community impact

Dear Editor:

I was disappointed to read Jack Markowitz’s sensational June 21 opinion piece, “Officials don’t see monster rising from The Rivers.”

Though casinos are new to Pittsburgh, gaming has been legal in Pennsylvania for nearly five years. During that time, critics’ fears that casinos will compound social problems have never been realized. Police reports from the state’s gaming communities document virtually no increase in local crime rates. In addition, the rate of gambling disorders has not increased with the advent of Pennsylvania’s casinos.

To the Editor:

I was disappointed that The New York Times provided anti-gaming activist Jon Kindt with a platform in Thursday’s article, “Recession Cuts Into States’ Gambling Revenues.”

Kindt’s gaming research is clearly colored by his personal bias, and it is routinely criticized by noted experts in the field. It is unfortunate that The New York Times offered him an opportunity to spread his vitriolic propaganda.

Dear Editor:

Though the American Gaming Association does not take a position on expanded gambling, I feel compelled to respond to Tom Cosgrove’s destructive and dishonest op-ed, “Gambling, by any name, is a tax on suckers.”

First, volumes of peer-reviewed studies have found no correlation between casinos and crime, suicide or the other social problems Mr. Cosgrove ascribes to the influence of gambling.

Also, his position is refuted by countless first-hand accounts from people living near casinos, who repeatedly affirm the many advantages they bring.

Dear Editor:

Unfortunately, in its exploration of the economic impact of gambling, Leroy Laney’s Feb. 15 article paints a very inaccurate picture of casinos.

First, peer-reviewed research refutes Mr. Laney’s claim that casinos are linked to a variety of social problems, including crime and divorce.

In addition, a mountain of evidence proves that casinos stimulate local economies, resulting in increased jobs, incomes and opportunities for local businesses who would supply these new facilities.

Dear Editor:

In his “Loser-friendly Casinos” (April 12) opinion article, Leslie Bernal makes a number of dubious and, ultimately, highly debatable claims about gambling.

The fact is that gambling is an entertainment option enjoyed by millions of people from all walks of life who choose the activity because it is a fun, exciting entertainment experience.

Dear Editor:

Though the American Gaming Association does not take a position on expanded gambling, I feel compelled to respond to Lynne Woolley’s opinion piece “The Hidden Costs of Bringing Gambling to Texas.”

First, volumes of peer-reviewed studies have found no correlation between casinos and the social problems Ms. Woolley ascribes to the influence of gambling.

Dear Editor:

John Kostrzewa’s column, “Banking on casinos is a threat to innovative, knowledge-based jobs of the future” (May 30), gets it wrong on gambling.

Mr. Kostrzewa offers no evidence to support his claim that gaming establishments do not create worthwhile job opportunities. Last year, casinos employed more than 330,000 people who earned $13.1 billion. Thousands more were put to work by gaming supply companies. I doubt those men and women would so easily dismiss the opportunities casinos provide.

I am disappointed that, for the second time this year, The New York Times has used worn-out and misleading claims to attack the casino industry. The July 5 editorial, “Gambling Fever,” recycles unfounded claims the paper used in a nearly identical piece published in January. Too bad repeating something doesn’t make it true.

In a recent op-ed, Massachusetts native Brian Wolfel turned up his nose at the employment opportunities casinos bring to communities, classifying them as undignified and “low-end” jobs.

It was a decade fraught with tremendous possibilities and challenges, one marked both by tragedy and triumph. Natural disasters, volatile politics, the rise of social networking and the fall of the global economy forever changed the way people throughout the world live and work. As the Aughts came to a close, the international gaming community emerged a larger, more diverse – and also a more guarded – industry than before.