Letter: Casinos do harm to economies
Published: Sunday, June 16, 2013
The first step in assisting local economies is, don’t make them worse. Yet Gov. Cuomo’s casino gambling expansion plan will do just that because it doesn’t address the enormous cost of gambling disorders. These costs far exceed benefits and require more than lip service.
New York’s gambling problem, already estimated at $3.7 billion annually, exceeds the combined revenue from all Atlantic City, N.J., casinos for 2012. The 381,000 problem and 272,500 pathological gamblers in New York already present a financial burden for all state taxpayers. So investing in gambling addiction recovery and prevention, not more casinos, isn’t just the right thing to do; it’s sound fiscal policy.
To accomplish this, Albany lawmakers must first stop denying the severity of the problem. And all future tribal casino payments (from more than $600 million in escrow and a recent revenue sharing agreement) should be dedicated to address gambling addiction recovery and prevention; unlike state Lottery dollars, this money isn’t restricted to fund education and thus far hasn’t been available as a state budget revenue stream.
It’s time for New York to assume its responsibility. Gov. Cuomo’s proposal — to allocate $500 per gambling machine or table game — doesn’t even come close.
Dave Colavito
Rock Hill Coalition Against Gambling in New York State
New York’s gambling problem, already estimated at $3.7 billion annually, exceeds the combined revenue from all Atlantic City, N.J., casinos for 2012. The 381,000 problem and 272,500 pathological gamblers in New York already present a financial burden for all state taxpayers. So investing in gambling addiction recovery and prevention, not more casinos, isn’t just the right thing to do; it’s sound fiscal policy.
To accomplish this, Albany lawmakers must first stop denying the severity of the problem. And all future tribal casino payments (from more than $600 million in escrow and a recent revenue sharing agreement) should be dedicated to address gambling addiction recovery and prevention; unlike state Lottery dollars, this money isn’t restricted to fund education and thus far hasn’t been available as a state budget revenue stream.
It’s time for New York to assume its responsibility. Gov. Cuomo’s proposal — to allocate $500 per gambling machine or table game — doesn’t even come close.
Dave Colavito
Rock Hill Coalition Against Gambling in New York State
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