Casinos Need Problem Gamblers
The casino industry says 1 percent of the population are problem gamblers. Many scholars have criticized the 1 percent figure as being misleading, as it is based on a survey of the adult population, most of whom don’t gamble.
However, according to the American Institute for Values in its report “Why Casinos Matter,” a more accurate measure is the study of frequent gamblers, which indicates that 15-20 percent of frequent gamblers are problem gamblers who make up 50 percent of the casino revenue. The report goes on to say that the industry would not survive long without these problem gamblers. Hence, casinos are predatory since they profit directly from this large population of problem gamblers. This also contradicts the gambling lobbyists that their industry wants to attract only customers who play “for fun.” The majority of problem gamblers are the elderly, minorities and returning vets. These are exactly the people the state should be trying to protect. Numerous studies show that living close to a casino is a key factor in more frequent gambling.
In another example of predatory gambling, The Boston Globe, in its article “Betting Against the House,” reported that two Conn. casinos loaned $65,000 to a problem gambler and then put a lien against his house when he couldn’t repay his debt. His only source of income was a small Social Security check. This incident of the casino profiting from a gambler’s loss is not an isolated case. Yet the gambling slogan in Conn. is “for the fun of it all.” Several months ago at a public forum in Wilbraham, I asked Michael Mathis of MGM Springfield if his company put liens against homes. He refused to answer my question and said that I had “an agenda.”
Both studies and common sense tell us that problem gamblers hurt their families as well as themselves. The compulsion to gamble leads to bankruptcy, lost homes, and embezzlement. A study of Gamblers Anonymous found that 26 percent have gambling-related divorces or separations. Senator Elizabeth Warren knew what she was talking about when she said that casinos are bad for families.
Don’t we have enough mental health issues in this state, including the heroin problem, without adding more gambling addicts to the list of problems? Please vote “yes” to repeal the casino mess on Nov. 4.
A Better World with Ryan
As a former member of Sit On My Faith, I am experiencing a sense of renewed faith in humanity that cunning linguist Ryan gets his owed dose of sunshine thanks to James Heflin (“A Poet at Play,” Sept. 11). Long have I basked and eventually burned in Connolly’s glow, and it is only fair that the rest of the world get to taste and be forever transformed by his silly-putty way with our words. Thanks for helping to make the world a better and deeply more interesting place for scribing this article and sharing Mr. Ryan’s illuminating and perverse genius.
