Dr. Jill Stein: Green Jobs, Not Casinos

At Senate Hearing, Candidate Stein Calls For Green Jobs, Not Casinos


BOSTON (June 9, 2010) – Green-Rainbow Party gubernatorial candidate Jill Stein told a Senate committee that gambling casinos are a bad deal for Massachusetts, asserting that the money they drain from the economy will cost the state more jobs than they can create. Stein testified at a public hearing that represented the first opportunity for the public to present testimony since legislative leaders began pushing earlier this year to open the doors to casino gambling in the state. Of the four gubernatorial candidates on this year’s ballot, Stein is the only one opposing casino gambling. Stein’s questioning of casino gambling dates from 2003 when she was spokesperson for a non-profit group that opposed earlier casino proposals.

Following are excerpts from Stein’s written testimony:

“I urge you not to establish government-sanctioned casino gambling in Massachusetts. Casino gambling – with or without slot parlors – would put our jobs, families, communities and democracy at risk. It would bring a predatory and corrupting industry into our political process, and give a whole new meaning to the problem of pay-to-play politics on Beacon Hill. It would put many small businesses – the real backbone of our economy – out of business. And it would establish a back door regressive tax on those who can least afford it. To go forward without a full objective accounting of these costs – as well as the benefits – would be especially egregious, and a disservice to the people of Massachusetts.”

“I respectfully but profoundly disagree with the claims that establishing casinos is an answer to our unemployment problems. In fact casinos are job-killing machines – and after they are built they create unemployment. . . . Decades of research have shown minimal net job growth and typically economic decline in communities hosting casinos. There are innumerable reports from town officials and businesses attesting to the adverse economic impacts. Local restaurants within a few miles of a casino often close because they cannot compete with casino restaurants that offer discounted food to lure gamblers into their establishments. . . One researcher estimated that casinos destroy 1.5 jobs for every 1 job they create, making them net job-losers. In addition, the jobs created are overwhelmingly low wage, with an average annual salary of $13,179, according to the US Department of Labor, and an average turnover rate of 25%.”

“The adverse economic impacts of casinos are compounded by social problems they bring, which are devastating to families, and costly for communities and taxpayers. These include gambling addiction, bankruptcy, divorce, alcoholism, crime and family violence. Revenues from addicted and problem gamblers have been estimated to provide over half of all casino revenues. Thus the profitability of casinos is fundamentally dependent upon addicted users, not people simply enjoying ‘entertainment’. Casinos are estimated to impose $3 in social and management costs for every $1 in tax revenues, according to the National Gambling Impact Study Commission. So taxes often go up when casinos come in.”

“. . . we’re not just talking about two casinos or three casinos. That’s not the way it works. Once the gaming industry moves in, they will get as many casinos as they want. They will spend what it takes to control the regulatory and legislative apparatus, and get their way. That’s how it has generally worked in other states, and it would be hard to claim that Beacon Hill will be any less vulnerable to the influence-peddling. So our decision is not on the number of casinos, but on whether we become a casino state. If so, the industry is likely to be the one to decide how many casinos we ultimately have. “

“We’ve heard a lot about the fact that casino construction will provide jobs in the construction trades. In the short term, this is true. But casino construction jobs offer only a temporary burst of activity in a failing fossil-fuel economy. . . Now is the time for good-wage green jobs that will be here for the long haul – They can create decades worth of steady work in the building trades by greening our housing stock, energy infrastructure, businesses, schools and government buildings. And they keep money circulating locally. This makes our businesses more competitive, and gives us a cleaner, healthier, and smarter economy that won’t collapse when hit by gasoline price hikes.”

“Casinos will pull almost 2 billion dollars from our economy. Only about one-fourth of that will be realized as tax revenues. Think about it. What if a tax collector put 75% of the collection in his own pocket before handing over 25% to the state? Gaming is an extremely inefficient and unfair way to collect tax revenues.”

“In this time of great threats to our economy, environment and health, it’s time to stop repeating the mistakes of the past. I urge you not to go down the casino road, a road that is littered with economic blight, social distress, and environmental insult. . . We can move from the lose-lose proposition of casino gambling to the win-win of green jobs that provide economic security for workers, while strengthening the local economy, community and environment. This is the way forward and we need the Senate to help lead the way now by putting needs of our communities and families over the wishes of the casino lobbyists.”