A Scourge of Vipers by Bruce DeSilva Read Free Book Online

Double that figure and you could fund the Pentagon for twelve months with enough left over to start another small war. That kind of money makes a governor salivate.”
    â€œI’ll bet.”
    â€œAt least eighty-five percent of us gamble on sports at least once in a while,” she said. “That’s darned near everybody. You should know that better than anyone. Why shouldn’t the state get a piece of the action?”
    â€œHow do you see this working?” I asked.
    â€œIn New Jersey, Christie wants the casinos to take sports bets so he can tax the profits,” she said. “But we don’t have any big casinos—just that little one in Lincoln and the slots-only operation in Newport. I can’t see handing anything this big over to them. Besides, why just tax the profits when we can have all of it?”
    â€œYou want the state Lottery Commission to take sports bets?”
    â€œI do.”
    â€œAnd turn the state into a bookmaker?”
    â€œHell’s bells, Mulligan. It already is. Wouldn’t you rather see people have a little fun betting on their favorite teams than stand in lines to buy lottery tickets?”
    â€œYou know those desperate people who blow their paychecks on fistfuls of scratch tickets?” I asked. “The ones you see furiously scraping Jokers Wild and Lucky Diamonds stubs with nickels in convenience store parking lots?”
    â€œYeah. It’s so sad.”
    â€œWell, those people will do both.”
    â€œMy plan addresses that,” she said. “We’re going to direct lottery outlets to limit scratch-ticket sales to ten per customer.”
    â€œWon’t work,” I said. “Compulsive gamblers will buy the limit and then mosey on down to the next 7-Eleven for more.”
    â€œI know, but it’s the best I can do.”
    I reached out and took my friend’s hand.
    â€œI’m worried about you, Fiona. You’re going to make a lot of enemies with this.”
    â€œI’m prepared for that.”
    â€œPeople with something to lose are already gearing up,” I said. “I was asked to let you know that there’s a six-figure campaign contribution in it for you if you back off—and that it will go to your next opponent if you don’t.”
    â€œDoesn’t surprise me any,” she said. “You’re not going to tell me where the offer came from, are you?”
    â€œNo.”
    â€œBut I can guess,” she said.
    â€œAnd you’d be right.”
    â€œZerilli and Arena aren’t the ones I’m worried about,” she said. “Compared to the NCAA, they’re a bunch of pussies.”
    *   *   *
    â€œSorry,” I told Chuckie-boy. “Everything the governor told me is embargoed at least until next week.”
    â€œYou’ve been gone for ninety minutes, and you don’t have anything I can print ?”
    â€œNot today, no.”
    â€œThat is unacceptable.”
    I shrugged and dropped into one of the leather visitor’s chairs across from his desk.
    â€œSo what’s this big announcement going to be about?” he asked.
    â€œGovernor McNerney thinks she can fix the state budget mess by legalizing sports gambling.”
    â€œA former nun wants to legalize sports gambling?”
    â€œEver been to a casino-night fund-raiser at a Roman Catholic church?”
    â€œNo.”
    â€œToo bad. If you had, you wouldn’t look so mystified.”
    â€œHow much revenue does she think this will raise?”
    â€œShe estimates two hundred million a year for starters. Maybe more with an advertising campaign to suck in gamblers from Massachusetts and Connecticut.”
    â€œSounds inflated.”
    â€œI doubt it. Lottery-ticket sales generated three hundred and seventy-seven million for the general fund last year. The governor figures sports gambling could eventually top that, and she’s probably