Stop Predatory Gambling
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Staring you right in the face
by Les
In yet another example of how predatory gambling operators and their government partners try to create the public impression they care about the citizens and their families they exploit, the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation announced they will be installing new facial recognition technology on two-thirds of their government-operated slot machines. But of course, the program is “voluntary,” requiring self-professed gambling addicts to request they have their picture taken and stored in a provincial database.
Through their highly-sophisticated player tracking system, predatory gambling operators already know who most of the out-of-control gamblers are. These people are already staring them right in their face…they don’t need a voluntary facial recognition program to tell them.
The reality is 94% of the citizens who have a gambling problem don’t come forward for help so why would any leader promote a voluntary program that requires people to self-report?
There is one primary reason government does not take strong, decisive action to help these citizens: these same out-of-control gamblers make up 60 percent of the slot machine profits. Casinos and lotteries barely have a business without problem gamblers and it is a key factor why this failed public policy will be one of the biggest stories of this new decade.
Do you know how much of the lottery's profits come from problem gamblers?
I’m glad you included a reference to the lottery as well because they are just as bad as the casinos. Around here, the lottery retailers are seemingly everywhere and they receive very little public attention. I’d like to know how much they make from addicted gamblers, if you have it. Thanks.
Lotteries make at least 70% of their profits from 10% of the players
Lotteries collect 70 percent of its profits from the financial losses of 10 percent of its users, according to Matthew Sweeney’s book, “The Lottery Wars.’’ Lotteries will offer all kinds of data about how much local aid they funded or “new” scholarships they provided, but not surprisingly, despite being around for forty years, they still have not investigated how much of their profits comes from addicted gamblers.
Here’s a link to several other reports about gambling profits from addicts: http://stoppredatorygambling.org/category/research-center/profits-from-gambling-addicts/
Subject
Don’t know if it is the same in every state, but in New York State, the retailers (bars, convenience stores, grocery stores, drugstores, etc.) make a minimum of 6 percent on every ticket or game played. Nothing upsets me any more than seeing drugstores– which are supposed to exist for our good health–selling, indeed promoting–yet another addictive product! They don’t make much from a well person who might buy a ticket now and then. They make a LOT from sick, addicted compulsive gamblers as do the other businesses that sell the addictive product.