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A committee in the Iowa
Senate has voted to eliminate a requirement that local voters approve
gambling every eight years to keep a casino open. Under the bill, once
a county had approved gambling twice, the automatic referendums on
gambling would end and counties would have to wait eight to 15 years
for a vote. Senator Dennis Black, a Democrat from Grinnell, is pushing
the bill, as he says the vote can hamper the development of a casino.
http://www.radioiowa.com/gestalt/go.cfm?objectid=0E5680A2-A057-809B-5F4BF5E7ACA155C8
The Fever: Gambling and Suicide
November 18, 2003
by Chad Hills
visit
http://www.family.org/cforum/fosi/gambling/casinos/a0028890.cfm
for the complete story....
"No one in the
history of mankind has ever developed or operated a
casino out of a burning desire to improve the lot of
humanity." -Chuck Gardner, Former Nevada Deputy
Attorney General
Citizen
Magazine Cover Story:
The Fever: Two men. One addiction. Losing
money was just the start of their problems.
Citizen Magazine published an alarming
account of gambling addiction and suicide in the
July of 2002 issue. Written by Jeff Hooten, this
Citizen story describes the destructive nature of
addiction in the lives of two men. There are over 15
million people that struggle with gambling as an
addiction. Suicide attempts for pathological
gamblers are higher than any other addiction. One
out of every five will attempt suicide. Read
The Fever on Citizen Magazine's
web-site.
Gambler's Suicide Reveals
Casino's Bottom Line
Solomon Bell's
suicide was, of course, unspeakably tragic-but
hardly remarkable. Last week the Detroit police
sergeant, despondent over massive gambling losses,
pulled out his service pistol and killed himself at
a blackjack table in one of the city's new casinos.
The tragedy was unremarkable in that it is merely a
microcosm of how the gambling industry functions on
a daily basis. On this day alone, casino operators
enriched themselves by almost $20,000 at the
victim's expense. Sergeant Bell's family, friends,
and the Detroit community are impoverished beyond
measure.
To the gambling mercenaries, such public relations
indelicacies are merely part of the price to be paid
for this form of "harmless entertainment." That's
why the MotorCity Casino refused to shut down even
temporarily in the face of this tragedy. In fact,
within hours gamblers were allowed back into the
area where the suicide occurred, blood-stained
carpet notwithstanding.
Explained a casino spokesman: "It's not like Bell
died some honorable kind of death. He chose to kill
himself. We saw absolutely no reason to close down
our business and deprive our patrons the use of our
fourth floor."
Such crass and heartless reasoning might shock you.
It shouldn't. This is precisely how casinos
function-how they must function. Even the most jaded
of gambling executives would go mad were they to
come to grips with the depth of pain and devastation
engendered by their venomous product.
Casinos instead attempt to delude with claims that
they benefit communities by creating jobs, tourism
and economic development. It is an elaborate
smokescreen; casinos operate solely for the purpose
of parting people from their money. Former Nevada
deputy attorney general Chuck Gardner put it
succinctly: "No one in the history of mankind has
ever developed or operated a casino out of a burning
desire to improve the lot of humanity."
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TOM COATES
SPECIAL TO THE REGISTER
Is the "Touch Play" hoopla now in its end game? With the Legislature's
decision to ban video-lottery machines, will the issue quickly fade like
yesterday's celebrity scandal from public consciousness? That would be
the consensus.
But perhaps it is merely the start of a larger drama about to unfold -
a drama where Iowans finally awaken to the scam served up by elected
officials of all stripes who have told them gambling is the latest form
of economic development. They've been wooed by the siren song of "It's
harmless entertainment," only to run aground on the rocks of reality.
It would be helpful to revisit why these questions are being asked now.
Enter Ed Stanek, Iowa Lottery director, and his euphemistically named
"TouchPlay" devices.
With 20 casinos already in Iowa, some might wonder what the fuss is all
about. A big answer can be found in the following: The two factors that
most equate to pathological gambling are accessibility and speed of
play.
Accessibility is manifestly obvious in this case. It has been proven
that the closer you live to a gambling venue, the more likely you are to
visit it and therefore have a problem. A 40-mile radius around Iowa
casinos has long been regarded as their feeder market. This radius also
defines where the social problems associated with pathological gambling
have occurred. Now, with Stanek's new version of the "lottery," it came
to a street corner near you!
The second criterion is the speed of the play. Researchers have long
characterized this device as the "crack cocaine of addicted gamblers."
The reason: The fast video play shortens the time normally required to
progress from a casual gambler into a full-blown pathological gambler.
Why should you care? Here are the behaviors of a pathological gambler:
22 percent divorce as a result of gambling, 40 percent lose their jobs,
49 percent steal to gamble, 19 percent attempt suicide, 40 percent file
bankruptcy and 79 percent said they just "wanted to die."
Even if your compassion doesn't extend this far, remember that we live
in a social-welfare state. Your neighbor can and will pass the cost of
his indiscretions on to you. This is part of the reason University of
Illinois research has shown that for every $1 in net revenue generated
by a casino, it costs all of us $2. Displaced revenue from other
businesses accounts for the rest of the costs.
The casinos claim gambling dollars are entertainment dollars, but
research years ago showed that only 35 percent were indeed taken from
other entertainment outlets. The remaining 65 percent come from other
non-entertainment businesses, savings and credit. The entire country is
experiencing an explosion in gambling, so it should come as no surprise
that national savings numbers are low and personal debt is at record
highs.
From 1996 through 1998, the United States conducted hearings on the
impact of gambling. In 1998, I testified before a commission in Las
Vegas. The top recommendation was to put a "real moratorium" on any
gambling expansion. The commission reserved its harshest criticism for
fast-action convenience gambling that preys on the populace.
Stanek's folly, called "TouchPlay," defined this as graphically as any
of us ever dreamed possible. Now, as we rip every last one out, turn
your sights on the casinos.
Decide now that gambling is really a bad bet. Gambling's negative
economic impact, coupled with a dark moral character, may sufficiently
be manifested to persuade Iowans to recriminalize it all. That's my
hope.
TOM COATES is director of Consumer Credit of Des Moines.
===========================================
The flood
gates are open.........
In addition to four new casinos and the flood of video slots in our
neighborhoods, existing casinos release a wave of expansion. When will
Iowans scream ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!!!
Per Iowa Gaming Website
www.iowagaming.org , the following is a list of
casino expansion expenditures:
1. Bluffs Run Casino: $85 Mill
2. Prairie Meadows Racetrack & Casino: $60 Mill
3. Rhythm City Casino: $43 Mill
4. Isle of Capri - Bettendorf: $40 Mill
5. Dubuque Park & Casino: $25 Mill
6. Argosy Casino: $22 Mill
7. Terrible's Lakeside Casino: $15 Mill
8. Isle of Capri - Marquette: $12.6 Mill
9. Ameristar Casino & Hotel: $10.3 Mill
10. Meskwaki Casino: Expansion not reported
11. Catfishbend: No expansion
12. Diamond Jo Casino: No expansion
13. Harrah's Council Bluffs Casino & Hotel: No expansion
14. Mississippi Belle II: No expansion
(1
Timothy 6:17 NASB) “Instruct those who are rich in this present world
not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches,
but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy.”
In
recent weeks controversy has arisen regarding the Iowa Lottery video
touchplay machines which have sprung up across the State of Iowa in
convenience stores, gas stations, restaurants, grocery stores and other
sites. While Iowa law permits slot machines only inside state authorized
gambling institutions these machines, which are nearly identical to a
casino slot machine, have been allowed in over 2,500 locations across
all of Iowa’s ninety-nine counties totaling more than 4,600 machines
statewide.
These machines have horrible implications for Iowa families and they
almost guarantee an explosion of pathological gamblers in our state.
People who are addicted to gambling can ban themselves from casinos, but
they cannot ban themselves from every gas station and convenience store.
These machines also enable children and minors to have greater access to
gambling. While there are supposed safeguards in place via the stores
responsible, the indirect influence could be immeasurable. Imagine a ten
year buying a soda from a local gas station while witnessing a
forty-five year old lose his or her salary on a video touchplay machine.
These machines are just another means to erode Iowa families and we must
remove them.
Please take action today
and contact your state representative and senator and demand they remove
these machines from Iowa’s public places. Our state and our families
require their action.
Please contact your local Representative and Senator today and demand
that they remove these machines from our public places. Find their
contact information at
http://www.legis.state.ia.us.
Gambling Addiction?
Eastern Iowa Center for Problem Gambling Inc., 216 W. 3rd St.,
Davenport. Gamblers Anonymous, 6:30 p.m. Tuesdays and 10 a.m. Sundays;
gamblers therapy group, 10 a.m. Thursdays; family group (concerned
others), 6 p.m. Mondays; workshops for gamblers and concerned others,
6:30 p.m. Thursdays; teen group, 3:30-5 p.m. Wednesdays. Information:
(563) 322-2535. Friday Night Serendipity Gamblers Anonymous, 7-9 p.m.
Fridays, Larsen Center, Genesis Illini Campus, Silvis, Ill., contact
Linda, (309) 792-8035.
See additional resources
below.....
The
Impact of Casino Gambling on
Bankruptcy Rates: A County Level Analysis
Ernie
Goss, Professor of Economics, Visiting Scholar, CBO
(402)
598-3198 mobile phone (402) 280-4757 voicemail
e-mail
ernieg@creighton.edu
Edward
Morse, Professor of Law, Creighton University
e-mail
morse@creighton.edu
Roughly
250 U.S. counties have legalized casino gambling within their borders.
Sixty of these counties have established commercial casino operations,
with the remainder supporting tribal casinos. Past research has
provided mixed results regarding the impact of these casinos on market
and non-market outcomes. The goal of this research study is to estimate
the impact of casinos on two of these outcome variables -- individual
and business bankruptcy rates -- over the decade of the 1990s. The
study matches each casino county with a non-casino county according to
U.S. Census region, household income, population and population
density. Using simple descriptive statistics and regression analysis,
the study estimates the impacts of casinos on bankruptcy rates. Our
regression analysis on matched-pair counties indicates that those
counties that legalized casino gambling during the 1990s experienced a
cumulative growth rate in individual bankruptcies that was more than
double the growth rate for corresponding non-casino counties. However,
the cumulative rate of change in business bankruptcy rates in the casino
counties was, on average, 35.4 percent lower than the applicable rate
for the non-casino counties.
For the
complete article.......
Goose or Wolf? - Casinos are not Iowa's golden goose, but more akin to the
wolf in sheep's clothing. by Tome Coates
July 15, 2004 Ameristar wants extension
to ask for gaming license
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20040715/NEWS05/407150373/1007
July 15, 2004 Prairie Meadows offers new tables plan
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20040715/NEWS05/407150376/1007
July 9, 2004 Ameristar gathers signatures for casino
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20040709/NEWS05/407090349/1007
May 27, 2004 Panel to study Prairie Meadows expansion
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20040527/BUSINESS04/405270388/-1/THEMES
February 25, 2004Gambling bill grows in complexity with amendments
http://www.dailygate.com/articles/2004/02/25/news/news1.txt
By DAVID PITT/Associated Press Writer - DES MOINES -- With 67 amendments
and more than a dozen amendments to amendments piling up, the
comprehensive gambling bill scheduled for debate in the House Thursday
is growing in complexity.
"We're on the cusp of an interesting debate in the House unlike any I've
experienced since I've been in the Legislature," said Rep. Scott Raecker,
R-Urbandale, a three-term lawmaker who is managing the gambling bill.
The bill would allow up to five new casinos in the state, permit
racetracks to add table games and establish a new taxing scheme for
riverboats and racetracks.
The bill is going through an unusual process in which leaders required
all amendments to be filed by Monday. All amendments to those amendments
had to be filed by the end of the day Tuesday.
The process was used to allow all lawmakers all of today to absorb the
content of the bill and all amendments before debate begins Thursday
morning.
Dickinson County voters
soundly reject casino plan
Dickinson County residents have voted overwhelmingly against authorizing
riverboat-style gambling in the Iowa Great Lakes region, one of the
state's most popular tourist areas. To read the Des Moines Register
Article:
http://desmoinesregister.com/news/stories/c4780932/21700069.html
Scratch tickets boost
lottery sales in Iowa Des Moines Register July 18, 2003
Casino sails to victory in Palo Alto
By WILLIAM PETROSKI Register Staff Writer 06/18/2003
Palo Alto County residents voted Tuesday in favor of authorizing
riverboat-style gambling, beginning what could be a major push towards
expanding the state's casino industry.
The measure passed by 2,461 to 1,004, the Palo Alto County auditor's
office said.
Tom Alger, Emmetsburg's community development director, said approval of
the ballot measure had been expected, and some residents had placed
friendly wagers on size of the victory margin. The benefits of a
floating casino would include more jobs, additional tax revenue for
financially pinched city and county governments, and enhanced tourism,
he said.
The gambling boat would cruise on Emmetsburg's Five Island Lake, which
covers about 960 acres. Local officials have discussed having the casino
managed by Grace Entertainment Inc. of St. Joseph, Mo., which operates
Osceola's Lakeside Casino Resort.
"Our lake is an untapped jewel. It is just a beautiful asset here, and
it ties nicely into other tourism in northwest Iowa," Alger said.
The Rev. Jim Morris, pastor of First United Methodist Church in
Emmetsburg, said every pastor in Palo Alto County had opposed the
gambling proposal.
"The concern is moral and ethical - the disruption of the social fabric
of a community when gambling comes, the incidence of addiction,
bankruptcies and those sorts of things," Morris said.
To read the complete article:
http://desmoinesregister.com/news/stories/c4780934/21533555.html
Losses to gambling are
growing. The problem is, more and more states are looking to gambling
expansion to bolster slumping budgets.
'Gambling Over' for Top Moral Crusader Charisma News Service 05/07/03
CONYERS INTRODUCES INTERNET GAMBLING REGULATION STUDY COMMISSION BILL
U.S. takes Iowa's side in casino case
Senate leaders introduce bill to expand gambling
Prairie Meadows offers tax proposal Des Moines Register 03/29/03
State gambling regulators believe the top official at Prairie Meadows
Racetrack and Casino probably has been involved in money laundering and
placing illegal bets Des Moines Register 04/19/03
A bill has been drafted in the Iowa Senate that would expand gambling in
the state of Iowa. The bill, Senate File 327,
would allow the state to auction off licenses for up to three new
riverboat casinos. It would also allow land-based casinos,
such as Prairie Meadows, to add table games and video slots.
Senate File 199Bill History prepared on MAR 21, 2003
Introduced by
Lamberti, McCoy, Zieman, Houser and Kramer.
A bill for an act providing for gambling on excursion boats and at
racetracks, by eliminating the cruise requirement for gambling boats,
providing for gambling games at racetrack enclosures and for off-boat
facilities, providing for the issuance of additional excursion boat
gambling licenses, and relating to the tax on the adjusted gross
receipts from gambling games. (See SF 327.)
ActionFeb. 25 03
Introduced, referred to State Government. S.J. 311.
Feb. 26 03
Subcommittee, Lamberti, Black, and Zieman. S.J. 326.
Senate File 327
Bill History prepared on MAR 21, 2003 .
Introduced by
State Government.
A bill for an act providing for gambling on excursion boats and at
racetracks, by eliminating the cruise requirement for gambling boats,
providing for gambling games at racetrack enclosures and for off-boat
facilities, providing for the issuance of additional excursion boat
gambling licenses, and relating to the tax on the adjusted gross
receipts from gambling games. (Formerly SF 199.)
Action
Mar. 10 03
Introduced, placed on calendar. S.J. 432.
Mar. 10 03
Committee report, approving bill. S.J. 435.
Mar. 19 03
Amendments S-3064, S-3067, S-3068 filed. S.J. 580.
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