Andy Rooney takes on the American Gaming Association

Andy Rooney takes on the American Gaming Association


Andy Rooney’s comments about the American Gaming Association’s recently released statistics about the “losses” the commercial casino industry reported suffering during 2009 should be a wake-up call for anyone who still believes that casinos are the way to help boost this country’s economy.

In his typically caustic manner, Rooney brought the Sunday, May 16, 2010, edition of the CBS show 60 Minutes to a close by informing us that, according to the American Gaming Association, casinos earned $32.5 billion in 2008, but only $30.7 billion in 2009.

“It’s enough to bring tears to your eyes,” said Rooney. Of course, he was being his usual cantankerous self, but he raised some serious issues about this country’s growing dependence on gambling for new revenue. In order for casinos to make that much money, people must lose billions of dollars, money that could be put to better purposes.

Rooney also wanted to know why the government doesn’t protect its citizens from losing so much money by making gambling in casinos illegal. The answer is simple: it’s the government-local, state, and national elected officials-that is ensuring that we have ample opportunities to lose the billions of dollars the casinos rake in every year, by allowing the expansion of legal gambling to happen everywhere.

It also is important to note that the American Gaming Association reported on revenues from the “commercial casino industry,” and not the Native American casinos, since the Native American casinos don’t have to report their profits. So the numbers are probably much higher, even more billions of dollars, if the Native American casinos are taken into account.

I’m so glad Andy Rooney had the guts to speak out on national television about this plague on our society. The billionaire Warren Buffett also has been very critical about the gambling industry. He recently met with Tom Grey, who for years has been fighting against legalized gambling, to talk about the negative effects of gambling.

Hopefully, some of the country’s more prominent black entrepreneurs and elected officials will speak out as well. We just can’t afford to have more gambling in poor communities like Detroit, Gary, Indiana, Milwaukee, the list keeps on growing.

Sandra Adell, Author, CONFESSIONS OF A SLOT MACHINE QUEEN: A MEMOIR