Predatory Business Practices

New York’s Latest Way of Enticing its Citizens to Lose Money

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.”

It Only Takes an Instant, Lottery Ads Declare

CkirbyNew York’s Latest Way of Enticing its Citizens to Lose Money
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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.

What is North Carolina After? Bucks, bucks, bucks!

LesNorth Carolina Lottery Violates its Own State’s Lottery Advertising Laws
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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.

Sweepstakes Cafes – Coming to Your Low-Income Neighborhood

CkirbySweepstakes Cafes Popping Up in North Carolina’s Low-Income Neighborhoods
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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

CkirbyThe Ugly Carpets Inside Casinos are Hideously Clever Social Engineering at Work
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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.

Charlie Rose Interviewing Steve Wynn – Transcript

LesWynn: “The Only Way to Win in a Casino is to Own One”
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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

CkirbySelf-Exclusion Lists Serve to Exclude Public Scrutiny of the Casino Business Model
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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.

Tribal Casinos Attack Measure 75 Over the Evils of Casinos

CkirbyCasinos in Their Own Words About Other Casinos
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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.

Florida Tribe Donation

CkirbyCasinos Hide Behind Public Relations Campaigns to Deflect Attention from the Addicts They Create and Exploit
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