Editorial: Exploiting addicts – No Casinos

Editorial: Exploiting addicts

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Editorial: Exploiting addicts

“Although the state collected $1.75 million from pari-mutuels for gambling prevention and education programs in the past year, the legislature allocated less than one-sixth of that — $264,700 — for such programs,” The Palm Beach Post reported last week. “It plowed the rest of the money back into the general revenue fund to help cover a $3.8 billion budget hole.”

Editorial: Exploiting addicts

Published: Wednesday, November 23, 2011 at 6:01 a.m.

State lawmakers are betting big that even more gambling — resort casinos, slots, whatever the market will bear — is the answer to Florida’s revenue problems.

With government so heavily invested in milking as much revenue as possible out of gamblers, why would the state do anything to diminish profits?

That seems to be the reasoning behind the Florida Legislature’s decision this year to divert money from compulsive gambling programs for other purposes.

“Although the state collected $1.75 million from pari-mutuels for gambling prevention and education programs in the past year, the legislature allocated less than one-sixth of that — $264,700 — for such programs,” The Palm Beach Post reported last week. “It plowed the rest of the money back into the general revenue fund to help cover a $3.8 billion budget hole.”

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