Dear Editor,

I found the recent editorial, “Lawmakers should stop promoting gambling,” (3/9) disappointing and strewn with misinformation. While the American Gaming Association does not take a position on expanded gambling, we feel compelled to set the record straight.

As many of Florida’s legislators contend, new gaming venues not only provide an added source of tax revenue, but bring good-paying jobs, attract tourists and generate business opportunities for other local businesses that simply wouldn’t otherwise exist.

Contrary to the claims made in the editorial, casinos are patronized by men and women with higher than average incomes, higher than average education and who enjoy not only gaming, but the wide variety of other entertainment, services and amenities provided by the modern gaming industry.

Sadly, your editorial repeats tired and dispelled myths about the potential negative social impacts of legalized gaming. Since the mid-1990s, volumes of peer-reviewed scientific studies have found no correlation between casinos and the types of social problems you tie to the influence of gambling. Perhaps even more telling are the countless first-hand accounts from people living near casinos who repeatedly affirm the many advantages they bring to gaming communities. And despite the growth of the industry during the past several decades, the prevalence rate of pathological gambling has remained at approximately 1 percent of Americans.

Nonetheless, our industry takes problem gambling seriously and has long believed that even one problem gambler is one too many. We have implemented responsible gaming programs at casinos across the country and contributed millions of dollars to fund independent, peer-reviewed research on disordered gambling. We don’t want problem gamblers at our casinos – period.

Sincerely,

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