Partners In The Mission:
Casinos Too Costly
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| Release Date: 01/29/2008 |
| a message from Dr. Bill Mackey, executive director |
The governor, many state leaders, some racing industry leaders, casino owners and prospective owners are trying to convince Kentucky senators and House members that casinos are a cheap way to increase state budget revenues by 5.2 percent, or an estimated $500 million.
The more realistic number would be 3.2 percent, or an increase of $300 million in revenues.
In order for the state to realize $500 million in revenues, casinos would need to earn $1.4 billion, which means Kentucky families and individuals would lose $1.4 billion.
If the cost were spread out evenly to every family, the loss would be about $1,450 for a family of four.
However, it doesn’t work that way. According to conservative research reported by Ivan L. Zabilka, 50 percent of losses to casinos are from the pathological gamblers (2 percent of the population). Problem gamblers involve another 4 to 6 percent of the population, and they account for most of the other half of the losses.
According to Zabilka, pathological gamblers cannot stop and problem gamblers can exercise some control but exhibit the same behavior as pathological gamblers.
Zabilka estimates, using conservative numbers, that casino earnings of $1.4 billion per year would result in 80,000 pathological gamblers who would provide $700 million of the casino earnings (about $8,750 each, every year). The average individual income is less than $30,000.
How long will it take for everything the family/individual owns to be put in jeopardy and lost?
Research on the cost to society ranges from $11,000 to $19,000 per pathological gambler. If we use the conservative number of $13,000, the cost soars to $1.04 billion dollars. That would include lost production by the gambler, court and legal costs, lost tax revenue, bankruptcy, crime costs, public assistance, and more.
It’s important to note that annual revenues to the state from casinos would be a high estimate of $500 million, but the cost to the state and society would be $1.04 billion per year.
Zabilka states that every pathological gambler will impact 12 people, including family members, close friends, persons who have loaned money, and persons who have been victims of theft (a total of one million people impacted).
With this kind of impact, the culture of Kentucky will change forever.
It is morally wrong for government to prey upon its citizens. Government officials take an oath of office to protect their citizens and to work for the well-being of all citizens.
Please contact your representative and senator before Jan. 31 to let them know how you feel. If you do not express your concern, you may soon be welcoming the consequences of casinos into your family and neighborhood. Please join me in praying for moral leadership and for our elected officials to take a strong stand against the power and influence of casino money.
Dr. Mackey's column appears weekly in the Western Recorder. To subscribe to the Western Recorder, call (502) 489-3535. |
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