Recent history of predatory gambling in California:
The California Lottery was presented to the public as an answer to funding public education when it was pushed through by a referendum in 1984.
Today, it contributes to just 1% of public education in the state. Yet it is responsible for redistributing hundreds of millions of dollars in wealth out of the hands of ordinary citizens every year.
Driven by millions of dollars in ad spending by commercial gambling investors, casino gambling on Native American lands within California was legalized following a constitutional amendment referendum in 2000.
Key individuals and state-level constituencies opposing predatory gambling include:
California Coalition Against Gambling Expansion: a statewide, faith based organization that seeks to prevent the moral, economic and social problems caused by predatory gambling.
