Bet on gambling? Oh?

In a bizarre response in a New York newspaper [below], Frank Fahrenkopf [well paid to defend Government Sponsored Addiction] defends the increased CRIME caused by GAMBLING by referencing IOWA?

From: Race to the bottom....


Compare Tourist-Destination Crime Rates

Grinols presented a long list of crimes, pathologies and social problems in which Nevada is first or among the leaders in the nation, including first in suicide (double the national average), divorce, gambling addictions, child-abuse deaths and per capita bankruptcy, to cite a few. He said crime associated with gambling is not explained merely by the fact that it draws large numbers of people.

His research compared crime at Las Vegas to that at high-tourist destinations not associated with gambling – Branson, Mo.; and the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minn.

Las Vegas’ crime rate is 1,040 percent higher than Branson’s and 15.7 times higher than Bloomington’s, Grinols reported, although both destinations draw far more visitors per resident than does Las Vegas.

A similar pattern is found when comparing crime rates at large tourist destinations in the National Park System to Las Vegas.

“So it’s not just a matter of number of visitors. It’s also a matter of who is visiting,” he said.

One need not look very far to see the harm wrought by casinos:

• “Embezzling Grows from Addiction to Casinos” (Buffalo News, Feb. 17)

• “Killer Who Was Compulsive Gambler to Be Released from Prison” (Las Vegas Sun, Feb. 17)

• “Problem Gambling Group Hears Former Lawyer’s Addiction Story” (Louisville Courier-Journal, Feb. 12)

Tragically, these are not isolated cases, but are integrally related to the existence of the predatory gambling, especially casinos, upon which state governments are becoming increasingly reliant – and for which states and cities have failed to realize their expected revenue gains.



Bet on gambling

Many peer-reviewed studies have found no connection between casinos and the social problems Sam Skolnik attributes to the influence of gaming (“The House Loses,” PostScript, Jan. 22). [Those peer reviewed studies are paid for and reviewed by the Gambling Industry.]

For many years, Iowans were asked to vote every eight years on a referendum to continue allowing gaming. Each time, voters overwhelmingly approved the measure. If casinos were responsible for bringing crime and corruption to communities, Iowa’s casinos would have closed long ago. [How is this connection even relevant?]

Finally, multiple reports have confirmed the prevalence rate of pathological gambling has held steady at approximately 1% of the adult population for more than 30 years despite the widespread growth of casino gambling. [Beg to differ!]

Frank J. Fahrenkopf Jr., President & CEO, American Gaming Association, Washington, DC



Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/letters/letters_lzrZc1bWXQOiyzv0ZvfZzH#ixzz1krKlQxxs