their opinions should be forced onto me so I don’t have to make decisions for myself.

−31

lasion2 t1_je9nsue wrote

Replying to lateavatar (#2,479,876)

Born in ‘82. Mom left me and next oldest brother (‘80) in the car as far back as I can remember. 2 hours in the grand union parking lot as she got some of her own alone time. It was a blast. He and I are best friends to this day. She left the older 3 (‘78, ‘76, ‘75) home, very much alone as well. 🤷🏻. A different time, with different kids.

We could make toast, cook eggs, clean up and do our laundry before we turned 8 years old. There are 6 year olds at my kids school that can’t dress themselves. 8 year olds that can’t tie their shoes. It’s really strange to see.

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GooFoYouPal t1_je9o0jn wrote

Replying to randompittuser (#2,480,897)

and the local officials get a few key neighborhood people on board who then convince the local mouthbreathers that the casinos will bring MoAr JoBs! to the area. The shit that old school Towners and that stupid fucking FACT Org were pushing when they were pushing to build Sugarhouse was appalling. What an absolute waste of prime riverfront space to build a palace of degeneracy.

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MonsterNog t1_je9p6sx wrote

Replying to asforus (#2,482,170)

We knew he was a degenerate as kids, well I did the others were oblivious. I can’t even say my dads name without Italian dudes following me after. Seriously that’s not a joke, I was in college and someone asked what my dads name was because my last name is kinda prominent around here and the next day some dude named Liuzi or whatever was waiting outside my school asking where he was and I gave him his exact location because fuck him. He messed with the bikers, the IRA, the unions, we had dudes snorting coke off dollar store monkey placemats at our kids table for dinner. I’m getting riled up because I hated my dad and the day he died is coming up fast so I’m kinda rambling. He charged his friends to rape my 4 year old sister, tried drowning me in a toilet then a pool knowing I couldn’t swim, tried stabbing my brother, tried electrocuting my mom. God I wish I coulda been what killed him.

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sciencefaire t1_je9q06g wrote

Replying to Hib3rnian (#2,480,542)

Back when we were kids, AC used to have this indoor amusement park called Tivoli Pier. I think it was at what is now Tropicana. We'd get dropped off and go to town on the games and indoor roller coaster while my parents gambled 🤣

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lasion2 t1_je9q89v wrote

Replying to Rivster79 (#2,482,524)

Id have to see a detailed implementation policy before I back said mayor. 😂

I think an important note is that there were 2 of us. So not “alone”, and car seats were not at all like they are now. They were 2 pieces of wood with a hook to go over the bench seating and they were very easy to get out of. Back then they were designed to stop us from sliding around on those benches, and had no chance at protecting us in the event of a crash.

Being strapped into a modern car seat completely alone for more than a few minutes is not right. If he was running in to cash a lottery ticket or something and was coming right back, I may think differently. If he was chilling at a craps table…

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MonsterNog t1_je9qkbu wrote

Replying to svenEsven (#2,482,867)

My mom would dip across the street to the bar and stay there til like 2am but at least we were home and it was across the street, my dad would leave me somewhere without telling me he’s headed to Delaware for the weekend

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MonsterNog t1_je9r41q wrote

Replying to svenEsven (#2,483,061)

Why is our story so common, it’s really not hard being a half decent parent. I have depression and I believe it’s because I’m disappointed being a good dad wasn’t harder. Like, why aren’t I craving meth and alcohol, why aren’t my wife and I beating each other to a pulp.

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svenEsven t1_je9rxvq wrote

Replying to MonsterNog (#2,483,134)

I went the other route there, seeing a dozen failed relationships and how shitty kids can be treated made me never want kids or a wife. I'm 36 with no interest in relationships with other people for the most part. Which I'm sure is some form of depression. Idk. The upside is that it taught me to be better to people than my parents were.

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a-german-muffin t1_je9rygw wrote

Replying to MonsterNog (#2,483,134)

> Why is our story so common, it’s really not hard being a half decent parent.

It's harder than it looks. Plus, there's a shitload of generational trauma rippling through, especially if your parents were born close to postwar (say up until about the early '60s). Hell, my dad literally told my mom that she was going to have to handle the kids because he "had no idea how to be a parent."

Best we can do is try to avoid the same mistakes with the next generation and give our parents what grace we can for their transgressions.

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oliver_babish t1_je9srf1 wrote

Replying to randompittuser (#2,480,897)

The problem is that once Foxwoods opened in CT and broke the Vegas/AC monopoly, it was more or less inevitable that everyone else was going to compete for that revenue and not lose it to other states.

The best we can do is keep the casinos in places that won't impair better development -- and I think we're okay on that front in Philadelphia -- and tax the shit out of it. And we do: "Total tax revenue generated collectively through all forms of gaming and fantasy contests was $188,976,155* during February 2023."

Obviously, they can be doing better on gambling addiction, especially given how much is spent to promote sports betting at this point, and probably should be more aggressive at banning people from gambling who ever pull shit like this.

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GreatWhiteRapper t1_je9swfw wrote

Replying to fxthea (#2,480,895)

I was just there this past weekend; there's still that one big arcade but they also opened a new one in Showboat that's pretty big and has a ton of games. Shit prizes, but you can win a BMW motorcycle for 2 million tickets.

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Easy-Reading t1_je9vq54 wrote

Replying to fuckouttaheawiddat (#2,483,190)

It's wild what's happening. AR is about to show us why child labor laws were originally enacted.

Earlier this month Arkansa enacted the Youth Hiring Act of 2023. Under the new law children under 16 don't have to get the Division of Labor's permission to be employed. The state also no longer has to verify the age of those under 16 before they take a job. The law doesn't change the hours or kinds of jobs kids can work.

"Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders believes protecting kids is most important, but this permit was an arbitrary burden on parents to get permission from the government for their child to get a job," communications director Alexa Henning said in a statement to NPR. "All child labor laws that actually protect children still apply and we expect businesses to comply just as they are required to do now."

Workers under 16 in Arkansas have had to get these permits for decades.

Supporters of the new law say it gets rid of a tedious requirement, streamlines the hiring process, and allows parents — rather than the government — to make decisions about their children.

But opponents say the work certificates protected vulnerable youth from exploitation.

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courageous_liquid t1_je9vqgu wrote

Replying to lasion2 (#2,482,299)

> There are 6 year olds at my kids school that can’t dress themselves. 8 year olds that can’t tie their shoes. It’s really strange to see.

I'm sure there were then, too, and kids like you now.

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NO-25 t1_je9w59r wrote

Replying to MonsterNog (#2,483,134)

It is easy only if you are able to think empathetically, something that is becoming a rarity. People pretend and even trick themselves into thinking they are an empath, when in reality they are just kindly manipulating others to gain something. People do nice things more often than not because they want others to have a positive opinion of them instead of actually wanting to make the person happy.

1

igglesfangirl t1_je9ya5p wrote

Replying to darkhorsechris (#2,480,358)

I live near Parx. There were so many stories about kids being left in the car while adults gambled when my son was in elementary school. He's 22, and we still tell him we're leaving him in the car while we gamble every time we drive by. Just our running joke. It became funnier when he got old enough to say, "No problem, I'll walk."

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vivagypsy t1_je9yzbo wrote

As a parent of a toddler, one of my common intrusive thoughts is a situation like this. My child being alone, locked somewhere, and completely afraid and unable to reach me. The fact that an adult knowingly did this makes me so completely ill.

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FrankTank3 t1_je9zpxl wrote

Replying to nalgene_wilder (#2,481,664)

New development, construction, or change of ownership are all subject to government oversight and involvement. If I owned a casino and wanted to start a new project subject to government interference, I’d rather do it when the public wasn’t pissed off at me and likely to put political pressure on politicians to “do something”.

And then some suit sees a chance to look like a hero and loudly fucks up what was supposed to be normal quiet business as usual.

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TheFutureMrs77 t1_je9zwbh wrote

Replying to Hib3rnian (#2,480,542)

I remember when the Tropicana had the amusement park.... a core memory of my childhood is when the zipper broke on my outfit (one of those 80's/90's biker short one pieces with shoulder cutouts.... hot pink and purple. A site to behold!) and I was in the bathroom crying, no way to get ahold of my mom & stepdad, and one of the employees came in with her lanyard with all her buttons, and gave me a bunch to button up the front of my outfit, and then took me to the rollercoaster and let me ride a bunch of times. My brother had been somewhere in there too, but since he was older he was too cool to hang out with me and immediately left me to myself. I was probably 7 or 8? We spent so much time there, I actually have some photos I took one Christmas where I drew the AC boardwalk with the Trop as the main focus, and took pictures of my Barbies in front of it like they were on vacation.

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Master_Winchester t1_jea1ne2 wrote

Replying to MonsterNog (#2,483,134)

It is hard. It requires effort, constant effort. If you are forced to work 1 awful job let alone 2 or 3 to provide food and shelter, what capacity do you have left to take care of your children? It's not an excuse, because in most cases having children is a choice. But it's the reality that our society forces people into. There are not enough well paying jobs for people to realistically support themselves and their families.

Absent parents (due to their own choices or societal flaws or a combo) routinely end up with children that have no moral guidance, no structure, respect for society, or their fellow citizens.

It makes sense how we get here, even if it's not acceptable. We need to help elevate people out of extreme poverty and overwork for their kids to have a better chance.

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Hib3rnian t1_jea5ogq wrote

Replying to fuckouttaheawiddat (#2,481,794)

Easy fix. Casinos operate on cards that monies are applied to from players for use on machines, tables, etc.

So players would use the casino card to check the kid into the daycare.

This is when the clock starts.

The balance tracker sets a "Not to go below" threshold on the balance that meets some set max timeframe for the kid to be in daycare (say 4hrs to keep the child advocates happy).

When the parent hits that amount threshold or time limit, their card freezes and they have to get the kid.

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frankoceansheadband t1_jea6zbr wrote

Gambling addictions are more serious than most people would ever think. People are willing to throw away their lives and destroy relationships to gamble.

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fuckouttaheawiddat t1_jea8080 wrote

Replying to Hib3rnian (#2,487,142)

This definitely would work well for me, probably you, and the majority of the population, but feels like it could become enabling for people with gambling addiction. It's an excuse to drag the kids there more often since at least they'll be in someone's care. We're talking about the kind of gamblers who wear adult diapers to the casino so they don't have to leave the slot machine to take a piss. One bad news story about how casino daycare enabled someone to blow their rent money and it's a PR nightmare.

On the upside, the regulars' kids will get to know each other really well if they're in casino daycare together, so I guess they can build solidarity/friendships out of it.

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AndrewHainesArt t1_jea8djn wrote

Replying to MonsterNog (#2,483,134)

Since you’re getting the opposite, you’re right, no it’s not hard to be a half decent parent regardless of your situation.

Some parent don’t want their kids to see their struggle and others don’t care, I’ve seen both and there’s no common denominator other than your own self motivation as a parent, and hopefully you have it. There’s a balance and it shifts throughout life, but ultimately I agree it’s not that hard to not be a complete fucking retard as a parent. That doesn’t mean it isn’t hard, plenty of people struggling with life are still good parents, it’s not an excuse.

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fuckouttaheawiddat t1_jea9ie6 wrote

Replying to obi-jawn-kenobi (#2,487,348)

Hey if casinos wanna implement it and communities are in support, I'm not gonna stop them.

If casino management thinks running a daycare is worth dealing with any PR nightmares over news stories about enabling people to blow their rent money, then they'll figure out a way to do it. Considering how much money the collective gambling industry makes, I would be shocked if they already haven't run the numbers and scenarios and decided it's not a good business decision.

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CommunicationTime265 t1_jeac9f2 wrote

After reading half the comments here...I guess I had pretty good parents cus they never pulled this shit. I'd always get dropped off at my grandmother's if they went to the casino.

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joy4874 t1_jeaekh4 wrote

It's only crazy if the parent doesn't win. (/s)

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justasque t1_jeaezxl wrote

Replying to Easy-Reading (#2,484,437)

In PA you literally get working papers at your high school. And, as I vaguely remember it, it was in part an exercise in learning the rules, so if your employer violated them you knew. But now in AR there will be no moment when either employer or employee or employee’s parent is reminded of the rules. That’s not going to end well.

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sciencefaire t1_jeagz1g wrote

Replying to Its_called_pork_roll (#2,489,279)

My favorite ride was the really slow Atlantic City history tour ride. That shit was my jam bc the roller coaster eventually gave me vertigo 🤣

I bet I still have those little teeny tiny dice prizes somewhere in a little keepsake box at my parent's house.

Do you remember- was it in the taj? Or Trop?

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Hib3rnian t1_jeaneyj wrote

Replying to fuckouttaheawiddat (#2,487,769)

I guess the question becomes, do you not implement a solution that provides care for children of gamblers to avoid enabling addicts or do you provide a service that potentially saves a child(s) life but possibly enables/furthers gambling addictions of parents?

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Buddyschmuck t1_jeaphxm wrote

Well if they would just let them go in to drink and gamble they wouldn’t have been in the car now would they?

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Denki t1_jeaqj0v wrote

Replying to AlVic40117560_ (#2,491,344)

Without getting into a checklist, yes I do think that. The government has the obligation to take care of its citizens and often that includes making a moral choice. Sometimes it doesn’t work, but fortunately we have cultural shifts and realize things like “slavery bad” and “women should vote”. This isn’t some weird libertarian free-for-all, which is just anarchy without the cool stuff and usually a lot more racism.

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fuckouttaheawiddat t1_jeb1dxj wrote

Replying to Hib3rnian (#2,491,745)

I guess it would boil down to how much it would cost (in actual costs plus the cost of making a potentially bad PR move). I would be really surprised to find out the casino industry hasn't done any inquiry into the idea and decided against it already, because on its face it seems logical if they want to attract customers. I wouldn't think the industry would start up daycare operations for any altruistic reasons

ETA other people have posted that some local casinos in Vegas do this already, so it must make sense for them.

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AlVic40117560_ t1_jeb8rla wrote

Replying to Denki (#2,492,439)

But you understand that people still gamble where it’s illegal right? It’s 2023. It’s very easy to illegally do it online. When it’s legal, we can put programs in place like 1-800-gambler to assist those that have trouble controlling themselves. When it’s illegal, it’s shady and there is no oversight. Gambling addiction is very real, but the legality of it doesn’t stop anybody from gambling. It certainly makes it more accessible, but it doesn’t stop anything.

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Denki t1_jebcvly wrote

Replying to AlVic40117560_ (#2,496,849)

Of course. Never said ban them; I think cities should definitely think real hard about opening them. A healthy city doesn’t open them. But anyway, I think we do exactly as you said; put programs in place. Programs typically funded and regulated by the government.

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AlVic40117560_ t1_jebh61b wrote

Replying to Denki (#2,497,855)

Maybe we’re agreeing on the same premise here. Because I definitely don’t think it should just be a decision made lightly. There are definitely downsides to gambling. Some people can’t handle it. Some shitheads leave their kids in the car for hours at a time. There are risks. Those risks can be mitigated through those programs with funds raised by gambling taxes. There should be oversight and regulation. But at the end of the day, the government shouldn’t be the ones telling people that they can or can’t gamble. People should be able to make their own decisions at the end of the day, but for the few that can’t handle it, there should be programs in place to help them.

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abortionleftovers t1_jeccayl wrote

Oof either way this is sad. Either someone working had no other option and locked their kid in the car while they worked the casino or dude is so addicted to gambling he chose to do this. I feel really bad for this kid. And yeah I remember the 80s/90s when I’d ask my mom if I could wait in the car while she grocery shopped but tbis isn’t that…

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OnionLegend t1_jed89ww wrote

Oh, if only the casino allowed children to enter with their parents. /s

1