An independent New Hampshire Gambling Commission study found that bringing one casino to the state would take away seven existing local jobs for every 10 casino jobs created – yet another example how predatory gambling operators willfully exaggerate the lure of jobs to mislead public opinion. The same report showed one casino would raise $219 million in state revenue but the total social cost would be $287.7 million: a net drain of $68.7 million. Who do you think pays that tab?
Focus
Casinos Use Surveillance to Help Only Their Profits, Not Their Patrons
This Associated Press story shows the reality of the use of video surveillance in casinos. While many may think they are safe at a large, well-known casino, this story tells that the many cameras installed are used not to help secure the safety of casino hotel workers and patrons, but for making sure no one is cheating while playing their games. This just goes to show where casinos’ priorities really are.
Impact of Casinos on Retail Sales
Taxable retail sales in Iowa cities without casinos grew more than five times faster than sales in cities with casinos, leading researchers to conclude, “the operation of a casino in a mid-size city, far from contributing to economic development, creates a measurable drain on the economy of the city.” Lori Fairchild, PhD, “Impact of Casinos on Retail Sales in Mid-Size Iowa Cities,” Great Plains Business & Economics Conference, Omaha Federal Reserve Bank, Oct. 28, 2005
Natasha Schull writes about the design and technology behind electronic gambling machines in Washington Post
MIT Professor Natasha Schull writes about the design and technology behind electronic gambling machines in this must-read Washington Post essay.
Internet Gambling Offers Another Avenue for Organized Crime and Money Laundering
A report by Dr. John Kindt, a University of Illinois Professor of Business and Legal Policy, shows government-sanctioned gambling to be economically and politically destabilizing. As exemplified by casinos, gambling provides quick and substantial quantities of stable cash flow to predatory gambling operators, and particularly in less-secure governmental systems, these operators are often associated with groups dedicated to destabilizing the government, such as organized crime, terrorist, and rebel groups.
Why the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act was needed and what it does
An excellent Powerpoint summary on the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 (UIGEA) focusing on why it was needed and what it does.
National Survey Shows Casinos, Slots and Lotteries Attract Youth Into an Addictive Habit
This Annenberg National Risk Survey of Youth revealed how severe the problem of gambling has become among America’s youth and the situation has only worsened since. Within the report were several major findings including more young men ages 14 to 17 have tried gambling than cigarette smoking or drinking alcohol and almost nine in ten youth (88%) who gambled weekly in both private and public venues reported one or more problems with their gambling. Although it was not possible to make precise projections of future gambling pathology from these symptoms, the report said, they were indicative of greater risk for gambling problems among youth who gamble regularly.
New York State government report reveals 1 in 5 adolescents facing a gambling problem
New York State government released a stunning report showing 10% of adolescents in the state currently have a gambling problem and an additional 10% currently are at risk for developing a gambling problem. That means over 300,000 adolescents in New York State either have or are at risk of having a serious gambling problem.
South Carolina Study Shows Households Earning Under $40K Make Up 54% of the Lottery’s Frequent Players
A review of demographic studies commissioned by the South Carolina Education Lottery showed: African-Americans made up 19% of the state’s adult population but accounted for almost 39% of frequent players; people in households earning under $40,000 accounted for 28% of the state’s population but made up 54% percent of frequent players; people with no high school diploma accounted for 8% of the state’s population and 21% of frequent players; and people whose highest educational achievement is a high school diploma or GED made up 25% of the total population and 34% percent of frequent players.
Report spotlights how gambling interests literally buy the ballot measure process across the US
The massive expansion of predatory gambling over the last twenty years came as the result of gambling interests spending hundreds of millions of dollars under the guise of “Let the People Vote.” What they really meant was “Let Us Buy the Vote!” In 2008, nine states considered whether to replace declining revenues with money from predatory gambling. “Never a Sure Bet,” a report from the National Institute on Money in State Politics, examines the money behind these ballot measures. Gambling proponents significantly outraised opponents in each of the states they were successful in, ranging from about 2 to 1 in California to 1,734 to 1 in Colorado. An examination of the business sectors behind the measures shows that Indian casino tribes gave $157.4 million, more than half (57 percent) of all the money. Non-tribal gambling interests were the next-largest donors, giving $104.5 million (38 percent). Combined, these interests gave 96 percent of all money raised around the measures.
Never A Sure Bet Report from National Institute on Money in State Politics