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.
Form of Government-Sanctioned Gambling
An Examination of Indian Casinos in Western New York
This report suggests that an expanded casino in the Buffalo-area will be a “huge money-sucking vacuum” for a city already struggling with high poverty. It was presented to the Legislation Committee of the Buffalo Common Council by Professor Steve H. Siegel, of the College of Hospitality and Tourism Management, Niagara University.
How Casino Gambling Worsens Buffalo’s Urban Poverty Crisis
The Partnership for the Public Good in Buffalo, New York published this policy brief which examines how the Buffalo Creek Casino exacerbates the city’s urban poverty crisis.
Piercey Estate v. Atlantic Lotto Corporation
In the 2008 Canadian Supreme Court Case, Piercey Estate v. Atlantic Lotto Corporation, Inc., the plaintiffs argued that video lottery terminals (VLT’s, or video slot machines) are designed to be “inherently deceptive, inherently addictive, and inherently dangerous, when used as intended, without any information or warning.” The plaintiffs’ daughter in this case, Susan Piercey, “lost her life due to the deceptions designed into VLT games, which led to addiction and suicide.” They made the case that the Atlantic Lotto Corporation (ALC) violated the Trade Practices Act, which had originally been put in place to protect consumers from unfair trade practices. The plaintiffs went on to say that “in modern government, government through agencies and corporations are interfering more and more with the consumer and, as such, it makes sense to have the governments responsible for their own actions or actions of its agents.” The justice presiding over this case, however, determined that because the ALC is an agent of the Canadian government, they are not bound by the restrictions of the Trade Practices Act.
Below is the decision of the case and a press release from the attorneys representing the Piercey estate.
Piercey Estate v. Atlantic Lotto Corporation
Press Release – Piercey Estate v. Atlantic Lotto Corporation
Slot Machines Largely Responsible for Racing’s Continuing Decline
The long-term trends show the ontrack handle at racino racetracks has declined, a direct result of putting slot machines and table games in the building. Says one racing official quoted in the article below from The Daily Racing Form, one of horse racing’s dominant media outlets: “The racing industry has far more competition now, and a lot of it is right at the racetrack’s doorstep.”
Columbia Journalism Review urges journalists to be skeptical on gambling proposals amid the glitz
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.”
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