The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Dear Editor:

In the recent opinion piece “Casino is awful way to fund education,” Toby Tatum brands casinos as dishonorable and incorrectly clings to claims that have been consistently proven false. His piece mischaracterizes the commercial gaming industry and misleads readers.

A number of peer-reviewed studies conducted by well-respected law enforcement and public service organizations, including the National Institute of Justice, have found no positive correlation between crime and gambling.

Moreover, the majority of people who enjoy casinos do so responsibly using strict, limited budgets. Time and again, peer-reviewed studies have shown the prevalence rate for pathological gambling has held steady at approximately 1 percent of the adult population for more than 30 years despite the significant expansion of slot machines and VLTs during that time.

There is without a doubt a substantive positive link between casinos and regional economies.  Based on direct, indirect and induced impacts, the commercial casino industry supported approximately $125 billion in spending and nearly 820,000 jobs in the U.S. economy in 2010. Additionally, the industry directly paid nearly $16 billion in taxes in 2010.

The commercial casino industry is creating real jobs and opportunities for local businesses at a time when both are sorely needed. Surely there’s nothing dishonorable about that.

Sincerely,
Frank J. Fahrenkopf, Jr.
President and CEO
American Gaming Association