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Leading public health law organization spotlights casinos and how they compare to tobacco companies

Below is the must-read amicus brief filed with Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court in Spring 2014 by the prestigious Public Health Advocacy Institute at Northeastern School of Law, substantiating the very serious public health aspects of state sponsorship of commercial gambling and how it is comparable to efforts by tobacco companies to profit from a “toxic” product. PHAI’s President is Richard Daynard, considered by many scholars as the key legal strategist behind the transformative litigation efforts against tobacco companies in the 1980’s & 1990’s. Here’s the New York Times profile of him before he prevailed.

2014 PHAI brief on tobacco vs casinos

LesLeading public health law organization spotlights casinos and how they compare to tobacco companies
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Proximity to Casinos is Major Factor in Gambling Addiction

One of four published papers resulting from the largest national study to date, this presentation unequivocally demonstrates the damage created by having casinos nearby. Data collected by Dr. John Welte and others shows: (1) A casino within 10 miles of home is associated with a 90% increase in the odds of being a pathological or problem gambler; (2) For every increase of one standard deviation in neighborhood disadvantage the odds of being a pathological or problem gambler increase by 69%; and (3) For every additional form of legal gambling in his or her state, the respondent’s odds of having gambled in the past year increase by 17%.

Casino Proximity Study: The Relationship of Ecological and Geographic Factors to Gambling Behavior and Pathology

LesProximity to Casinos is Major Factor in Gambling Addiction
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Video Lottery and Treatment for Pathological Gambling: A Natural Experiment in South Dakota

This paper explores the fact that when video lottery machines were turned off in South Dakota, the inquiries about gambling and the number of individuals receiving treatment for problem gambling diminished abruptly. When the machines were turned back on, there was a prompt increase in both of these categories.

These changes occurred despite the fact that alternative forms of legal gambling were available (i.e., scratch tickets, Indian Reservation casino gambling, and multi-state lotteries). This suggests that video lottery gambling machines presents a unique risk for the development of problems severe enough to prompt treatment. These data suggest little substitution of other forms of gambling occurred when video lottery gambling was not available.

Video Lottery and Treatment for Pathological Gambling – A Natural Experiment in South Dakota

CkirbyVideo Lottery and Treatment for Pathological Gambling: A Natural Experiment in South Dakota
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Sports gambling apps target users as young as 13 years old

This MarketWatch article outlines the move by app developers to tap into the large and growing U.S. sports gambling market by developing ‘freemium’ models for users as young as 13 years old. These models include no purchase required apps where users must view advertising to enter pools and free virtual currency based apps.

2016 Sports gambling apps target users as young as 13

LesSports gambling apps target users as young as 13 years old
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Study shows citizens reduce their spending on key household items when they play the lottery

This paper by Univ. of Maryland Professor Economics Melissa Kearney reveals that household lottery spending is financed primarily by a reduction in non-gambling expenditures, not by a reduction in expenditures on other forms of gambling. The introduction of a state lottery is associated with an average decline of $46 per month, or 2.4 percent, in household non-gambling expenditures. Low-income households reduce non-gambling household expenditures by 2.5 percent on average, 3.1 percent when the state lottery includes instant games.

State Lotteries and Consumer Behavior

LesStudy shows citizens reduce their spending on key household items when they play the lottery
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Predatory Gambling Has More of a History of Corruption Than Any Other Business

In the wake of the October 2010 indictments of four State Senators, Gary Palmer of the Alabama Policy Institute wrote about the historical connection between the legalization of gambling and government corruption. He quotes former U.S. Senator Paul Simon of Illinois who declared predatory gambling “…has more of a history of corruption than any other industry.”

Alabama Policy Institute – Elections or Indictments

CkirbyPredatory Gambling Has More of a History of Corruption Than Any Other Business
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Hundreds of millions in casino dollars haven’t lifted Oregon’s Native Americans out of poverty

This news story from Willamette Week explores how hundreds of millions in casino dollars haven’t lifted Oregon’s Native Americans out of poverty.

The Longest Odds

CkirbyHundreds of millions in casino dollars haven’t lifted Oregon’s Native Americans out of poverty
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