Granite State Coalition

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• Granite State Coalition
• Against Expanded Gambling

NoSlots.com
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Statistics From the Rhode Island Gambling
Treatment Program Main Problem Type of Gambling
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Statistics From the West Virginia Problem
Gamblers Help Program Main Problem Type of
Gambling
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3,000 - 6,000 Additional NH Gambling
Addicts(compared to non-gamblers, National
Gambling Impact Study Commission)
Past-Year Unemployment Comp 3.3x
Past-Year Welfare 2.4x
Bankruptcy 4.6x
Arrests 7.2x
Divorce 2.9x
Attempted Suicide 5-10x
Depression 4.2x
Long-Term Illness 2.0x
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Increased Annual Serious CrimeCasinos at 3
Tracks 2 North Country Locationsfrom Grinols,
Mustard, 2006
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Florida Council on Compulsive Gambling

• 64 of callers subject of civil actions for
  failure to pay debts.
• 62 admitted to committing fraud, writing bad
  checks, or forgery.
• 21 admitted to embezzling money from their
  employers.
• 21 admitted to larceny against friends, family,
  or strangers.
• -- 2008 Florida Gambling Help Line Intake Data

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Nevada Gamblers Anonymous Survey

• 66 planned suicide
• 63 stolen property
• 45 declared bankruptcy
• 28 attempted suicide
• 23 quit work
• 15 hospitalized due to gambling-related health
  problem
• -- William N. Thompson and R. Keith Schwer, 2007

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False Hope for Those Under Economic
StressWelte, 2004
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Harm To Children(links to studies underlined)

• Rutgers University study teens are twice as
  likely to be heavy gamblers if their parents
  gamble.  Teens are one-third more likely become
  pathological level 3 gamblers if their parents
  gamble.  
• University of Delaware study Delaware teens
  gambling over the past month were two to three
  times more likely than non-gambling peers to
  smoke, binge drink, steal, or use illegal drugs.
• National Academy of Sciences commission
  meta-study 10 percent of children and 50
  percent of spouses suffer physical abuse at the
  hands of pathological gamblers.

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Addiction Treatment Helps only 7-9links
underlined

• American Journal of Psychiatry 7 of lifetime
  pathological gamblers sought or received any type
  of treatment.
• Literature review by Petry et al 8 of
  Gamblers Anonymous attendees achieve a year of
  abstinence.
• U.S. National Epidemiological Survey 9.1 of
  gambling addicts used either GA or other
  treatment programs.

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NHs Brand Image - Earned Over DecadesHealthy,
Wholesome, Clean, Natural Outdoor Adventures
Historic Villages, Family-Centered
NH DTTD Website, 11/5/2009
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Is This What We Want NHs Image Reputation To
Become?
Millennium Gaming Website, 10/20/2009
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Casinos and Economic Development?

• Casinos that cater to a local market generally
  do not bring outside money into the economy
  through the spending of its patrons Residents
  patronizing such casinos may simply substitute
  gambling for other goods and services.
• Federal Reserve of Boston literature review,
  2006.
• "There has been no economic development spin-off
  from the Foxwoods casino ... Gamblers have one
  thing in mind get to the casino, win or lose
  their money, get in their cars, and go home."
• Mayor Wesley Johnson, Ledyard, Connecticut
• There is no reason on earth for any of you to
  expect for more than a second that just because
  there are people here, theyre going to run into
  your restaurants and stores just because we build
  this casino here.
• Casino developer Steve Wynn, speaking to
  Bridgeport, Connecticut business leaders, New
  York Times, September 13, 1992.

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Bureau of Labor StatisticsGambling Industry
Median Wage 10.92

• Half of all casino workers earn less than 10.93
  per hour, many near-minimum wage.
• Workers will be imported to fill these sub-living
  wage jobs
• creating pressure on school and welfare
  budgets, housing, and transportation.

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North Country Business Leaders On Casinos

• We're not in that business I don't see any
  opportunity for it.
• David Ritchie, director of sales and marketing,
  Omni Mount Washington Resort, NH Business Review,
  9/9/2009
• During our three years of studying across the
  four states in our Sustainable Economy Initiative
  plan there was never a mention of gaming It's
  being pushed from another area. It's not really
  high on the list up here.
• Jim Tibbetts, president and chief executive,
  First Colebrook Bank, NHBR, 9/9/2009
• Gambling is a solution to a short-term problem
  we should not underestimate the long-term
  consequences Were a family-oriented resort and
  residential community. Gambling is not
  compatible.
• Pat Corso, former GM, Mount Washington Resort,
  NHBR, 1/30/2009
• Gambling is not even a consideration.
• Chris Diego, general manager of the Mountain View
  Grand, asked if casinos fit into his resorts
  plans, NHBR, 1/30/2009
• It (gambling) is not even on the radar screen.
• Peter Riviere, Executive Director, Coos Economic
  Development Corp., NHBR, 1/30/2009
• A false panacea.
• Peter Powell, Co-chair, Coos County Economic
  Development Council, NHBR, 1/30/2009

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Casino Tax RatesBait Switch Coming?
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A Declining Revenue SourceForces Constant
Expansion

• Gambling revenues do not keep pace with
  traditional tax revenues and government
  expenditures over time and may add to, rather
  than ease, long-term budget imbalances.
  
• --Rockefeller Institute of Government, 9/2009
• Forces expansion in
• Locations
• Operating Hours
• Drinking, Smoking
• Permitting Forms of Gambling
• Number of Machines
• Subsidized Rooms, Meals, Entertainment

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A Declining Revenue SourceIn the End Slots
In/Near Every Community

• Revenue from Illinois 9 casinos plummeted 24
  percent this year, forcing the state to permit
  45,000 additional slot machines in bars,
  restaurants, and social clubs throughout the
  state.
• Connecticut Governor Rell, facing sharp revenue
  declines from her states 2 tribal casinos,
  earlier this year proposed legalizing 1,000 keno
  slot machines in bars throughout the state.
• The Pennsylvania legislature in Oct, 2009
  legalized table games at its existing casinos and
  racinos, though backers of that states 2004
  authorizing legislation promised table games
  would never be needed.
• In Maine, Bangors Hollywood Slots management
  announced its desire to add table games, though
  voters were promised that this would not be
  necessary when racinos were legalized in 2003.

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Polling The Impact of The Facts
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Nations 1 Gambling Lobbyist Wants No Casino in
His Town

• If someone were to come around and tell me that
  they were going to put a casino in McLean,
  Virginia where I live, I would probably work
  very, very hard against it.
• Frank Fahrenkopf is CEO and chief Washington
  lobbyist, American Gaming Association.
• See the Fahrenkopf video clip here
  http//www.youtube.com/watch?vq74wZkg07vs

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Thank You!

• Dont Trade Slots Casinos
• For New Hampshires
• Healthy, Family-Friendly Reputation,
• High Quality of Life,
• Lowest-in-the-Nation Crime Rate,
• and Independent Legislature,
• Granite State Coalition
• Against Expanded Gambling
• Jim Rubens
• [phone]

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Australian Productivity Commission Draft Report
on Gambling Impact

• The Productivity Commission is the Australian
  Government's independent research and advisory
  body on a range of economic, social and
  environmental issues affecting the welfare of
  Australians. This is the most extensive recent
  report on gambling impacts done by any
  independent body.
• Key Findings
• Slot machines are between 6 and 18 times more
  risky than lotteries (page 4.31).
• "Beyond the powerful example provided by the
  early liberalisation experiences of Australia,
  there is a broad range of evidence suggesting a
  link between accessibility proximity and harm."
  (10.3)
• Video slot machines account for around 75-80 per
  cent of 'problem gamblers' and are found to pose
  significant problems for ordinary consumers.
  (xxiii)
• Gambling cost to Australian society 4.5 billion
  dollars per year, with over 75 percent of these
  costs deriving from video slot machines. These
  costs exceed benefits when abused dollars (or
  "excess" losses) by problem gamblers are included
  (page 3.22). Cost per year allocated across all
  adults in population is US225.
• "The potential for significant harm from some
  types of gambling is what distinguishes gambling
  from most other enjoyable recreational activities
  - and underlines the communities' ambivalence
  towards it" (xx). "While many Australians gamble,
  they remain sceptical about the overall community
  benefits (figure 3.2). For instance, one survey
  estimated that around 80 per cent of Victorian
  adults considered that gambling had done more
  harm than good (with little difference between
  the views of gamblers and non-gamblers)" (3.8).
• Looking at all Australian surveys, roughly 80
  percent of the public wants to see gambling
  machines removed or their numbers reduced (10.9).
• Had there been full knowledge at the time about
  the harmful effects of substantially increasing
  accessibility to gaming machines in the 1990s, a
  different model of liberalisation, with less
  widespread accessibility, may well have been seen
  as appropriate. (xxxii)