Stop Predatory Gambling

Promoting indebtedness, addiction and now cancer to pay for government

by Les

The Illinois House voted this week to lift a smoking ban in all of the state’s casinos during a debate that pitted the health of gamblers and casino workers against hundreds of millions of dollars in lost revenues. The proposal, which passed 62-52 and now moves to the state Senate, represents a significant softening of the state’s 2008 anti-smoking law that banned tobacco use in virtually all indoor public areas.

“Ladies and gentleman, if we’re serious about our budget crisis in Illinois, let’s be real. This is not about the smoking issue. This is about the money,” said Rep. Dan Burke (D-Chicago), the bill’s House sponsor.

Burke said the smoking prohibition has cost the state $800 million in lost casino-tax revenues since the imposition of the ban and has caused East St. Louis, home of the Casino Queen, to lay off municipal workers.

Rep. Karen Yarbrough said allowing smoking in casinos will put the health of casino workers at risk. “Why are their lives any less important than people who work anywhere else?” she said. “I didn’t hear any debate about what kind of increased costs in terms of hospitals and health care costs as a result of going back to what we did before. I hear the argument on one side about this being about the money, but we’ll spend more if we allow this practice,” she said.

The failed government policy of predatory gambling is based on people who are addicted and heavily indebted. If the Illinois Legislature has its way, cancer will simply be one more “cost” of  government’s partnership with the most predatory business in America.