Stop Predatory Gambling
Join Donate
It’s time states stopped the use of “free play” to entice citizens to gamble and allowing casinos to escape paying taxes
State governments continue to allow casino operators to offer free play to lure citizens into gambling. Today’s casinos use mail, phone and email solicitations to offer free slot machine play to citizens who have rarely been to a casino before,… Read more
Newspaper blisters the sham of casino “responsible gambling” programs
After many years of watching government’s failed predatory gambling policy unfold in their state, The St. Louis Post-Dispatch editorial unloads on the recent efforts by casinos to eliminate the last of Missouri’s precautionary operating restrictions: offering loans to gamblers. Here… Read more
The question that every Gambling Board official needs to answer…but hasn’t yet
As the Massachusetts Gambling Commission prepares to meet for the first time on Tuesday, the fundamental question they need to answer before going forward with any major decision is this: “How do you effectively regulate a money-making operation that in… Read more
“The Sucker Index” released by Bloomberg News
Bloomberg News released a brand new “Sucker Index” today. Bloomberg Rankings created the Sucker Index with 2010 data from the US Census and annual reports from state lottery commissions. The total dollar amount of prizes awarded was subtracted from ticket… Read more
FOX Business Network calls out Verifone CEO about the state lottery on national TV
The CEO of a company that provides the technology enabling state lotteries to sell lottery tickets right at America’s gas pumps and inside taxi cabs was challenged about their service in an interview on the FOX Business Network today. Recently,… Read more
Why casinos program slot machines to simulate near misses
Numerous studies over the last two decades have noted the tendency of gamblers to remember their wins better than their losses. Others have noted that gamblers frequently underestimate their losses and claim to have “broken even” for a night or… Read more
New Slot Machines: Who’s Playing Whom?
Ron Dicker of The Huffington Post exposes server-based slot machines, the newest development in government’s failed predatory gambling program: More than a million slot machines inhale $1 billion a day in American casinos. Apparently that’s not enough. The machines are… Read more
Watch Florida casino promoters be afraid to use the word “casino” at their own press conference
Predatory gambling operators promote the “destination resort” message because it polls very well, much better than framing it as casinos or slot parlors. The public conjures nice restaurants, golf courses and high-end retail as opposed to the most predatory business… Read more
When will state Attorneys General go after the business practices of government’s gambling program?
In 2006, prior to the massive crash of the highly-predatory subprime lending business which nearly every state Attorney General sued for their predatory practices, Harrah’s top executive Rich Mirman boasted to Wall Street Journal reporter Christina Binkley: “I worked in… Read more
Few things are more ridiculous in politics than watching casino money go up against casino money
Maine voters are about to vote for the sixth time in twelve years on whether to allow government to bring more predatory gambling into the state. Questions 2 and 3 would allow for racinos in Biddeford and Lewiston. A new… Read more
Casinos are fighting against efforts to reduce gambling addiction in Pennsylvania
Casinos like to declare they are “just like any other business” but they continually to defy efforts that treat them like any other business. In Pennsylvania, a grassroots push is underway that would require casinos to mail monthly statements to… Read more
How casino ATM vendors share “intelligence” with casinos
Because most legislators are not frequent gamblers like those citizens losing their money at casinos almost five times a week, they possess little understanding about the highly predatory practices involved with this failed public policy. Casinos like Caesars make 90%… Read more
Who knew public libraries were based on creating addicts and pushing citizens into deeper personal debt
When you are promoting a failed public policy, deceit and dishonesty represent your only way to win and it is all made possible by spending millions of dollars to spread a phony narrative. This explains why as Maine attempts repel… Read more
Government official personally thanked those who were scamming the Lottery for propping up flat sales
As if there was not a mountain of evidence already showing how government’s predatory gambling program is a major failure, along comes another damning news report. Andrea Estes of The Boston Globe has a must-read account about how the Massachusetts… Read more
The Smartest Guys NOT in the Room
Imagine the legendary chicken business owner Frank Perdue, when asked if he ate the poultry he sold, responded by spitting on the floor and declaring his chicken was “for losers.” What business would ever say that about their product or… Read more
Oregon: Welcome to the International House of Lottery
At a time when many state governments are relentlessly pushing highly predatory forms of gambling to its citizens, Oregon may claim the title as the biggest predator. To point out just one of many examples, it is virtually impossible to… Read more
Children’s Arcades Now Offering Slot Machines to Kids
As further evidence about how government’s failed policy of predatory gambling is dramatically influencing America’s kids, the photo on the left was taken at Joe’s Playland Arcade in Hampton Beach, NH this past Saturday, September 10th. Why is an arcade… Read more
Philadelphia leads way against “Quicksand credit” at casinos
Casino-Free Philadelphia, a vocal and effective citizens group against government’s policy of predatory gambling in that city, is hosting a meeting TOMORROW, Saturday, Sept. 10 from 1:30 to 4:30 PM at their Center City office, 714 Market Street, Suite 3…. Read more
Lotteries are now running ads to teach citizens how to play lottery games
One publicly-stated reason why government got into the predatory gambling business in the first place was “citizens are doing it anyway so we may as well capture that money.” The evidence is indisputable, however, that government has turned a nation… Read more
Solved that gambling problem? Well, come on back!
A must-read editorial from a major predatory gambling state about the sham which is “self-exclusion.” Thank you, St. Louis Post Dispatch, for shining a bright light on it. Here it is: In its wisdom, the Missouri Gaming Commission last week… Read more
How is “Set for Life” not an example of deceitful and predatory advertising practices?
At a Texas Lyceum forum in Corpus Christi, TX on August 5, 2011 (at which I also presented), Harrah’s executive Marybel Batjer told the audience that “people don’t go to a casino thinking they’re going to win. They go to… Read more
Fake comments, fake supporters, all in the name of sneaking through a failed policy
Jessie Powell of Massachusetts, a citizen leader against the failed government policy of predatory gambling, recently spotlighted testimony about how predatory gambling interests paid a viral marketing firm to post fake comments on news websites to give the appearance of… Read more
Making the experience of losing almost $3500 feel like you’ve only lost $100
A recent column in The Sydney Morning Herald underscores how little knowledge problem gamblers have about the amount of money they are losing. While people often underestimate their spending on various items, like transportation and clothing, the amount of money… Read more
Another major U.S. media outlet exposes the failed government policy of predatory gambling
Following on the heels of the 60 Minutes investigation into slot machines that aired in January, The Cleveland Plain Dealer’s Science Writer John Mangels publishes his investigative series into predatory gambling this week appropriately titled “Game of Trance.” The quality… Read more
Prove that slot machines and casinos are safe to be promoted to the public
Below is testimony I submitted at yesterday’s casino hearing in Massachusetts: Good morning, my name is Les Bernal and I’m the Executive Director of Stop Predatory Gambling, a national organization based in Washington DC, and our mission is to end… Read more
“I have a feeling but I can’t quite pinpoint the research”
Previously we have highlighted the push in Pennsylvania to require casinos to send monthly statements to gamblers about how much money they lost. This week, in an effort led by activist Bill Kearney and Rep. Paul Clymer, the bill passed… Read more
“Keep It Fun”….because our profits depend on these problem gamblers
Steve Friess has a first-rate, must-read opinion piece in The Las Vegas Sun about how the big predatory gambling interests give lip service to the issue of problem gambling. Research shows more than 60% of casino profits comes from problem… Read more
How is it possible the casino did not know this woman was an addict?
After watching the news report below from Good Morning America, how is it conceivable that anyone associated with the Seminole casino in Tampa did not know this woman was a gambling addict? It is impossible to believe that an individual… Read more
The answer is Yes
The District of Columbia Lottery, whose advertising represents the daily voice of government to citizens living in the nation’s capital, just launched another TV ad in its “Do you need a lottery intervention?” series. Check out the ad here and… Read more
Promoting indebtedness, addiction and now cancer to pay for government
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,… Read more
The failed policy of exploiting human weakness for profit faces unrelenting fire in Australia
A MUST-READ piece by the editors of The Kings Tribune from Australia about why government’s partnership with predatory gambling interests is a failed public policy. They make a powerful, evidenced-based public argument. Here it is: Don’t gamble with human weakness… Read more
New effort by casinos takes aim at college students
Inside Higher Ed has a story this morning about how predatory gambling interests have launched a public relations effort designed to set the agenda for how colleges should approach the issue of student gambling. Read it below: Gift Horse or… Read more
“Come Play” and then later we’ll sue to recoup the money we loaned you to gamble with
Mohegan Sun in Connecticut is suing a Florida man who gambled away $1.2 million in credit that the casino loaned him in May 2009. Court documents filed by the man say the casino solicited him to open a line of… Read more
Must-watch video of a Merchant of Deceit
Roxbury News captures Sands Bethlehem (PA) president Robert DeSalvio testifying before the Pennsylvania Legislature that sending monthly statements to gamblers about their losses will violate privacy and may encourage citizens to gamble more because it will remind them about their… Read more
Government’s biggest dirty secret
The Philadelphia City Paper’s Isaiah Thompson writes another excellent column this week about casinos, this time about the recent hearing on a bill that would allow the revoked Foxwoods Casino license to be re-bid statewide. Thompson writes: “Less cunning was… Read more
State government and casinos aim to exploit Asian and Slavic communities
Kellie Patrick Gates of Plan Philly wrote a must-read news account about how casinos, in partnership with state government, aggressively target Asian and Slavic populations across the U.S. Her account is below: Philadelphia’s large Asian and Slavic populations help make… Read more
Children don’t belong in state lottery ads
An Oklahoma legislator is moving ahead with a bill that would prevent the lottery in that state from using kids in its advertising. The Oklahoma Lottery Commission last year had a series of advertisements featuring children in them. Most recently,… Read more
We already know you can’t stop yourself but we’ll keep the burden on you to stop because we’re making a lot of money at your expense
The concept of the “self-exclusion list” has always been a scheme for casinos and government to help deflect attention away from how they severely exploit addicted gamblers to reap their profits. Such lists allow them to say, like the Indiana… Read more
Statistician who cracks the lottery scratch ticket system: “There is nothing random about the lottery”
2011 has been a rough year so far for the predatory gambling operators. First, 60 Minutes spotlighted slot machines on national television and now the February edition of Wired Magazine has a must-read story titled “Cracking the Scratch Lottery Code”… Read more
A video every legislator in America needs to watch
Dr. Kevin Harrigan, a gambling researcher at the University of Waterloo in Canada, has been an international leader in exposing the highly-deceptive and predatory nature of electronic gambling machines. He has produced several brief, must-watch videos to spotlight the issue,… Read more
The scales of justice crash over for casinos
Liz Benston of The Las Vegas Sun provides an interesting glimpse into the debt collection practices of the most predatory business in America. Benston writes: Nevada casinos commonly grant credit to gamblers who provide evidence of sizable bank accounts to… Read more
Make the casinos return the stolen money
The government program of predatory gambling can now add several more names to its continually expanding list of victims. A longtime bookkeeper for a small Chicago machinery company has been charged with embezzling more than $1.5 million from the business… Read more
Oregon Lottery’s holiday advertising campaign sinks to new low
The Oregon Lottery is running a new ad campaign this holiday season, “What’s in Santa’s Beard?“ It adds more momentum to the emerging national push to stop lottery advertising and end its exemption from truth-in-advertising laws. Look at the ads below… Read more
Leaked memo shows a glimpse of casino business practices
Tina Detelj of WTNH in Connecticut gets the exclusive on a leaked memo from Mohegan Sun that offers a glimpse into casino business practices. The memo included a reference to the casino’s push for its employees to “Sex It Up.” You can… Read more
Why Predatory Gambling is Like No Other Business
In his recent keynote speech to the Global Gaming Expo, Harrah’s CEO Gary Loveman took exception to the way his business is considered by the public. He titled his remarks: “The Stockholm Syndrome: Why Addressing the Misinformation that Plagues Gaming… Read more
Slot machine designers target kids
International Gaming Technology, the biggest maker of slot machines, offered previews of the company’s machines based on “American Idol” and “The Dark Knight” at last week’s Global Gaming Expo. There can be no question who the target audience is for these machines…. Read more
The government program that considers Asian-Americans expendable
Philadelphia community leader Helen Gym writes a must-read column on her Young Philly politics blog. Read it below and consider how the government program of predatory gambling squares with America’s core democratic principles: Remember how Chinatown made that big ole fuss… Read more
Indiana Supreme Court Exempts Casinos from State Common Law
Yesterday the Indiana Supreme Court ruled against a woman who said a riverboat preyed on her gambling addiction. Jenny Kephart of Nashville, Tenn., filed a lawsuit against Caesars Indiana in 2007 after the Ohio River casino near Louisville, Ky., sued… Read more
Stupid Policy Leads to Stupid Behavior
A story out of Pennsylvania today describes a new legislative effort to punish parents who go to area casinos and leave behind their children in the car. The push comes after there were seven cases involving 12 children left in… Read more
Profiting by pushing their fans into deeper debt
Officials from the four major professional sports franchises in the Boston area – the Red Sox, the Patriots, the Celtics and the Bruins – gathered together yesterday to heap praise on their business partnership with the State Lottery to sell… Read more
Sooners are getting swindled
In a news story that reads like a press release written by casino interests, The Oklahoman reports that state revenues from Indian gambling have soared in recent years, largely due to the success of casinos operated by the Chickasaw, Choctaw… Read more
New York Times online op-ed and Stop Predatory Gambling
The New York Times is holding a discussion forum on internet gambling in their online opinion section. SPG contributed an op-ed which appears below: Internet gambling is one of the most predatory businesses in the world which is why public… Read more
The Economist hosts a debate on gambling
Over the past week The Economist has been conducting a debate on whether government should have no restrictions on gambling. Stop Predatory Gambling was invited to make the case against the proposition. Here are the opening statements, the rebuttal statements… Read more
Casinos put people on welfare and profit from welfare
California casinos continue to reel from news reports that the state’s casinos are profiting from the gambling losses of welfare recipients using taxpayer-funded debit cards. How did the casinos respond? They expressed surprise that the ATMs can be used by… Read more
Racial profiling, casino-style
East Coast casinos are intensifying their targeting of Asian-Americans in an effort to get them to lose more money. They are hiring directors of Asian-American player development, expanding dining areas and menus, and spending money on foreign-language advertising in newspapers… Read more
The next story that needs to be written
The Erie Times (PA) has a report about a local man who was denied a $2001 jackpot at Presque Isle Downs & Casino because he put himself on the state’s self-exclusion list. He now faces a summary criminal trespass charge…. Read more
Staying on the predatory gambling story
Philadelphia Citypaper newsman Isaiah Thompson, the reporter behind what may be the best investigate news story into the business practices of the predatory gambling trade to date, predicts this week how Pennsylvania will attempt to fund its billion-dollar budget shortfall…. Read more
Swindling the Lottery Class for every last dollar
Lottery players across the United States purchasing Powerball tickets with the Power Play option will have a chance to increase their “winnings” by ten times starting May 1. But like everything connected with the government program of predatory gambling, there is… Read more
The most predatory business in America today
SPG executive director Les Bernal has a column about predatory gambling in today’s Boston Globe. We urge you to check it out.
The Glitch
A Colorado woman won $42 million at a penny slot machine but the casino says it was a “glitch” and will not give her the money. This story adds even more credibility to the description of slot machines as a… Read more
There are no snow days in this government program
Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Monica Yant Kinney writes a first-class story exposing the most predatory business in America. Here are a couple of the most remarkable excerpts in which she quotes the President of the former Philadelphia Park racetrack now known… Read more
Florida reporter exposes the Lottery’s highly predatory practices
Reporter Lindsay Peterson of The Tampa Tribune wrote one of the best investigative stories on the lottery that has appeared anywhere in America in recent years. Read it here. Some of the story’s highlights include: “The state pays millions to… Read more
The government program like no other
The Las Vegas Sun reported yet another lawsuit has been filed involving Harrah’s for its unparalleled predatory business practices. Christian Peterson, a 41-year old Wisconsin business owner, has testified that Harrah’s pressured him into signing a $3.45 million loan- known… Read more
Casino lets man gamble and lose for 23 hours straight
Yesterday in Massachusetts a top executive of the Mohegan Sun Casino helped release recommendations for dealing with problem gamblers if casinos are legalized in the Bay State. For public relations purposes, casinos spend tens of millions of dollars trying to… Read more
How much does he use and lose on electronic gambling machines?
Mobile County (Alabama) District Attorney John Tyson questioned whether Milton McGregor, who operates more than 6,000 electronic bingo machines at Victoryland casino in Shorter, Alabama, crossed a legal line when he hired a detective to recently follow a state law… Read more
NBA Commissioner misses big on predatory gambling comment
NBA Commissioner David Stern said in this Sports Illustrated interview that he is open to legalized betting on professional basketball games.It’s bad for the game of basketball and it’s bad for America. The casual bettor is not relevant to these… Read more
Financial losses, not winning, is the purpose of the new Sex in the City slot machines
The Las Vegas Sun reports about the new Sex in the City slot machine based on the hit TV show. According to the story: Although typical slot machines feature one screen of spinning reels, this game divides the screen into… Read more
Pennsylvania State Senator acknowledges casinos are predatory
Pennsylvania citizens opposed to predatory gambling have been working hard to defeat legislative efforts that would allow casinos in their state to extend credit to gamblers. The Philadelphia Inquirer has a report here. Predatory gambling opponents visited the West Philadelphia… Read more
The Chairman of the Expendable Americans caste
The Wall Street Journal has a MUST-READ story about Terrance Watanabe, the Nebraska man who lost nearly $127 million during a year-long gambling binge at the Caesars Palace and Rio casinos in 2007. The government is a full-fledged partner in… Read more
Can we now say the slots user has zero chance?
The Las Vegas Sun has a news story today about new technology that will allow the first Vegas casino to network all of its slot machines on the floor, regardless of which company designed the machine. According to the report:… Read more
The Oregon Lottery is addicted to addicted gamblers
According to a news report by The Oregonian, a major newspaper in the state, more than half the money the Oregon Lottery collects from video gambling — about $375 million last year — comes from a small number of Oregonians,… Read more
Taking action against allowing casinos to extend credit to slot machine users
Philadelphia citizens are rightly challenging legislation that would allow casinos to extend easy credit to anyone playing a slot machine. They are organizing an action outside of State Senator Shirley Kitchen’s district office this afternoon at 1:30pm. Participating groups include:… Read more
They will not use their own product but they will sing their own theme song
Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut is looking for a new voice to resurrect its catchy “Wonder of It All” theme song and has launched an online “American Idol”-type contest. The contest is open to professionals and amateurs. To attract the… Read more
The decision to support Go Lobo Loco was loco
In 2008, the University of New Mexico signed a contract with the Laguna Pueblo casino that called for $2.5 million in support for UNM athletics in exchange for the casino being able to use the UNM Lobos as part of… Read more
The new story line about the predatory gambling trade in America
The Massachusetts Legislature held a public hearing on casinos last week and not one of the gambling operators who testified denied that their business model, their product or their marketing was predatory. 1) They did not deny that casinos earn… Read more
The biggest nightmare for casinos? No casino ATMs
Global Cash Access, a Las Vegas company that operates ATM machines in casinos around the country, said Tuesday it’s working to resolve a problem in which about 40,000 customers nationwide were charged for cash withdrawals, but did not receive their… Read more
But the winemaker drinks his own wine
Foxwoods Casino in Connecticut released an iPhone application this week that lets users play an electronic slot machine and offers tutorials on table games available at the casino. There’s no actual money involved. The application must be downloaded through Apple’s… Read more
Expanding the Lottery Class in Massachusetts
Massachusetts announced this week residents will be able to buy Powerball tickets as a result of a new agreement allowing the multistate lottery game to be offered in the state. Because Powerball and Mega Millions drawings are held on different… Read more
The Top 10 Best Practices in the Predatory Gambling Trade
Yesterday, a “Best Practices in the Gambling Industry” conference sponsored by the predatory gambling trade was held at Suffolk Downs racetrack in Boston. Here are the trade’s Top 10 “Best Practices”: 1) Base your business model on 90% of the… Read more
Will Indiana lead the way to stop predatory gambling?
Indiana is about to experience the reality of a something for nothing scheme which is more commonly described as “casino capitalism.” As surrounding states like Michigan, Ohio and Illinois all consider adding more extreme forms of predatory gambling into their… Read more
The predatory gambling mission of New York: Outperform pornography
New York Governor David Paterson ordered the New York City Off-Track Betting Corp. to prepare for a reorganization under Chapter 9 of federal bankruptcy law, after four years of losses totaling $38 million. The filing, the first involving a New… Read more
Racial profiling, Lottery-style
Jodie Winnett, acting superintendent of the Illinois Lottery, reinforces the truth why the Lottery is the most predatory institution still standing in America in this news story from Abraham Lincoln’s hometown newspaper. According to the news report: “…the state on… Read more
How is offering free slots play not predatory?
The Connecticut Attorney General announced yesterday the state’s two Native American casinos will pay the state $25 million in slot revenues to compensate for promotions that allowed gamblers to use slot machines for free. State officials said Foxwoods offered some… Read more
Illinois is asking the right questions about video poker
Yesterday, the Illinois Gambling Board publicly shared some of its analysis about efforts to place 45,000 video poker machines in every bar and tavern in the state. One Board member described it as “the equivalent of putting up 50 new casinos… Read more
Be sure to touch the magnificent cloth
Public discussions around predatory gambling continue to focus mostly on superficial aspects like how “momentum is building for slot machines” yet there is virtually no analysis of the product or business model for which “momentum is building.” This story from… Read more
Texas Lottery using back door efforts to expand predatory gambling
The Texas Lottery is considering some rule changes that will make the Lottery even more predatory. The proposed rule changes would allow retailers to sell what essentially amount to electronic scratch off tickets. Called “terminally printed instant tickets,” these games… Read more
Ohio attempts to exploit its younger generation
Even though Ohio citizens have voted four times against legalizing casinos in their state, state officials found a legally questionable way to bring them into Ohio through executive order. Now state officials want the legal age to use slot machines… Read more
The need to publicly investigate casino databases
The Las Vegas Sun published two good stories this morning that highlight the need for public officials and citizens to put an intense spotlight on the players clubs rewards system that is the backbone for the casino marketing machine. The… Read more
But does she use the product frequently?
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… Read more
To achieve our potential as a nation, we need to disrupt these practices
A former casino employee was arrested yesterday for hacking into a Pennsylvania casino’s computer system. He is accused of disrupting the Mount Airy Casino’s computer system, including access cards used for gambling. These access cards are more commonly referred to… Read more
To achieve our potential as a nation, we need to disrupt these practices
A former casino employee was arrested yesterday for hacking into a Pennsylvania casino’s computer system. He is accused of disrupting the Mount Airy Casino’s computer system, including access cards used for gambling. These access cards are more commonly referred to… Read more
This teenager’s rating was E for “Expendable”
Our country’s core democratic principle is equal citizenship. All blood is royal in America. Below read today’s news from Atlantic City and while you do, remember New Jersey state government is a full-fledged partner in these practices: “He liked playing… Read more
What exactly are the “values” of a casino company?
The Omaha World-Herald ran a story over the weekend about the new general manager at the Ameristar Casino Hotel in Council Bluffs, Iowa. The casino is just over the state border from Omaha. The story said the new GM looks… Read more
I know what Sam Adams would do with a casino ATM
Yesterday a woman was arrested at the Sands Casino in Bethlehem, PA for stealing from the ATM accounts of casino visitors. She obviously did not know that casinos monitor the ATM activity of their patrons better than most of the patrons themselves…. Read more
Why not arrest Harrah’s executives for their unpaid debts?
Antoine Walker, a former NBA basketball star who played most of his career with the Boston Celtics and helped lead the University of Kentucky to a NCAA championship in the mid-1990′s, was led out of Harrah’s casino in handcuffs on… Read more
How the Texas Lottery makes more money from fewer players
According to a demographic study performed at the request of the Texas Lottery Commission, the percentage of Texans playing lottery games continues to decrease. After hitting a high water mark of 71% of Texans playing the lottery in 1997, that… Read more
Why won’t casinos send people a monthly statement tracking their losses?
The predatory gambling trade puts a lot of effort into trying to give the appearance it is concerned about addicted, out-of-control gamblers yet they continue to block new, meaningful proposals to address the issue. That’s because the trade’s business model is based… Read more