This article details the court case Poulos v. Caesars World, where Caesars World, a casino corporation, was sued for “a course of fraudulent and misleading acts and omissions intended to induce people to play their video poker and electronic slot machines based on a false belief concerning how those machines actually operate, as well as the extent to which there is actually an opportunity to win on any given play”. This legal battle of the business practices of Caesars World casinos shows the extent to which players can be swindled into losing large sums of money on games that are deigned for them to lose.
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Report shows staggering costs of problem gambling
This report, by The Victorian Competition and Efficiency Commission, estimates the cost of problem gambling to be as high as $2.8 billion in Victoria, Australia. Excess gambling by problem gamblers accounts for up to $1.4 billion of this, with the rest coming from the intangible costs for problem gamblers’ mental health and familial stability. This article by The Age summarizes the report’s findings.
2013 Cost of problem gambling could be as high as $2.8b- report
Oklahoma lottery produces disappointing results
This Journal Record article outlines the argument behind the opposition to the Oklahoma lottery, especially in light of its failure to live up to promises in the past decade. This piece gives an interesting look into the debate over lotteries and shows another example of the failure of government’s experiment with gambling.
The link between poverty and lottery sales is undeniable
This article by The Hartford Courant, written in response to a taxpayer-funded study that concluded no link between poverty and lottery sales, presents the findings of several other studies that have time and again found an irrefutable link between poverty and lottery sales, and poverty and gambling addiction. The author offers insightful comments on these many past studies that have found this strong link and finds the faults in the one study that has concluded otherwise.
New York schools see stagnant aid in face of rising lottery revenue
Below is an article that details the growing gap between lottery profits and aid for education in New York state. While the revenues for the New York lottery have soared in recent years, the percentage that is allotted to the schools of New York has remain unchanged. The article also chronicles the ongoing debate over lotteries in the state of New York and is a great read for anyone looking to see the impacts of lotteries on education.
The Poor Disproportionately Affected by Problem Gambling
A study by the University at Buffalo Research Institute on Addictions shows that our nation’s poorest citizen are also those who problem gambling hits the hardest. Those living in poor neighborhoods are over twice as likely to have a gambling addiction than their counterparts in a more affluent community.
People in poor neighborhoods are twice as likely to have gambling problems
California Lottery provides 1% of education funding
Despite the promises from gambling promoters it would fund public education if passed, this Los Angeles Times story reveals the California Lottery provides only 1.3% of the state’s entire education budget. This shows, once again, that the claims casino supporters routinely trot out are unsubstantiated and are proven falsehoods.
California Lottery funding generally makes up 1.3% of the state education budget
Gambling Nation: A Democracy of Risk for Risk’s Sake
Below is a compelling, hard-hitting column by Esquire’s Charlie Pierce about what it means to turn America into a casino republic, declaring “The United States of America is now nothing more than a place where you gamble.”
Atlantic City Undercover: Analyzing Casino Crime
After a carjacking in the Taj Majal casino parking garage, the Atlantic City mayor demands an increase in private security. Security issues have been a major problem in Atlantic City over the years due to the increase in the gambling presence.
A Look at Lawsuits Against the Predatory Gambling Business
In this 2004 Mercer Law Review article, Professor John Kindt details the extraordinary methods of predatory gambling operators (and their allies) to hide harmful, and potentially illegal, business practices. Kindt states that “insiders” from the industry need to come forward so the public can truly understand what goes on.