Two major wins for opponents of predatory gambling

Members of SPG's network in both Nebraska and Alabama recently defeated massive predatory gambling bills in the face of big money lobbying campaigns by gambling interests. These are major wins for opponents of predatory gambling. 

Last week a bill proposing to legalize a state lottery in Alabama was rejected. Alabama Governor Robert Bentley, a key sponsor of the lottery bill, called the defeat a vote against "children in poverty today," once again proving the truth that when a practice is dishonest, its promoters speak about it dishonestly. Joe Godfrey, the leader of the Alabama Citizens Action Program and a SPG board member, played a key role along with several others in applying relentless pressure throughout the last four weeks.

This week the Nebraska Secretary of State announced that all three proposed predatory gambling petitions failed to reach the valid signature threshold to appear before state voters on the November ballot. Pat Loontjer, the dynamic and effective leader of Nebraska's predatory gambling opposition group "Gambling with the Good Life, has been educating citizens in her state about the issue for many years, making it challenging for even a paid signature gathering effort by gambling interests to advance. Pat is also a SPG board member.

You and I know how tough the fight is against predatory gambling in our communities and in our states. No other issue has such a disparity in political spending. Nor is there another issue that government officials make no effort to remedy even though the facts are clear and unavoidable that government's partnership with gambling has been a spectacular failure.

We are called upon not to be successful, but to be faithful. Today, we are thankful to be faithful and successful.

If you believe what we believe in, please support our work by contributing $10 or more today to help sustain it.

Thank you.

Best,

Les Bernal
National Director
Stop Predatory Gambling

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Improving the lives of the American people, using education and advocacy to free us of the dishonesty, exploitation, addiction and inequality that commercial gambling spreads.