Newsletter May 20, 2008
For more information contact Bruce Barron at nodicepa@aol.com or 412-835-0614
Microphones in our face
Our “Winners Avoid Casinos” campaign had quite a launch on May 6. We had coverage from two television stations, five radio outlets, and the Tribune-Review. Then last week, when the State House held a hearing on table games, we received three more interview requests.
Special thanks to those who joined us for the media conference, including board members John Schnatterly, Charlotte Sonne, and Bill Depner; David Bugher of Light of Life Mission; Regis Ryan of Focus on Renewal and Sto-Rox Family Health Center; Blaine Workman of Allegheny Center Alliance Church; Doug Portz of Pittsburgh Presbytery; and Norm B. of Gamblers Anonymous.
The launch publicly recognized a revision of our goals. Of course we would still love to see Act 71, Pennsylvania’s unconstitutionally passed slots law, invalidated or repealed. But if we can’t keep casinos out of Pennsylvania, we can still educate Pennsylvanians on why they should stay out of casinos and encourage their loved ones to stay out. If our only goal was to defeat legislation, we have lost; if our goal is to save as many people as possible from the harm perpetrated by casino gambling, every time we rescue one person or one family we have won.
The next step
It’s quite apparent that the general public is still in relative denial regarding the prevalence and impact of gambling addiction. Despite survey results showing that 23 percent of Allegheny County residents have a friend or family member who gambled too much in the past year and that 25 percent of Pennsylvania high schoolers gamble, few organizations are addressing the issue. I have yet to hear of a local school district that systematically educates its students on the risks of youth gambling as it does on alcohol, drugs, and HIV/AIDS. I have yet to hear of a church that has considered addressing the prevalence of gambling among its members or within its neighborhood. We have a lot of awareness-building to do.
Promptly after the “Winners Avoid Casinos” launch No Dice was invited to speak at a North Side Rotary Club meeting. We would hope for many more invitations to give presentations or at least to encourage distribution of the “Winners Avoid Casinos” message. We hope you can help open more doors for us.
What about charitable “gaming”?
The fire halls, veterans clubs, and other groups that have used gambling as a fundraising mechanism are now begging for help. The State House has passed a bill that would significantly expand the jackpots they could offer (and therefore, most likely, enable these groups to attract more gamblers to risk more money).
We at No Dice recognize that nonprofit organizations need to raise money in order to carry out their valued services. We have never listed the fire hall bingo game or the parish carnival among the targets of our advocacy. But when the jackpots (and the losses) increase in size, at some point the activity changes from a small-dollar game to help a good cause and instead becomes an enticement, inviting people to wager more than they can afford and to dream improbable get-rich-quick dreams.
Besides, granting bigger gambling opportunities to nonprofit groups will only hasten the “race to the bottom”—that is, the continued expansion of gambling. What will come next? Bars and restaurants will say they need legal gambling machines in order to compete. Casinos will say they need table games because the fire halls have unduly cut into their revenues. The spiral continues until the unspeakable toll of human suffering leads to a backlash, as has occurred recently in Australia.
How the slots deceive players
Here’s a good editorial on the negative side of gambling:
(Frank Fahrenkopf of the American Gaming Association even had to write a letter to the editor in reply, assuring us that actually casinos create not only tax revenue but economic development. Funny, Detroit has found the opposite.)