The Columbia Journalism Review examines how journalists should cover the expansion of predatory gambling – “…gambling needs to be covered like other economic development proposals – glitz and hype notwithstanding. Journalists should not forget that they may be the only ones able to cast a skeptical eye on plans to expand legalized gambling in their community.”
Focus
Future Growth in Gambling Revenue Will Not Keep Pace With Tax Revenue or Spending
The slides below are from a presentation by the Rockefeller Institute of Government at the 2009 Stop Predatory Gambling Foundation Conference. It outlines recent national trends in gambling revenue, growth in gambling revenue compared to growth in tax revenue and expenditures, and points for consideration by policymakers.
Rockefeller Institute – Trends in Gambling Revenue to the States
Self-Exclusion Lists Serve to Exclude Public Scrutiny of the Casino Business Model
Self-exclusion lists are another public relations ploy by predatory gambling interests to create a public impression they are care about the addicts they create and exploit. Because these out-of-control gamblers are so lucrative, it can be hard for casinos to pull themselves off of them. Mt. Airy Casino in Pennsylvania was the latest casino to get caught when it sent six targeted mailings over the course of 2 months to a gambling addict on the state’s self-exclusion list. In addition, the casino allowed other addicts on the self-exclusion list to gamble at the casino and even cash checks there on five separate occasions.
Self-Exclusion List Violations Lead to $40,000 Fine for Pennsylvania Casino
Poor People Spend 9% of Income on Lottery Tickets
This blog post from WalletPop.com outlines the reasons why people on low-incomes spend so much on lottery tickets: the hype about big jackpots, the ritual of playing and the fact that many people believe that playing the lottery is best way to achieve financial security.
Even The Casinos Call the Lottery Bad Policy
This story from the Seattle Times discusses how casino companies are fighting the introduction of a state lottery in Nevada. They call the lottery a regressive tax on the poor because they spend a higher proportion of their income on lotteries.
Lottery Advocates, Opponents to Face Off Again in Nevada Legislature
Casinos in Their Own Words About Other Casinos
This Oregonian article describes how predatory gambling interests, in an effort to stop the development of rival casino projects, highlight the truth about how casinos destroy families and raise the crime rate in the community.
From Rags to Riches to Rags
This article from the Tampa Tribune tells the story of Rhoda Toth, whose life was transformed by winning a $13 million lottery jackpot. She went from meeting Donald Trump and building a $92,000 swimming pool for herself to serving time in federal prison and living in a mobile home. Looking back at the day she won the lottery, Toth recalls: “It was my worst day.”
Jackpot Winners Just as Likely to Go Bust
This article from Yahoo! Finance explores the fact that for financially troubled consumers, the size of a lottery jackpot may not matter: Five years out, people who win $150,000 are just as likely to declare bankruptcy as those who win less than $10,000.
Predatory Gambling Bigger Threat Than Performance Enhancing Drugs
This article from The Australian outlines how predatory gambling is a greater threat to the integrity of sports than performance-enhancing drugs.
Alabama Bribery Scandal Centers on Gambling Operators
In October of 2010, the U.S. Department of Justice indicted eleven people in Alabama accused of involvement in a gambling vote-buying scandal. The Justice Department unveiled an indictment accusing the owners of two of Alabama’s largest casinos, four state senators and several lobbyists of a scheme to buy and sell votes in the Legislature. One defendant has pleaded guilty to offering a senator $2 million to vote for a bill to keep the state’s bingo machines operating. Below is a press release from the Justice Department, a copy of the indictment and a list of those indicted.
U.S. DOJ Press Release Alabama Gambling Vote Buying