Those who know me are aware that I’m not averse to a little "gaming" now and then. In other words, I truly enjoy an annual trip or two to Las Vegas and I’ve managed to find all but one or two of Indiana’s various riverboat/horse track facilities.

The intention is not to start a debate on the morality of gambling. (If you wish to do so, have at it). My reasoning is to point out that I would be shut out of any such activity in Illinois, if professor John Warren Kindt had his way.

The Urbana-Champaign prof testified before state lawmakers that the key to the state’s economic recovery is to ban gambling. That is despite the state’s $1.3 billion in casino tax and lottery revenue in 2008.

It’s not going to happen in Illinois — or Indiana. The "will we have gambling or not?" argument was settled about 20 years ago. Indiana is a big player in the gaming business. Despite numerous calls from lawmakers and others for no further expansion, don’t bet on it.

By the way, I was a winner picking against the professor’s Illini in its NCAA basketball tournament first-round loss to Western Kentucky.