Last week, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the ruling of U.S. District Court Judge William Skretny that the Seneca Nation of Indians cannot intervene in a lawsuit between the Citizens against Casino Gambling in Erie County and the government without waiving its sovereign immunity from jurisdiction.

The "anti-casino group" as they are often referred to, has been fighting the legality of the Downtown Buffalo casino. The current litigation involves a challenge to the federal government's issuance of a gambling ordinance that allows the Senecas to operates out of the downtown casino. Casino gambling is a hot-button topic in nearly every community outside of Las Vegas and Atlantic City where casinos operate.

Proponents argue the casinos create jobs both when the facilities are being built, and of course when they are operational. They also push the idea that casinos are a draw for out-of-town visitors who will come into an area and spend money, thus boosting the local economy.

Opponents point out, rightfully so, that the majority of the jobs created are low-paying service jobs and depending on which study you believe, it is debatable whether or not a casino brings in boatloads of cash from outside the region. While the argument could be made that people coming to Niagara Falls will gamble, it is more likely they were coming anyway.

Worse yet, with the casinos increasingly becoming a full-service operation, guests can not only gamble, they can eat, drink, shop and be entertained all under one roof. One roof that keeps all of that cash from being spent in the neighboring shops and restaurants.

I also find it hard to imagine that people will flock to downtown Buffalo to gamble. Instead, the casino coffers will be filled with the money of the people who can least afford to lose it; the people living in the neighborhoods immediately surrounding the casino. While Hollywood likes to glamorize the gambling life and show us a bunch of high rolling, well-dressed Wall-Street types who are tossing away a grand at the blackjack table without consequence, the reality is quite different. Having spent my fair share of time in the Seneca Niagara Casino, I can tell you firsthand that is isn't the high rollers that finance the casino. Walk along the rows and rows of slot machines and you will see hundreds of people obviously living on fixed incomes, desperately hoping to "hit the jackpot."

The problem is, gambling, be it casino gambling, or the state-run lottery, sell a dream that rarely has any reality behind it. For every "big winner" that hits the slot machine payoff, how many senior citizens lose their monthly social security check and are unable to pay for food, medicine and other necessities? For every high roller who hits it big at the craps table, how many people are lined up at the nearest ATM maxing out their credit cards with a cash advance, believing this could be the day that changes their life? For every royal flush dealt at the poker tables, how many families living in the neighborhoods surrounding the casinos are forced to file bankruptcy, or lose their homes because of gambling debts?

The fight over gambling in downtown Buffalo is far from over. If I was a gambling man, I'd say ultimately, the Senecas prevail and the casino becomes a centerpiece of that neighborhood. For a region that has struggled to keep jobs, industry and even its people, the last thing we need is more gambling.