The Washington Times

Letters to the Editor
The Washington Times
3600 New York Avenue, N.E.
Washington, D.C. 20002

Dear Editor:

Before Cal Thomas concludes in his Sept. 1 editorial “Gambling pressures on politics” that “[Frank] Wolf is right]” about banning soft money from gambling interests to the Republican and Democratic national parties, he should first check his facts, then refer to the U.S. Constitution.

The gaming industry’s political contributions reflect its growth as an industry and its stake in national issues. Like the 36 other industries that donated more money than the gaming industry, each seeks to participate in a political process that — like it or not — is shaped by financial contributions. As Thomas points out, overall contributions have increased 840 percent, while gaming industry contributions have increased 80 percent. It is up to the U.S. Congress to change that process — for all legal industries, not just ours. Until then, our industry, which represents millions of employees, customers and shareholders, will participate just like all others in the democratic process.

In addition to singling out the gaming industry, Mr. Thomas cites numerous statistics and facts without checking their validity. He uses wagering figures to inflate the size of the gaming industry. In fact, gross annual revenue in the entire gaming industry was $54 billion in 1998 — the total amount taken in before salaries, taxes and other expenses were paid. He also inaccurately describes the “typical gambler” using stereotypes instead of facts. The overwhelming majority of casino players set budgets when they gamble and view casino gambling as a social activity. The typical casino customer has a significantly higher median income, is about the same age (47 years of age versus 46 years of age for the overall U.S. population) and is more likely to hold a white—collar job than the average American.

While Thomas argued about the negative impact of gambling (which affect 1 percent of the U.S. adult population), he ignored the generous benefits enjoyed by the other 99 percent. As the federal commission concluded: “Today the vast majority of Americans either gamble recreationally and experience no measurable side effects related to their gambling, or they choose not to gamble at all.” Commercial casinos have been a generous source of tax revenue for states and localities, helping to reduce property taxes and build new libraries, schools and highways. They also have provided jobs for more than 325,000 Americans, and have an outstanding track record for providing jobs for those hardest to employ — those leaving the welfare rolls, minorities and the disabled.

That is not to suggest — as Mr. Thomas does — that the casino industry does not have a concern for that 1 percent who can’t gamble responsibly. In fact, the federal commission praised our industry for its leadership role in addressing pathological gambling through education initiatives and the funding of independent research.

The bottom line is that the “gaming” industry (a term that dates back to the 16th century, another fact Mr. Thomas failed to check) is a legal industry and deserves to be part of the political process. Mr. Thomas and Rep. Wolf are entitled to their personal views about gambling, but they are not entitled to suggest that because of them others’ rights should be restricted.

Sincerely,

Frank J. Fahrenkopf, Jr.