Massachusetts and New Hampshire have the negative experiences of other states to employ to refuse to expand predatory gambling.
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Many thanks to our friends to our north and south for publicizing the costly effects of gambling -
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Granite State Coalition
Against Expanded Gambling
The gambling industry claims that slot casinos are just another form of harmless entertainment and a painless way for state government to increase taxes.
In view of the near-irreversibility of a decision to legalize slot machine gambling, even those with minds made up ought to at least sharpen their debating skills by reflecting upon two reports released last week by state gambling addiction treatment programs for Connecticut and West Virginia.
Key findings and links to the full reports are below.
· Proximity matters. Rates of gambling addiction problems are up to 5 times higher among people living within 50-60 miles of a casino.
· "Resort" casinos provide no immunity to the proximity problem. Resort casinos induce economic and social costs and harms just like racetrack slot barns.
· Slots are different. Slots and slot and casinos are primarily involved in 80 percent of gambling addiction problems - the balance related to lottery, bingo, racing, table games, etc.
Connecticut Council on Problem Gambling:
Residents living within 15 to 20 miles of the Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun resort casinos have a five times greater risk of suffering gambling addiction problems compared with persons living more than 60 miles distant.
Other alarming statistics from the Connecticut report:
· 9% of admit to committing fraud
· 6% admit to embezzlement
· 2% attempted suicide
· $36,500 average gambling debt
· Low income families are most harshly affected by gambling problems
· Problem gambling is passed from parents to children in same household
Problem Gamblers Help Network of West Virginia:
The gambling industry lobbyists who fill Concord's hearing rooms claim that slots and slots casinos are no different than the table games, racing, lottery, and bingo we already have in New Hampshire.
The West Virginia report slam dunks this false claim using its very large data set of all 8,045 people who called that state's gambling hotline between August, 2000 and August, 2009. Of all callers, 80 percent named slot machines or racetrack casinos as the primary problem.
The balance of calls tie to problems with lottery (7%), illegal slot machines (3%), Internet gambling (2%), all other forms of gambling, including racing and table games (9%).
Other alarming stats from the West Virginia report:
· The second largest caller group by occupation is gambling industry workers
· 66% borrow money to gamble
· 56% can't pay their bills
· 55% spend ALL their income on gambling
· 25% pass bad checks
· 9% contemplate suicide
Suggested Questions for Those Who Still Back Predatory Slots Casinos:
· Will your slots casinos reimburse families, businesses, and communities for the otherwise externalized costs of increased gambling addiction?
· Why do you think that 80 percent of Australians wish there were fewer or no slot machines and casinos in their nation?
· 9% of admit to committing fraud
· 6% admit to embezzlement
· 2% attempted suicide
· $36,500 average gambling debt
· Low income families are most harshly affected by gambling problems
· Problem gambling is passed from parents to children in same household
Problem Gamblers Help Network of West Virginia:
The gambling industry lobbyists who fill Concord's hearing rooms claim that slots and slots casinos are no different than the table games, racing, lottery, and bingo we already have in New Hampshire.
The West Virginia report slam dunks this false claim using its very large data set of all 8,045 people who called that state's gambling hotline between August, 2000 and August, 2009. Of all callers, 80 percent named slot machines or racetrack casinos as the primary problem.
The balance of calls tie to problems with lottery (7%), illegal slot machines (3%), Internet gambling (2%), all other forms of gambling, including racing and table games (9%).
Other alarming stats from the West Virginia report:
· The second largest caller group by occupation is gambling industry workers
· 66% borrow money to gamble
· 56% can't pay their bills
· 55% spend ALL their income on gambling
· 25% pass bad checks
· 9% contemplate suicide
Suggested Questions for Those Who Still Back Predatory Slots Casinos:
· Will your slots casinos reimburse families, businesses, and communities for the otherwise externalized costs of increased gambling addiction?
· Why do you think that 80 percent of Australians wish there were fewer or no slot machines and casinos in their nation?
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