Stop Predatory Gambling

But does she use the product frequently?

by spgadmin

Cleveland lawyer Kathleen Burke was announced yesterday as the new executive director of the Ohio Lottery Commission. Burke’s background “in litigation with high financial stakes should help her on the job.” She steps in just as efforts get under way to install video slot machines at seven horse-racing tracks in Ohio.

Advocates of the predatory gambling trade say it’s no different than other forms of entertainment. They describe it the same as “drinking wine, going out to a restaurant or going to the movies.”  Yet, the owner of the vineyard drinks the wine he makes. The owner of the restaurant eats the food he serves.  The movie producer watches the movies he makes. This is the only product or service we can think of where most of the people who own it and promote it, including public officials, don’t use it and don’t want to live near it.

So the question all citizens and journalists should be asking people like Kathleen Burke is how frequently do you buy lottery tickets and use slot machines and how much money have you lost using the product?

The most appropriate place to answer these questions is before Congress as it investigates the business model of the predatory gambling trade.