Bill gives casinos all of the cards

Bill gives casinos all of the cards

By Paul Boni
This week, Pennsylvania lawmakers are poised to pass Senate Bill 711, which would allow the state's slots parlors to offer table games. But the bill has become more than a way to legalize blackjack and poker. It would also give casinos enhanced predatory tools to increase the ranks of the gambling addicts they rely on, as well as other favors. They include:

Easy credit. The bill would allow casinos to give quick and easy lines of credit to gamblers. This is a predatory tactic that would result in higher rates of gambling addiction, as well as more and more citizens' being pushed deep into debt. Banks should not be casinos, and casinos should not be banks.

Free casino junkets. The state Gaming Control Board currently allows casinos to pay so-called junket companies to offer free bus transportation to the casinos for people who are likely to gamble. In the words of the board's regulation, a junket is an arrangement "the purpose of which is to induce a person" to go to a casino and gamble.

Whether or not you think we all bear personal responsibility for our prosperity or suffering, no one has ever dared assert that government should actively induce people to gamble. This outrageous agency regulation is not authorized by law. That's why casino lobbyists have made sure S.B. 711 would legalize it.

"Essential" employees. In another tidbit tucked into the bill, all gaming board employees would be designated essential workers, protecting them from furloughs during budget impasses, so the casinos could stay open while state parks are closed.

Foxwoods extension. If Foxwoods is unable to open its proposed casino on the South Philadelphia waterfront before the statutory deadline, its license should be revoked. But S.B. 711 would empower the gaming board to give it an extra year to open at that location, which is extremely close to residential neighborhoods. Addiction rates increase significantly with proximity and convenience.

Political clout. Pro-casino politicians claim the bill would prohibit casino interests from making campaign contributions. But it wouldn't accomplish that at all. Some of the casinos' most important proponents - such as Philadelphia real estate mogul Ron Rubin - don't personally hold a casino license (although their family trusts do) and therefore would not be covered by the bill's restrictions.

There are many fundamental flaws in the current gambling law, including its provisions overriding local zoning laws; allowing the gaming board to keep confidential important information about the casinos and the companies behind them; and giving the state Supreme Court sole jurisdiction over appeals. S.B. 711 amends none of them.

Most of the gambling industry's profits come from a minority of gamblers who are addicted or out of control. However, Harrisburg politicians, rather than enacting commonsense consumer protections, are now poised to increase the industry's predatory powers.

Philadelphians should not blame faceless state lawmakers from outside the city for this. There are more than enough lawmakers from Philadelphia to block this bill and demand meaningful reform.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Paul Boni is an attorney representing Casino-Free Philadelphia (www.casinofreephila.org).