A typical sad story

I’m a youth track coach.  Since my wife and son left the track meet early this past Saturday, I got a ride home with another family.  As we traveled back to my home, the parents told me they had seen one of my No Dice television interviews.  They then told me of relatives who spent years saving money for retirement only to lose most of it—reportedly about $50,000—at Wheeling Island’s slot machines.

I get sick thinking about how much Social Security money is going straight into slot machines and how many elderly people arrive faster at dependence on Medicaid because of the promise of tax relief from slots.  Is this a rational policy??

Why are Russia and Vietnam smarter than us?

A Bloomberg News article today explains why Russia is trying to banish all its casinos to four remote parts of the country:

The Kremlin says the legislation is designed to stop young people and pensioners from wasting their money on gambling.  

Russia's government is also trying to combat corruption and increase tax collection, says Alexei Mukhin, director of the Center for Political Information, an independent research institute in Moscow.

``There is a social goal and there is also the financial aspect,'' he says. ``It's a very criminal business, and traditionally casinos have been a huge mechanism for money laundering.''

For the whole article: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601085&sid=auhax2YLWOq8&refer=europe

Meanwhile, Vietnam has followed the example of Monaco in requiring a passport for casino entry, thereby keeping its own citizens out of casinos.  (For a recent story documenting this fact, see http://www.thanhniennews.com/society/?catid=3&newsid=38830.)

Web site improved

My daughter spent some time reorganizing the No Dice web site, www.nodicepa.org, last week.  Take a look and offer your suggestions.  We do intend to update the news articles and add links to other important anti-gambling sites—but first Tricia has to get through her final exams, since she hasn’t taught me how to manage the site yet.

Letter to the editor

In the context of the Stanley Cup finals, the May 24 Pittsburgh Post-Gazette described Detroit’s “makeover” and casinos’ role as part of that makeover. It was a sadly superficial piece, suggesting that a city is improving because casino owners can erect very fancy buildings.  I felt compelled to respond with a letter to the editor, which appeared on May 31 (http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08152/886302-35.stm).

Greektown casino enters bankruptcy

Don’t shed too many tears, but one of the casinos involved in that so-called Detroit makeover has just filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, while assuring the public that the filing is just a way to restructure debt and that the casino will soon be bigger and better than ever.  For the story: http://www.canada.com/windsorstar/news/business/story.html?id=3b069ff9-7220-4007-84fb-83647151617d

Nice column in Philly

Restaurant owners, civic leaders, and everyone else can get useful fodder from Monica Yant Kinney’s Philadelphia commentary last Sunday, June 1. She includes some of Philadelphia hero Bill Kearney’s best one-liners, such as "What other industry has an exclusion list you can put yourself on to avoid the product?" and "Casinos are amusement parks without cages and safety belts.” For the whole column:

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/local/19433229.html

PGCB director resigns

Under pressure from Republican state legislators over the granting of a casino license to allegedly mob-connected Louis DeNaples, Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board executive director Anne Neeb submitted her resignation this week.  The board gave her a standing ovation and a four-month, $60,000, publicly funded buyout.  It’s so much easier to be generous when you’re spending taxpayers’ money rather than your own.

Publicize us!

 If you like what we’re doing, please promote our Winners Avoid Casinos merchandise (or buy some stickers and window clings to give away) and our presentations.  The snowball of common-sense opposition to the scourge of government-sanctioned casino gambling in Pennsylvania needs to keep growing! 

Thank you for your support – Bruce