Dear Mr. Joseph J. Turek:

Foxwoods is imploding. Predatory Gambling revenues are declining. Indian casinos are defaulting on their loan payments. Discretionary income is declining. Personal income is stagnant. Unemployment is rising.

And some, dazzled by the fool's gold of predatory gambling believe --

Casinos are a hot topic as unemployment rates rise and the economy continues its dismal slide.

Where is this magical source of money supposed to come from? Manna from Heaven?

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This seems like an acknowledgment that gambling will divert dollars and interest --

[Greater Springfield Convention & Visitors Bureau board chairman Gregory B.] Chiecko said the board would like funding for marketing to support arts and restaurants affected by a casino.

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As Mr. Turek organized his impressive rally of 15 people, some of whom seemed to be children and family members, here's what he said --

[newly formed Pioneer Valley Jobs Coalition president, Joseph J.] Turek said he’d like to know the real reason why some oppose Connecticut-based Mohegan building a casino across from the Massachusetts Turnpike exit on Thorndike Street (Route 32).

Dear Mr. Turek:
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You don't know me, but ....
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I'm willing to excuse any lack of information on your part that maybe you were out of any communication or some reason fully unknown to me.

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It is known that predatory gambling is wildly profitable and the industry can afford well paid lobbyists who drowned out other voices. Most in the media readily regurgitate the information. Those expensive PR firms keep them on message - Jobs, blah, blah, blah, revenue for children, seniors, local aid, blah, blah, blah.

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Mohegan Sun is that much more profitable because they only pay their host community, Montville, CT, $500,000 per year with no escalation clause and no slots participation and starve the community with the impacts.

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The CT Casinos pay no state sales tax, no motel taxes, no corporate tax and so on. They don't have to abide by the rules that you and I do.

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Both CT casinos are currently exempt from the liability created by allowing drunk drivers to take to the roads. CT Slot Parlors: Good Neighbors? Think Not!

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Your proposed business partner allows drunk drivers to get behind the wheel, kill and maim people and has taken no corrective action to address the issue.

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When Middleboro and surrounding communities first realized a Mega Casino was about to be forced on us with no public discussion or consideration of the impacts, we knew little about predatory gambling, but worked to educate ourselves and share information with each other.

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Allow me to provide some information.
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You might consider the wealth of information available here:
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United to Stop Slots in Massachusetts

Resources

Stop Predatory Gambling
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When you have digested that information that merely scratches the surface, there's far more we can pass along.
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You might want to consider We Can Always Build More Casinos, Right? --
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A 2005 study by the Federal Reserve found a statistically significant relationship between proximity to casinos in Mississippi and bankruptcy rates in the region, which includes impoverished states like Alabama and Tennessee.

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The Federal Reserve has no position on Predatory Gambling.

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Or consider Les Bernal's Top 10 Best Practices in the Predatory Gambling Trade

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My fellow bloggers, listed to the right of this screen have done a great job addressing the many issue surrounding predatory gambling.

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Recently, former Attorney General Scott Harshbarger moderated a forum in Waltham that allowed both sides of the discussion to be debated respectfully.

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Last week, Rep. Tom Conroy conducted a forum in Sudbury.

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Maybe you didn't know about those, but we hope to see you at future forums, that is, if you truly want to understand the issue.

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The State of New Jersey employs 1500 state employees dedicated solely to gambling. What will that cost us, Massachusetts taxpayers? In fairness, let's include training, office costs, new state vehicles and gas and maintenance, pension and health care.

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Maybe it was this - AG Coakley got it right!

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Independent research has shown that for every $1 earned in revenue from casinos, $3 is spent in the costs associated with them.

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Last time the issue was voted on, Rep. Conroy prepared a report that was conservative and failed to consider many of the costs, but was persuasive. The realistic projected revenues generated by gambling will equal the reductions in state lottery revenues. Isn't this Net Zero?

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This is not easy to dismiss because the lottery returns 25 cents of every dollar to cities and towns. Predatory Gambling returns only a fraction of that.
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Today's Boston Globe included State set to recover sooner than US Job losses slowing, housing on rebound. That seems to mean that what we are going through is temporary and will end. Predatory Gambling won't.

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If you truly want answers, attend a forum, ask questions.

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But please, stop condemning those who have done their homework, examined the experience of many others, read numerous books and refused to accept "inevitable" for an answer.

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It's time to insist on a cost/benefit analysis as New Hampshire has done before we embark on this misadventure.