social costs

Good afternoon.  I’m Frank Fahrenkopf, president and CEO of the American Gaming Association, which represents the U.S. commercial casino industry in Washington.  I’ve been asked to give you an overview of today’s commercial casino industry.  I’ll start with some numbers and a look at our impact on the communities where we operate, then I’ll get into what the people who know our industry best are saying about gaming.

Dear Editor:

The American Gaming Association (AGA) does not take a position on gambling expansion; however, your readers deserve to know that Linda Hoffman’s opinion editorial “Table Games:  Bad Bet for Jefferson” (May 23) makes a case that is built on bad information.

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.

Good morning. I’m Frank Fahrenkopf, president and CEO of the American Gaming Association (AGA). I’d like to extend my sincere appreciation to the Nova Scotia Gaming Corporation for inviting me to join you here today.