Dear Editor:

The recent op-ed “New York’s Bad Bet” by Paul Davies inaccurately portrays the gaming industry and its impact on communities across the nation.

Many peer-reviewed studies have found no connection between casinos and crime, divorce and the other social problems Mr. Davies attributes to their influence. If these claims were true, states with commercial casinos would be centers of depravity instead of home to successful communities that see casinos as valuable local partners.  

Furthermore, Mr. Davies’ assertion that opening more casinos would lead to more problem gamblers simply isn’t true. If expanded gambling led to more pathological gamblers, the prevalence rate for the disorder would have increased as gaming has expanded in the past 30 years. In fact, the rate has held steady at approximately 1 percent of the adult population.

Sincerely,

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