反賭博合法化聯盟

Timothy A. Kelly, Ph.D. September 8, 2009 To attract media coverage
• Dr. Kelly headed up the US National Gambling Impact Study Commission, a Congressional/Presidential Commission whose 1999 research-based report still stands as the most comprehensive and authoritative analysis of the social and economic impacts of legalized gambling.
• Dr. Kelly is a recognized authority in mental health issues in the US and in Asia, which includes pathological gambling (see book review; mention work in Sichuan). Main message (all based on the recommendations made in the NGISC report)
• The gambling industry has a corrupting influence on local government, which tends to become a minor partner in the gambling business. Once the stream of gambling revenue is in place it’s almost impossible to change course. In the US, a steady stream of local officials, mayors, and even governors (IL, LA) have been convicted for being “on the take” from the gambling industry.
• Legislators must do their due diligence before voting on gambling initiatives. This means funding a comprehensive and objective cost-benefit analysis of the economic and social consequences involved. Legislators do not serve the public well by relying only on the “benefit analysis” provided by gambling supporters that paint overly optimistic pictures of tax revenue, jobs, etc.
• The economic benefit of a casino is not all positive, since the revenue comes from people who otherwise would have spent their money elsewhere in the economy. Essentially, it’s just a shift of revenue from local businesses (restaurants, clothing, entertainment, etc) to the casino. Consequently local tax revenues will decline, and some local businesses will fail, once casinos are opened.
• The average quality of jobs created by a casino is not high, since most of them are floor positions without much potential for upward mobility. Investing in other industries such as manufacturing or information technology typically leads to the creation of better jobs.
• The social cost of having casinos near residential areas is high, especially for anyone who lives within a 10-mile radius. This is because a significant portion of the population is vulnerable to addiction, and will fall into pathological gambling due to the proximity of the site. Pathological gamblers go bankrupt, wreck families, engage in white-collar crime to pay gambling debts, and sometimes kill themselves. A significant portion of casino revenue comes from these poor souls. The state will have to pay for treatment and incarceration costs. In the US, at least 15.4 million people struggle with pathological gambling, including 15% of casino employees.
• Nevada tried to transform Las Vegas into a “family friendly” destination in the late 1990s, but the effort failed miserably. Now, the mantra is “what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas” and it is promoted as a city where adults can engage all their fantasies. The same will happen in Taiwan. Casinos will attract the full array of adult pleasures and pleasure-seekers, and this will become the environment of the hosting community.