The latest ad campaign for the New York Lottery consists of the slogan: “Be Ready.” According the New York Times article below, the message of the campaign is that “anyone who plays the instant games…ought to be prepared to win immediately in a moment of instant gratification.”
Predatory Business Practices
North Carolina Lottery Violates its Own State’s Lottery Advertising Laws
When North Carolina introduced the lottery in 2005, it put in a measure that officials thought would prevent it from exploiting people with gambling addiction. A law was passed forbidding the the agency to advertise the lottery in a way that would entice people to play. However, the North Carolina Lottery has disregarded this law.
Sweepstakes Cafes Popping Up in North Carolina’s Low-Income Neighborhoods
This February 2010 article from North Carolina’s Independent Weekly highlights the fact that sweepstakes cafes are flourishing in the state – particularly in low-income and minority neighborhoods.
The Ugly Carpets Inside Casinos are Hideously Clever Social Engineering at Work
This article from Gizmodo.com discusses the interesting designs of casino carpets and how they may be designed to be purposely distracting to keep people gambling. Others believe they are deliberately designed “to obscure and camouflage gambling chips that have fallen onto the floor. The casinos sweep up a huge number of these every night. So the carpets are just another source of revenue.”
The Ugly Carpets of Vegas are Hideously Clever Social Engineering at Work
Wynn: “The Only Way to Win in a Casino is to Own One”
Casino owner Steve Wynn admits in the transcripts of this TV interview on The Charlie Rose Show that he has never seen a gambler step back, take his winnings and leave. Yet predatory gambling interests claim that to win and leave is ‘normal / recreational / responsible’… Steve Wynn admits on national television it never happens.
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
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.
Casinos Hide Behind Public Relations Campaigns to Deflect Attention from the Addicts They Create and Exploit
Predatory gambling interests attempt to promote the perception they are concerned about the addicts they create and exploit for profit but the reality is they don’t have a business without them. Casinos commonly use tactics like those in the story below which describes the Seminole Tribe’s payment to “fight compulsive gambling.” Florida state government itself stands to collect an average of $240 million a year over five years from the casino, most of which will be coming from addicted citizens. How much did the casino tribe donate to help its victims? $1.75 million. Yet another reason why the most predatory business in the country is so profitable.
How Vegas Security Drives Surveillance Tech Everywhere
Popular Mechanics examines how the predatory gambling trade employs the most effective and invasive surveillance technology in the world.
The Secrets of a Slot Machine
Dennis Bailey, the former Executive Director of Maine’s Casinos No!, wrote the excellent piece below which details how slot machines are heavily weighted in the casino’s favor.