[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 102 (Friday, July 20, 2001)]
[House]
[Pages H4372-H4374]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
THE SPREAD OF GAMBLING
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Kerns). Under the Speaker's announced
policy of January 3, 2001, the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Wolf) is
recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the majority leader.
Mr. WOLF. Mr. Speaker, 2 weeks ago The Washington Post did a front
page story about how the gambling industry targets one of our Nation's
most vulnerable groups, our senior citizen population.
According to the article, it says, ``Casinos are trying harder than
ever to attract retirees. Some are dispatching buses to senior centers
or vans to trailer parks and timing their offers for free rides to
coincide with the arrival of Social Security checks.''
The gambling industry goes to great lengths to prey on our Nation's
most vulnerable groups, the young, the poor, and perhaps most
frequently the elderly. A national survey recently revealed over one-
half of all senior citizens had gambled recently. This is more than
double the rate of one generation ago.
The gambling industry targets this audience because they have two
attractive attributes: time and money. Often those who are lonely
become quickly addicted. It is not long before the marketing strategy
succeeds as gambling eats up seniors' life savings and Social Security
checks.
Mr. Speaker, while I was saddened to read this story, I was not
surprised. I am not surprised because very few are actually speaking
out against the spread of gambling. I am not surprised because very few
of our political leaders have spoken out. I am not surprised because
most religious leaders have not spoken out. I am not surprised because
most advocates for the poor have not spoken out. I am not surprised
because most traditional advocates for the elderly have not spoken out.
Saddened, yes; but surprised, no.
Only 30 years ago gambling was illegal in most States and was
generally considered to be a vice contrary to the American work ethic.
Let me say that one more time. Only 30 years ago gambling was illegal
in most States and was generally considered to be a vice contrary to
the American work ethic.
Serious gamblers had to travel to Nevada for casino play, and States
had not yet plunged into the lottery mania. Today the lottery is played
in 37 States, plus the District of Columbia. All but three States have
legalized some form of gambling. Gambling expansion has swept the
Nation, with revenues jumping from $1 billion in 1980 to well over $50
billion today. That means that Americans lose on average over $137
million every day. Americans lose on an average $137 million every day
a year from gambling.
What has the spread of gambling meant for the country? First,
gambling comes with a high social cost. Some 15.4 million Americans
already suffer from problem and pathological gambling, also called
gambling addiction, which is often devastating to the individual and
his or her family.
The National Academy of Sciences found that pathological gamblers
engaged in destructive behaviors. They run up large debts, they damage
relationships with family and friends, and they kill themselves.
Pathological gambling is defined by the American Psychiatric
Association as an impulse control disorder with symptoms similar to
those of drug and alcohol addictions. The gambling addict experiences
tolerances, needing more gambling, withdrawal from trying to stop, a
loss of control and cannot stop even after trying, and often lying and
illegal acts such as stealing to support the habit.
The effects of this addiction are wide-ranging and often impact many
who are not involved with gambling. It is not unusual for a gambling
addict to end up in bankruptcy with a broken family facing criminal
charges from his or her employer.
Youth introduced to gambling are particularly at a high risk for
gambling addiction. Over half of those with problem gambling disorders,
7.9 million, are adolescents. For instance, a Louisiana survey of
12,000 adolescents found that 10 percent had bet on horse racing, and
25 percent had played video poker.
Adolescents are more likely to become problem or pathological
gamblers since they are more vulnerable to risk-taking behavior.
According to the National Gambling Impact Study, a study which Congress
created and which released its report in 1999, adolescent gambling is
associated with alcohol and drug use, truancy, low grades, and
problematic gambling in parents and illegal activities to finance
gambling.
This has led to tragic outcomes. One 16-year-old boy attempted
suicide after losing $6,000 on lottery tickets. There is a tremendous
need for prevention, research and treatment for gambling addiction.
Unfortunately, all three are in short supply. A person who needs
treatment is likely to find there is little available and what is
available is not covered by insurance.
How quickly can addiction develop? Story after story recounts the
heartbreak.
Consider the story of Debbie. She and her husband visited a new
casino built near them in Blackhawk, Colorado. The novelty soon wore
off, but her husband started going four or five nights a week. Within 3
months of their first visit, Debbie learned that they would have to
file for bankruptcy. Her husband had lost close to $40,000. This did
not stop her husband from gambling, and eventually they divorced. So
much for family values. She said, ``The husband I divorced was not the
husband I married. He is a total stranger to me. He became a liar, a
cheat. He engaged in criminal, illegal activities.''
Gambling has negative economic impacts. Revenues are drained from
local businesses and services. Gambling leads to a shift in consumer
spending from small business groups and services which produce local
employment. There is an increased cost to the State from bankruptcy,
addiction, treatment centers and the penal system.
The Gambling Commission estimated that direct gambling costs borne by
the government are currently about $6 billion a year. This does not
count indirect costs such as loss of productivity in the workplace,
divorce consequences for the family. It is reasonable to suggest that
the more gambling a State offers, the more costs it must bear.
Gambling is associated with breakdown of the democratic political
process. The Gambling Commission concluded that local and State
governments tend to become a dependent partner to the gambling industry
and become reliant on their vast funds and can be influenced by
campaign contributions.
In State after State, the gambling industry pours money into the
coffers of local politicians from both political parties in hopes of
advancing their interests. In State after State, opponents of a
gambling proposal are outfinanced, outgunned and outmanned. The fact
that gambling has not spread further is a tribute to the tireless
efforts of a few grassroots activists in States. These advocacy
efforts, often outspent by rates of 20 to 1, have held the levy against
even further encroachment by the gambling industry into every community
in America.
On the Federal level, the NCAA gambling bill introduced on the House
side by the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Graham) and the
gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Roemer) to close the loophole allowing the
betting on college sports in Nevada is indefinitely on hold, even
though if it were brought up to the floor most people know it would
pass overwhelmingly.
Who supports the bill? Almost every university with athletics
programs, the NCAA, almost every college coach in America, including
Joe Paterno, Lou
[[Page H4373]]
Holtz, Bobby Bowden, Mike Krzyzewski. The lone opposition to this bill
comes from the gambling industry which has fought the bill vigorously
and is among the highest contributors to campaign funds of both
political parties.
Sometimes, though, the real story of the spread of gambling can only
be understood by actually hearing about the real-life stories that show
the true consequences of the spread of gambling. Mr. Speaker, I would
like to share a few of these stories.
Gambling can lead to death. ``A gambler losing big dollars in the
high-roller area of the Motor City Casino in Detroit pulled out a gun,
shot himself in the head and died, police said. Terrified gamblers fled
from the blackjack table where off-duty Oak Park Police Sgt. Solomon
Bell had been consistently losing large bets, witnesses said. Detroit
police said Bell had been gambling earlier in the day at MGM Grand
Detroit Casino and was hoping to make up for some losses there. They
said he lost between $15,000 and $20,000 in the two casinos during the
day.'' That was in the Detroit Free Press.
{time} 1100
``A former employee at Trump Marina Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City
leaped to his death from the gambling hall's self-parking garage.
Charles LaVerde's death marked the fifth suicide plunge from a casino
facility in less than a year.'' Atlantic City Press.
So much for family values, family values on both sides as Members are
taking the money from the gambling interests.
``A Hancock County, Mississippi woman says she killed her mother and
husband last year as part of a suicide pact made in despair over large
gambling debts the trio had run up at Gulf Coast casinos. Julie Winborn
pleaded guilty in the death of her husband, Grady Winborn, 57, and her
mother, Inez Bouis, 66. She was sentenced Thursday to two life
sentences. She had testified that the three lost $50,000 at casinos and
decided to end their lives because they could not repay bank and credit
union loans.'' Associated Press, 9/10/99.
Gambling can lead to crime.
``An insidious new kind of crime is taking hold, radiating out across
southern New England from the two Indian casinos in eastern
Connecticut. It is embezzlement committed by desperate gamblers,
usually compulsive gamblers, who work in positions of trust. A sampling
of criminal cases over the past 2 years shows that the amounts of money
can be staggering and that an increasing number of the gamblers are
women. In all these cases, the money was used to gamble at the Foxwoods
Resort Casino or the Mohegan Sun casino, authorities said.'' Hartford
Courant.
``Of all the heroes who emerged from the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics,
perhaps none was more inspirational than Henny Tillman. A big, tough
hometown kid, he had plunged into serious trouble when he was rescued
in a California Youth Authority lockup by a boxing coach who saw a
young man of uncommon heart and untapped talent. In a little more than
2 years, he would stand proudly atop the Olympic platform at the sports
arena, just blocks from his boyhood home, the gold medal for
heavyweight boxing dangling from his neck. But 2 years after his
mediocre pro career ended, he was back behind bars. And now he stands
accused of murder in a case that could put him away for life. Gambling
got Tillman in trouble. He was arrested in January 1994 for passing a
bad credit card at the Normandie. He pleaded no contest and got
probation. In 1995, he pleaded guilty to using a fake credit card in an
attempt to get $800 at the Hollywood Park Casino in Inglewood. I have
suffered from a long history of gambling addiction, which I am very
ashamed had taken over my life, Tillman wrote in a letter to the
court.'' Los Angeles Times.
``A Rhode Island woman known as the ``church lady'' is free on bail
after pleading innocent to stealing $3,000 from four severely mentally
retarded adults at a Mansfield, Massachusetts group home to play slots
at the Foxwoods Casino.''
Are the people who run the Foxwoods Casino proud of this record?
``An organist at St. Theresa's Church in Nasonville, Rhode Island,
Denise Manderville, worked as a caretaker for the four adults.'' Boston
Herald.
``Felony criminal charges are on the rise in northern areas of lower
Michigan and some judges, prosecutors, and others are blaming much of
the increase on compulsive gambling. Antrim prosecutor Charles Koop
said the gambling-related felonies are troubling because many of the
people aren't criminally-minded.'' Associated Press.
Gambling can lead to debt and bankruptcy.
``One-third of 120 compulsive gamblers participating in a pioneering
treatment study have either filed for bankruptcy or are in the process
of filing, a University of Connecticut researcher said Tuesday. Nancy
Petry said she recently gave a talk to a group of bankruptcy lawyers
who estimated that as many as 20 percent of their clients had mentioned
gambling as a reason for their problems.'' Hartford Courant.
Will Torres, Jr., spends part of his day listening to sad stories. As
the director of the Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana district attorney's
office bad check enforcement program, Torres has heard some doozies.
``I've seen people lose their homes, their retirements wiped out, their
marriages, people losing everything they have. Gambling, specifically
video poker, is starting to catch up with drugs and alcohol as a
precursor to local crime,'' Torres said. Torres and the district
attorney's office recently noticed an interesting trend while profiling
bad check writers: a large number of their suspects are video poker
addicts. ``We're not talking about people who mistakenly write a check
for groceries at Winn-Dixie for $25.33. We're talking about people who
are writing checks for $25 or $30 eight times a day at locations with
video poker machines or places in close proximity of video poker
machines,'' Torres said. So far this year, Torres' office has collected
$320,000 for Terrebonne Parish merchants who were given 3,600 worthless
checks. Torres said about 30 percent of those bad checks are connected
to gambling. `` `It's eating people up,' he said. `It's real sad when
people don't have a dollar. No money for food because of gambling
addictions. I've seen it up close, and video poker plays a large role
in the problem,' Torres said.'' The Courier.
Gambling affects children.
``A 4-year-old girl remained in protective custody in Fort Mill,
South Carolina, after her mother was charged with leaving her in a
locked car while she played video poker. Tuesday in Ridgeland, a woman
whose 10-day-old baby died in a sweltering car while she played video
poker was given a suspended sentence and 5 years' probation. York
County, South Carolina sheriff Bruce Bryant said such incidents reflect
the addictive nature of video poker. `You see the same thing with
people addicted to cocaine and heroin. They lose all rational thought
and will do anything to support their habit, sell the furniture right
out of their house, leave their babies in locked cars during the middle
of summer,' he said.'' The State, Columbia.
``Children have been left unattended at Indiana's riverboat casinos
more than three dozen times while their parents or other guardians were
gambling during the past 14 months. A Courier-Journal review of Indiana
Gaming Commission records found 37 instances involving an estimated 72
abandoned children since May of 1999 when the State first began
compiling reports of such episodes. In one case, an infant had to be
revived with oxygen.'' Louisville Courier-Journal.
Gambling affects families. We hear so much talk about family values
on this floor. When I think of both political parties taking money from
the gambling interests, they should read this story:
``There is an ugly undercurrent that's sweeping away thousands of
Missourians, people whose addiction to gambling has led to debt,
divorce and crime. This is a world of people like Vicky, 36, a St.
Charles woman who regularly left her newborn son with baby sitters to
go to the casinos and who considered suicide after losing $100,000. And
Kathy, a homemaker and mother of two from Brentwood, who would drop her
kids at school and spend the entire day at a casino playing blackjack.
She used a secret credit card that her husband didn't know about to
rack up more than $30,000 in debt.'' St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
[[Page H4374]]
In short, while the explosion of various forms of gambling across
America has, of course, generated some revenue for States and for the
gambling industry, it has left in its wake human misery that is only
now beginning to be understood. This misery ends up costing the State
more than it receives and creates a vicious cycle as the needs of
social services dramatically increases. Whether it is a State lottery,
a casino, or a cruise to nowhere, gambling is a poor bet for funding
legitimate social needs.
And soon gambling will be in every home in America with an Internet
connection. More than 850 Internet gambling sites worldwide had
revenues in 1999 of $1.67 billion, up more than 80 percent from 1998
according to Christiansen Capital Advisors, which tracks the industry.
Revenues are expected to top $3 billion by 2002.
I want this Congress, I want this Congress and this country, I want
this administration, who talks about family values also to reflect on
the seriousness of this issue. Frankly, I have heard no one in this
administration speak out on this issue, although to their credit they
are new, but we have sent letter after letter and they have not spoken
out on this issue. This is not about whether or not one makes a
decision of choice to travel to Las Vegas or Atlantic City and gamble
for recreation. The reality is that such a choice takes planning and
some time. As gambling spreads throughout the country, there is less
planning time and much more availability for potential addicts to
gamble. Imagine this availability being just one click away. This
Congress and this administration needs to consider the seriousness of
not passing an Internet gambling ban. Are we really ready to have a
virtual casino in every home in America with an Internet connection?
Mr. Speaker, with all this hard evidence, who is speaking out against
the spread of gambling? Crime, corruption, family breakdown, suicide,
bankruptcy, and yet the silence is deafening. In fact, in this body,
they passed a faith-based proposal yesterday which I supported, and the
broken bodies will be helped by that faith-based community. Yet the
Bush administration, whether it be Secretary Norton at Commerce or the
White House itself has not spoken out on this issue. Where is the Bush
administration on this issue?
I want to conclude by asking our political leaders, good people on
both sides of the aisle, I want to ask our religious leaders, I want to
ask those who care about the poor, that care about the poor that Jesus
talked about in Matthew 25, I want to ask those who care about the
elderly, I want to ask those who are always talking about family values
to speak up on this issue, because if you do not speak up on behalf of
the Nation's most vulnerable, who will?
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