Florida needs credible information on casinos
Mark Andrews
Special to the Star-Banner
October 6, 2013
Once people examine the impact of casinos, they understand this is bad, insidious business enabled by the government. What Floridians need is credible and objective information. As Tallahassee focuses on how to align gambling policies, the question is: Will Florida lawmakers consider all credible information that comes their way?
If the Legislature’s eyes and ears are open to independent and objective information about casinos, there is no more detailed report than “Why Casinos Matter: Thirty-One Evidence-Based Propositions from the Health and Social Sciences” from the Institute for American Values, a New York City-based think tank. The report, which was written by an independent group of scholars and public policy leaders, points to the expansion of casinos as a contributor to social and income inequality.
Included in the study is a tough conflict of interest statement that will challenge the thinking of lawmakers who have pro gambling tendencies. “State regulation of casinos creates a conflict of interest, in which the state is charged with protecting the public from the very business practices that generate revenue for the state and which the state is co-sponsoring.”
Read the full commentary online here.
Contact: Michael Murphy
Phone: 407-608-5930
Email: murph@nocasinos.org