Riversweeps gambling isn’t a partisan issue. Too few have thoughtfully and objectively reviewed the research and seen the powerful negative impact of gambling on people especially those susceptible to this hyped and glamorous get rich quick appeal. Increasingly, our legislators -federal, state and local- and therefore the media are being seduced into embracing gambling as a simple means to get revenue with little reference to the destructive gradualism bought by the “harmless recreation” of legalized gambling.
Some of our legislators , community leaders, service clubs, and even police and public schools, are turning their heads by directly or indirectly promoting projects that receive funding from “washed money” sent through community non-profit foundations and organizations to be apportioned to the community. this is often gambling money taken mostly from those that cannot afford it. for instance a teenage neighbor came to our door selling raffle tickets for an area public school project. The tickets were chances to win 100 lotto tickets. How subtle the conditioning, having our minor children promoting gambling to support their band uniform purchases.
This author has interviewed many relations whose lives are shattered and houses and jobs lost from subtle gambling addictions which include the growing private internet and highly addictive video lottery gambling. Few if any of those stories make the newspapers or TV newscasts.