Our Friends of ‘Stop Predatory Gambling’ Shares Important Articles From The Nation’s Top Law Schools About Gambling Operators, Tactics Used & Much More. . .

Welcome Recovery Friends,

I am urgently sharing this emailed message from Les Bernal, the Founder and National Director of Stop Predatory Gambling.

One of the nation’s top law schools has issued a series of articles exposing the truth behind gambling operators, including a spotlight on the issue of commercialized sports gambling.

The current issue of the University of Illinois Law Review has nine must-read articles by highly-respected scholars and attorneys.

The full list is here. They include:

– “Casinos- An Addiction Industry in the Mold of Tobacco and Opioid Drugs” authored by Northeastern Law Professor Richard Daynard, considered by many as the key legal architect behind the tobacco litigation movement,  and his colleagues at the Public Health Advocacy Institute at Northeastern University School of Law;

– “Black Youths Lost, White Fortunes Found: Sports Betting and the Commodification and Criminalization of Black Collegiate Athletes” authored by Frank Vandalla and Tallulah Lanier of Emory University School of Law;

– “Bans on Sports Gambling and Lotteries Would Pump-Prime the U.S. Economic System in the New Age of Covid” authored by John Kindt, Professor Emeritus of Business and Legal Policy at the University of Illinois and one of the nation’s most distinguished scholars on the economic consequences of commercialized gambling.

Please read the entire series of articles to expand your own knowledge about the truth behind gambling operators. The series is one of the few examples of independent scholarship being done on commercialized gambling because nearly all the research is presently funded by gambling operators. 

Please stop by the website of Stop Predatory Gambling https://www.stoppredatorygambling.org/what-is-predatory-gambling/ to see what is happening in your state with Problem Gambling and check out all their helpful Resources.


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FOR MANY, GAMBLING WAS NOT ALL FUN AND GAMES. IT BECAME OUR WORST NIGHTMARE. . .

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A Win For Slowing Online Sports Gambling Options! An Article of Bravery By The NY Times Shares as a New York State of Appeals Court Rules The Future of Fantasy Sportsbetting Contests into DOUBT.

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Through all the hard work of advocacy and supporting the team and director, Les Bernal and others involved with “The Stop Predatory Gambling Foundation.”
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We finally have WIN and movement toward slowing down the online sports betting venue of Fantasy Football and FanDuel! So much has come from the team of Les’s within Washington D.C. of hitting legislation hard to change the way they illegally advertise, offer, and prey on those who have gambling problems. So much so that ‘The New York Times’ has done an amazing article all about it.
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I’ll leave that to Les Bernal to share the news with this announcement I got by Email Today and Share The Story from The NY Times…

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Dear Catherine, Victims of state government’s commercialized gambling scheme experienced a major legal win yesterday in NY. Here is The New York Times coverage of the court decision declaring so-called “daily fantasy sports” (DFS) for what it really is: commercialized gambling. The New York State Constitution puts the power to expand gambling into the hands of the people, requiring a statewide vote. The NY Legislature, in partnership with powerful financial interests who stood to benefit from this latest form of commercialized gambling, tried to avoid this constitutional requirement when it pushed through a bill adding DFS to its existing wealth-extraction arsenal of lottery scratch tickets, electronic Quick Draw (i.e. Keno), regional casinos, and slot machine parlors. This victory is a direct result of the hard work and talent of Attorney Neil Murray. Despite the heavy demands of his practice, Neil has sacrificed an enormous amount of his time over the last twenty years to act against the injustice, poverty, and life-changing harm caused by commercialized gambling, especially in his home state of NY. This remarkable effort is his most recent achievement. The lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the law was coordinated by Stop Predatory Gambling. It was filed on behalf of four plaintiffs who had suffered personal or family harm from gambling debts resulting from commercialized gambling promoted by the state. Commercialized gambling is America’s biggest most-neglected problem. At a time when more than 60% of our citizens have less than $1000 in savings, people are on a collision course to lose more than $1 trillion of personal wealth to commercialized gambling over the next eight years. Our vision and plan is to reduce that financial harm by 50% during that span. The work of Attorney Murray moved us one step closer to achieving this goal. You can read the full decision here. All The Best, …… Les Bernal National Director Stop Predatory Gambling ____________________________________ Who We Are — – A 501c3 non-profit based in Washington, DC, we are a national social reform network of citizens and organizations from across the U.S. – We believe in improving the lives of the American people with compassion and fairness, freeing us from the impoverishment, exploitation, and fraud that commercialized gambling spreads. – We are one of the most diverse organizations in the United States, one in which conservatives and progressives work side-by-side to improve the common good. What We Stand For — – We believe everyone should have a fair opportunity to get ahead and improve their future. – We believe every person’s life has worth and that no one is expendable. – We believe that a good society depends on the values of honesty, concern for others, mutual trust, self-discipline, sacrifice, and a work ethic that connects effort and reward. – We believe no government body should depend on predatory gambling to fund its activities. If you share our beliefs, please help sustain our work by making a tax-deductible, financial gift today of $10 or mo

Stop Predatory Gambling Foundation 100 Maryland Avenue NE, Room 310  | Washington, District of Columbia 20002 (202) 567-6996 | les@stoppredatorygambling.org

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Fantasy Sports Contests Are Illegal Gambling, New York Appeals Court Rules

The court found that the law was unconstitutional, dealing a setback to sites such as FanDuel and DraftKings.  By Michael Levenson  Feb. 7, 2020, 6:23 a.m. ET

A New York State appeals court on Thursday struck down most of a law that authorized fantasy sports in the state, dealing a setback to companies like FanDuel and DraftKings in one of their most lucrative markets.

The law, signed by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo in August 2016, declared that fantasy sports did not constitute gambling and provided for consumer safeguards, minimum standards and the registration, regulation, and taxation of daily fantasy sports providers.

In October of that year, the law was challenged by four New York residents who said they had been harmed by gambling, including one woman, Jennifer White, whose father regularly patronized off-track betting facilities in Western New York while her mother was besieged by loan sharks and creditors.

Their lawsuit argued that the law carved out an illegal exemption to the State Constitution’s prohibition on gambling, which forbids the practice except for a few exceptions, including at a limited number of horse tracks and casinos.

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Legalizing daily fantasy sports, the lawsuit argued, would require a constitutional amendment approved by New York State voters, not a simple statutory change signed by the governor.

In 2018, Acting Justice Gerald W. Connolly of Albany County Supreme Court agreed with part of the lawsuit, holding that the law, to the extent that it authorized daily fantasy sports, violated the Constitution’s ban on gambling. At the same time, the court found that the Legislature had acted properly when it exempted daily fantasy sports from the penal code.

“On Thursday, the New York Supreme Court’s Appellate Division delivered a stronger ruling for the law’s opponents, finding both that the law was unconstitutional and that daily fantasy sports could not be exempted from the penal code.”

The ruling was based on the court’s finding that, while daily fantasy sports require skill, they also involve a degree of chance — such as whether a player might have an injury or illness or be affected by bad weather or poor officiating.

Cornelius D. Murray, who represents the four New Yorkers who brought the lawsuit, said he was pleased with the decision.

“As of today,” he said, “the legislation purporting to legalize daily fantasy sports is unconstitutional, so the penal law prohibiting it remains on the books.”

The office of the state attorney general, Letitia James, said it was reviewing the ruling and had no further comment. The governor’s office did not respond to requests for comment.

FanDuel said in a statement, “We expect that there will be an appeal and we’ll be able to continue to offer contests while that appeal is decided.”

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DraftKings also issued a statement saying that “the legislative action authorizing fantasy sports in New York was constitutional and in the best interests of taxpayers and fantasy sports fans.”
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Robert S. Rosborough IV, a partner at Whiteman Osterman & Hanna who specializes in appellate litigation and who has followed the case, said the final determination on the law’s constitutionality was likely to be made by the state’s highest court, the Court of Appeals. Until then, he said, customers will still be able to play daily fantasy sports in New York.

“The games can continue while the state appeals, but the future is certainly in flux after this ruling,” Mr. Rosborough said.

The Fantasy Sports & Gaming Association, an industry group, estimates that 59 million people played fantasy sports in the United States and Canada in 2017 — more than double the 27 million who played in 2009. Two out of three were men, their average age was 32, and each user spent an average of $653 annually on the sites.

DraftKings and FanDuel, which operate in 43 states, including New York, together accounted for almost all of the $390 million in revenue generated by daily fantasy sports in 2019, according to Chris Krafcik, a managing director at Eilers & Krejcik Gaming, a research and consulting firm.

New York, with its large, sports-crazed and relatively wealthy population, is easily one of the three largest daily fantasy sports markets in the United States, alongside California and Texas, Mr. Krafcik said.

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Holiday Recovery Watch Begins! I’m Here and By Email. A Special Resource and Message From Les of ‘Stop Predatory Gambling.’ A must-visit website!

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It’s night one of my “Recovery Holiday Watch” and my 7th year doing so. WHY? Part of maintaining my recovery is “to be of recovery service to others!” I take that seriously. No needs to be alone through the holiday season and I want others to know there are many who care and that they are worth a better life than being tangled with addicted gambling or any other addictions.

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Meet The National Director and Founder, Mr. Les Bernal of Stop Predatory Gambling. ORG who works tirelessly in Washington, D.C. and around the country to stop FOR-PROFIT Gambling … As gambling venues and options expand that includes, Indian Casinos, State Lottery, Online Sports Betting, and not just your normal places like Vegas, Reno, Tahoe, or even Laughlin and more, and I think we are SMART enough to know these venues are not making money and profits from your “once in a while players.”

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NO, they are making profits off the backs of those who are addicted or are problem gamblers, who get drawn into going all the time. I know because I DID. Here is a SPecial Message from Les and more about who they are and would urge you to visit their website Stop Predatory Gambling.   You can see what’s happening in your state and around the country. It will open your eyes!

~Advocate, Catherine Lyon 

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WHO ARE THEY?

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Who We Are

• We believe in improving the lives of the American people with compassion and fairness, freeing us from the lower standard of living, exploitation, and fraud that commercialized gambling spreads.

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• A 501c3 non-profit based in Washington, DC, we are a national government reform network of individuals and organizations from across the country.

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• We are one of the most diverse organizations in the United States, one in which conservatives and progressives work side-by-side to improve the common good.

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• You can read more about our history here.

We Stand For

• We believe everyone in America should have a fair opportunity to get ahead and improve their future.

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• We believe every person’s life has worth and that no one is expendable.

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• We believe that a good society depends on the values of honesty, concern for others, mutual trust, self-discipline, sacrifice, and a work ethic that connects effort and reward.

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• We believe no agency or entity of government should depend on predatory gambling to fund its activities.

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• If you believe what we believe, sign An American Declaration on Government and Gamblingtoday.

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One In Every FIVE Addicted or Problem Gambler Will Try SUICIDE … Every Life is Precious.

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A LIFE-CHANGING PROBLEM TO TALK ABOUT:
By, Les Bernal 

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Hi Catherine,

The problem of commercialized gambling will be a subject of conversation in millions of American homes over the next few days as families and friends gather for Thanksgiving and The Christmas Season . . .

Why? Because it’s America’s biggest most-neglected problem today.

Americans are on course to lose more than $1 trillion of personal wealth to commercialized gambling over the next eight years.

Our mission is to reduce this enormous loss of wealth by citizens by 50% over the same span.

Below are some must-share facts along with some specific reforms that will dramatically improve the lives of millions of Americans:

The Problem: Tens of millions of citizens are broke!!! And millions of citizens are now addicted to commercialized gambling.

• Savings is the road to wealth creation. Savings. Yet this concept of savings is almost foreign to more than half the country’s citizens.
• 50% of the U.S. population has zero or negative net wealth.
• More than 60% of citizens don’t have enough savings to cover a $1000 emergency expense.

Partial Policy Solutions That Have Been Put Forward From Both Political Parties to Help Solve the Problem:

• Tax Cuts
• Tax Credits
• Raising the Minimum Wage
• Increasing Taxes on the Rich
• ….None of which represent a consequential fix

Absent from the List is America’s Biggest Most-Neglected Problem: The Life-Changing Citizen Losses of Personal Wealth to Commercialized Gambling

The sheer size and scope of these financial losses lack any comparison:

• The American people are expected to lose $1 trillion of their personal wealth to government-sanctioned gambling over the next eight years.
• In 2018 alone, they were expected to lose $118 billion.
• That means Americans are losing $224,505 per minute.

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The Way Forward

• Building assets, the accumulation, and investment of savings, are key for anyone looking to make a better life. A home, a college fund, retirement accounts, a stock portfolio—these assets are the hallmarks of middle and upper-class America, and they are all the result of savings.
• Building assets is the direct opposite of commercialized gambling. No single policy reform would create more financial peace for low-to-middle-income citizens than reversing the current scheme of turning millions of people who are small earners, who could be small savers, into habitual bettors.

Partial List of Reform Proposals Include:

• To safeguard the health of minors, no kids under should be exposed to gambling ads and marketing on TV, radio, at point-of-sale, or on the internet.
• No advertising or marketing of commercialized gambling to low-income populations.
• A ban on the sale of lottery products in check-cashing outlets, which serve unbanked, low-income people.
• No high dollar lottery tickets should be sold in low-income areas (ending the practice of selling tickets greater than $5.00)
• Capping staking levels on all slot machine-style games, regardless of whether it is a physical machine or online, to $2.00 or less. There is no justification for staking levels above $2.00.
• End the predatory practice of allowing commercialized gambling on credit, whether by credit card or “markers,” (interest-free loans issued by casinos.) It’s inconceivable that states encourage citizens to fund their gambling addiction using debt.
• Require state lotteries to track and report re-wagers and quantify their relationship to sales and subsequent prizes.
• Ban “loot boxes” and other elements of commercialized gambling that are currently being engineered into video games that kids under 18 are playing.
• Reduce the overall amount of lottery games being marketed to the public. Presently, some states offer dozens of different gambling games. For example, Texas was promoting 92 scratch games for sale in November 2019.
• Reduce the amount of locations where extreme forms of gambling like electronic gambling machines are being marketed by the state.
• Reduce the speed of the commercialized gambling being offered by states. Many of the most harmful forms of commercialized gambling are also the fastest like electronic gambling machines, online gambling, and scratch tickets.
• Require commercialized gambling interests to be treated the same under civil litigation laws as any other business.
• Create an Office of the Public Advocate committed to public service in representing state citizens in any matter that is covered by the authority of the state gambling commissions, as well as proceedings before state and federal agencies and courts, so that they are protected from being exploited and cheated by commercialized gambling operators. This is similar to what many states do in representing state utility consumers.
• Require that state problem gambling councils collect and report annual data on state gambling addiction numbers and on the effectiveness of the problem gambling interventions being funded (changing the measurement from how many calls are taken to how many people are moved from addicted to not addicted).
• Restrictions on the inducements offered to gamblers to keep them gambling or luring them to start gambling after they have stopped.

Please consider how you can use your time, talent, and treasure to help move these desperately-needed, long-overdue social reforms forward over the next 18 months and let me know. Thank you. I appreciate all you do, Catherine!

Best,

Les Bernal
National Director
Stop Predatory Gambling

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Who We Are —

– A 501c3 non-profit based in Washington, DC, we are a national social reform network of citizens and organizations from across the U.S.

– We believe in improving the lives of the American people with compassion and fairness, freeing us from the lower standard of living, exploitation, and fraud that commercialized gambling spreads.

– We are one of the most diverse organizations in the United States, one in which conservatives and progressives work side-by-side to improve the common good.

If you share our beliefs, please help sustain our work by making a tax-deductible, financial gift today of $10 or more.

Stop Predatory Gambling Foundation
100 Maryland Avenue NE, Room 310  | Washington, District of Columbia 20002
(202) 567-6996 | les@stoppredatorygambling.org

Legal Sports Betting Expansion Passed By Supreme Court – What’s It All About?

I was honored to be invited and take part in a multi-line phone conference today that addressed the law passed on Sports Betting and Expansion and it means with Founder, Les Bernal National Director of Stop Predatory Gambling . org and over 100 phone guests today.

Parents, heads up as YOU need to be informed on what is happening and changes coming with online sports betting. And we are not talking places like Fan Fuel or Daily Fantasy Sports betting either. Today was just the first phone session to have a stradegy on how all of concerned of how this will open door up to another easy gambling venue to our kids.

Especially those not old enough yet to walk into a casino or place state lottery bets or play machines of slots, horse racing, and video poker machines. I wanted to share a little some of 2 articles as well about a young man’s story of how Daily Fantasy got him hooked and just how misleading Daily Fantasy is. And another from last moth about the Surpreme Court Decission on sports betting in general to understand what can happen now …

I look forward to sharing more about this problem of sports betting sites as we need always be informed and educated. Now that gambling is reaching our kids, parents, this IS the time to be aware about your kids and what they are really doing on the Internet! They may not be playing video games. They just might be gambling right from their room … Catherine

 

How the Daily Fantasy Sports Industry Turns Fans Into Suckers ~ The New Times Magazine ~ Jay Caspian Kang

 

Full Disclosure: “I am a 36-year-old dude who bores easily, drinks I.P.A.s and wears sports-themed T-shirts, especially ones with faded, nostalgic logos that suggest better times.”

In my early 20s, I developed a gambling problem that I’ve since learned to spread out over a variety of low-stakes games — Scrabble, pitch-and-putt golf, my stock profile on ETrade. I watch somewhere between six and 20 hours of basketball per week. I try to keep up with the usual cultural things — documentaries about conflict in South Sudan, Netflix binge shows, memes — but whenever I find myself awake in the early morning and there is no email to answer and no news to track, I watch SportsCenter, or I scan the previous night’s N.B.A. box scores to check up on Porzingis, or I read some dissertation on Johnny Cueto’s unusual ability to hold runners on first base. It’s not the most glamorous way to spend my time, but what can I do? My mind, at its most aimless, obsessively seeks out sports information. I am, in other words, the target demographic for the daily fantasy sports industry.

Since the start of this N.F.L. season, I have lost roughly $1,900 on DraftKings and FanDuel, the two main proprietors of daily fantasy sports (D.F.S.). I play pretty much every night. This requires me to pick a team of players — whether baseball, basketball, football, hockey or soccer — each of whom have been assigned a dollar amount, and fit them all under a salary cap. I base these lineups on reasonably educated hunches, something to the effect of: I’ll play the Indiana Pacers point guard George Hill tonight, because he’s going up against the New Orleans Pelicans, who have been a defensive train wreck this season, especially on the perimeter.

Also, Monta Ellis, Hill’s back-court partner, is sitting out, which means more of the usage load should fall to Hill. Sometimes, usually while walking the dog, I’ll even sit down on a park bench and check to make sure that at least some of those facts are real. My bets range anywhere from $3 to $100. My losses in D.F.S. are not financially crippling, nor are they happening at a rate that should be cause for concern. But every gambler, whatever the size of the problem, wants to know that he or she has some chance of winning.

The ads, (advertising) I admit, are what got me. For the first 10 months of 2015, DraftKings and FanDuel spent more than a combined $200 million on advertising, a surge that peaked at the start of the football season, when a DraftKings ad ran seemingly every couple of minutes on television. In addition to the ads, many of which showed regular guys like me who had won, in the DraftKings parlance, “a shipload of money,” there were DraftKings lounges in N.F.L. stadiums, FanDuel sidelines in N.B.A. arenas and daily fantasy advice segments in the sports sections of newspapers and all over ESPN, which, during the first weeks of the N.F.L. season, felt as if it had been converted into a nonstop publicity machine for DraftKings. As of August, both companies had billion-dollar valuations and promised weekly competitions with huge payouts and fast and easy withdrawals.

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(Gabriel Harber, the fantasy-sports podcaster, broadcaster and writer known to fans as CrazyGabey, at his home outside Columbus, Ohio, in late December 2015.CreditMaddie McGarvey for The New York Times)

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“Given the current state of online gaming, the next logical question is, ‘Is this site legal?’” Fargis continued. “Happily, I’m able to tell you that fantasy sports games are explicitly protected by the U.I.G.E.A. (the same law that has given online poker so much trouble in the U.S.A.). Instant Fantasy Sports is 100 percent legal in the U.S.A. and Canada.” 

I hope you will visit the link The New Times Mag to read the rest of this article as it has some good information … 

 

 

###################  ~ Now to the next article!

 

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(Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

6 winners and 4 losers from the Supreme Court’s big sports gambling decision Loser: sports leagues. Winner: sports leagues.

By Alex Kirshner@alex_kirshner  May 15, 2018, 7:00am EDT

 

“On Monday, the Supreme Court struck down a 1992 federal law and in the process paved the way for states across the country to legalize sports betting. The end of the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) could fundamentally change how Americans interact with the sports they love. It will be great news for some and bad news for others.”

Winner: The gaming industry

The American Gaming Association, the main lobbying group for the country’s casinos, has been pushing for legalized sports gambling for years. Casinos stand to make a lot of money once states across the country start making sports betting legal. There’s a ton we still don’t know about what legal sports betting will look like, including which states will offer it and how much of it will be online. But it’s a good bet that brick-and-mortar casinos will be among the first places allowed to offer it. They stand to make lots of money.

“I think it’s gonna be interesting,” says Richard McGowan, a Boston College management professor who has written six books about the gambling business. “I think most states originally are gonna say, ‘Alright, we’re just gonna allow at the casinos.’ And then they’ll do it a little bit online, and then there’ll be all kinds of different ways of doing it, so we’ll see.”

Loser: The big sports leagues

The NCAA was officially the other party in the case New Jersey brought to the Supreme Court. The NFL, NHL, NBA, and MLB had all sided with the NCAA. The leagues have maintained for ages that sports betting poses a threat to the integrity of their games. They have never been fans of outside groups — like casinos and offshore bookmakers — making money off their sports without giving the leagues a cut.

Winner: Also the big sports leagues

Whatever moral or integrity case the leagues had against sports gambling might fade to the background quickly, because they’re positioned to make lots of money on it. That money could come from different sources. The leagues are likely to push Congress and/or states to impose what’s commonly called an “integrity fee,” basically a tax on sports bets that sportsbooks would pay to the leagues for hosting bets on their sports.

Even if the leagues don’t get an integrity fee built into state or federal legislation, there are a million potential revenue streams. Legal sports gambling would create a lucrative advertising market for leagues, where betting operators pay them for public exposure.

In the right legal environment, leagues could attach betting software to their online offerings, like baseball’s MLB.tv or football’s NFL Game Pass. There might also be licensing revenue for leagues to make from sportsbooks. There are plenty of cash-grab opportunities.

Winner: Sports media outlets

Including SB Nation. When people have money on sporting events, they’re more likely to watch them and look up information about them. Legal sports betting should lead to more people risking money on games, which should drive up TV ratings and story clicks.

Like the leagues, media companies are free to hunt other lines of business that might come with sports betting’s legalization. That could include starting their own betting apps in places that allow it and writing more about gambling news, to name a few ideas.

Loser: Las Vegas, at least a little bit

Vegas has been the hub for legal American sports betting for decades, much more than the other three states that had varying forms of legal sports betting after PASPA passed in 1992. It will hurt Nevada casinos and sportsbooks when other states open their borders to legal sports gambling, according to basic supply-and-demand principles. On the other hand, Vegas has survived the expansion of casinos in other states. Maybe its gaming industry will adjust again and avoid losing too much revenue to outside sports betting.

Winner: New Jersey

Speaking of other states getting sports gambling: New Jersey is going to have it soon. Voters in the Garden State decided in a 2011 referendum that they wanted sports betting to bolster struggling casinos in Atlantic City. Federal courts had blocked the state from implementing its voters’ will, arguing that PASPA prohibited Jersey from legalizing sports betting. It’ll be in local casinos soon. Both Chris Christie and his Democratic successor as governor, Phil Murphy, have hailed the court’s decision as a huge win for their state.

 

Loser: Offshore and black-market sportsbooks

The spread of legal sports betting will not kill the black market. Under-the-table bookies still have one big advantages legal casinos don’t: They can offer credit to bettors and not require bets to be paid and settled up front. Does that encourage people to take on terrible gambling debts that can ruin their lives? Yes. But it’s a boon to illegal bookmakers, and they’ll still be able to capitalize on people’s addictions in this new climate.

But illegal sportsbooks will still lose some business, as will offshore operations based in Latvia, Costa Rica, or wherever. Just as there are still illegal cigarettes and illegal marijuana in places where cigarettes and weed are legal, there will still be illegal sports betting. But there will be less of it where people are allowed to participate without any legal risk.

Winner: Sports’ integrity

Legal sportsbooks can tell leagues when a weird, inexplicable betting trend starts right before a game. Illegal sportsbooks can’t. The leagues might be the ones getting a fee, but bringing more sports betting into the light should limit opportunities for cheating.

Loser: Federal power ~ Winner: States’ rights advocates

At its core, New Jersey’s case wasn’t about sports betting. It was about states’ and the federal government’s regulatory authority. New Jersey argued (and a majority of the Supreme Court justices agreed) that by banning states from legislating an issue Congress hadn’t, the federal government was “commandeering” New Jersey’s state regulatory power.

That explains in some part why the solicitor general for the administration of President Donald Trump — a former casino operator who almost certainly has no moral objections to gambling — filed a brief with the court in support of the sports leagues.

This ruling invalidated PASPA and effectively told Congress to figure out something new if it cares about sports betting. As Samuel Alito wrote for the court’s majority:

Congress can regulate sports gambling directly, but if it elects not to do so, each State is free to act on its own. Our job is to interpret the law Congress has enacted and decide whether it is consistent with the Constitution. PASPA is not. PASPA “regulate[s] state governments’ regulation” of their citizens.” … The Constitution gives Congress no such power.

This decision could easily impact other walks of American life. It was about a lot more than whether you can walk up to a window in Indiana and bet on a Pacers game.

 

Everything you need to know about the Supreme Court’s ruling on sports betting

• Which states will offer legalized sports betting? Who could be next?
• 6 winners and 4 losers from the Supreme Court’s gambling decision
• How the Supreme Court’s decision on gambling affects the NFL

Gambling, Suicide, Twitter News Around The Web of Friends and More!

So I had a busy weekend visiting some of my favorite recovery websites, and there is a lot going on that is Good News. So I thought I would share some of my friends I am connected to around the web and social media. Many exciting things are happening with gambling and legislation by The National Council on Problem Gambling and my friends of Stop Predatory Gambling team!

I feel the more educated and informed we are as advocates maintaining recovery, and the public, the better we are for having the news and updates of the hard-working people who Care and Share Hope to those who are still suffering and for those reaching out for help. That is the main reason’s I do what I do here on my Recovery Blog! It truly is my way of “being in recovery service to others”…

I was also on Twitter yesterday and was few days prior had been interacting and sharing with some of my good friends. My Brandon Novak from The Jack Ass movies and a few others including myself were tweeting back and forth. I then get a very nice DM on Twitter from a HUGE FAN of the guys of Jack Ass movies like Brandon, BAM, … And I was so “Touched” I shared it with my buddies and wanted to share it here. WHY?

Because we never know who is reading and we may be helping others who need support maintaining recovery!! I Thanked Kylie too!! xoxo

TWITTER MESSAGES:

I’m a massive fan of Bam it’s so good to see him and Brandon skating again and I’ve been watching them both in recovery it’s been exceptionally inspirational Brandon Novak is truly amazing and he inspires me daily as to your tweets! To watch Novak in the Jackass and CKY days, now turned into the true gentleman he is today is a real blessing. Some people never get to see that there is a chance at recovery. YOU truly have an amazing gift and they’re very lucky to be writing about sobriety and all it has to offer. YOUR words are so true addiction is a major problem in Australia where I come from and gambling is huge. It’s the “unspoken addiction.” I had to download all the “Pokie” games on my hubby’s phone to keep him out of the clubs!

It’s more people like you that we need in the world! I try to practice by giving back “Positiveness” to my friends that are still suffering and in addiction and I hope that they see that if I can do it they can do it!! They just need a little bit of love, as I know I felt within addiction I didn’t even love myself, therefore I didn’t feel that I was capable of receiving it …Really is a pleasure to be speaking with you and I look forward to getting to know you better and reading more about your inspirational tweets. If it can just reach one person, then that one person has more of a chance to live again.

You are very lucky to have gotten to know Brandon Novak, I just hope that “Bam” can get through his demons … It is such a shame to see a young boy so full of life and had the world at his feet and after losing his best friend turn to addiction. It’s a constant battle and I just hope that with the love of Novak, and others that Bam can find some peace.

Thanks again for all of your encouragement and support! lots of love Kylie.

MY MESSAGE BACK TO KYLIE:

Very KIND words and I thank you for your support and new friendship! Your words mean much to me and all advocates who share, then it brings our Voices collectively as ONE.

Brandon ‘s friendship, like you said, has been a blessing and inspiration to me. He is always open and transparent maintaining and speaking about his recovery. Though not easy, and yes, we have days when we hit a bump or two, but we never give up! As I have learned, addiction IS always “lying in wait” for those rough days. So if I can help and share HOPE with others so they know to never give up the battle.

WE ARE Worth more than DEATH due to addiction. The more I can inform, educate, and raise awareness about the dangers of Gambling Addiction and Alcoholism, maybe those still suffering will finally have that “Light Bulb Moment” of clarity to not want to live that any longer! Just my 2 cents worth …LOL. I look forward to knowing you better as well!

Please Email Me anytime! lyonmedia@aol.com XoXo CaT

“JUST AMAZING SUPPORTIVE PEOPLE ON MY Twitter @LUV_Recovery!!”

 

NOW NEWS AROUND THE WEB!

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SPORTS BETTING WEBINAR: May 22nd, 2018 ~ NCPGambling ~ 1:00 PM ET

The US Supreme Court has declared the federal ban on sports betting to be unconstitutional. By repealing the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA), the Supreme Court opens the door for any state to legalize sports betting. Join NCPG Executive Director Keith Whyte on this webinar as he discusses the implications resulting from the Supreme Court’s decision as it relates to problem gambling and responsible gaming including: Increased Prevalence of Problem Gambling Across the US The Impact on Public Health A Rise in Youth Gambling The Risks of Mobile Platforms for Sports Betting Legislation and Consumer Protections Have a specific question you would like addressed in the webinar? Email them to CaitH@ncpgambling.org by 8am ET on Tuesday, May 22.

FREE for NCPG Members | $59 for Non-Members

REGISTER

 

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Hi Catherine,

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE               CONTACT: Les Bernal, National Director
May 14, 2018                                          202-567-6996 | mail@stoppredatorygambling.org

STOP PREDATORY GAMBLING STATEMENT ON SUPREME COURT’S DECISION IN MURPHY VS. NCAA!!! …

(WASHINGTON, DC) — Stop Predatory Gambling released the following statement following this morning’s U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling overturning the federal law that preventing states from sanctioning and promoting sports gambling:

“All men and women in our nation deserve a fair opportunity to build the best life possible for themselves and their families.”

This litigation was conceived in greed by powerful gambling interests in partnership with a handful of self-serving politicians to benefit a privileged few. It’s a naked money grab from the wallets of ordinary Americans cloaked as a “states’ rights” case.

While the Court’s ruling centered on lofty questions involving states’ rights, the real-world consequences of its decision are severe. The American people lost $117 billion on state-sanctioned gambling in 2016, causing life-changing financial losses for millions of citizens. It directly contributes to the lack of mobility out of poverty that traps so many. This serious national problem will be made far worse if the government is allowed to operate and advertise sports betting.

Sports betting is especially dangerous for American kids. Studies show that children in those countries with legal sports gambling are repeatedly exposed to harmful messages and advertisements about sports gambling. It normalizes gambling for kids.

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Author, Macauley South

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State-sanctioned gambling is a relic of past failures of political leadership. Strong, visionary leaders from both political parties will ultimately phase out state-sanctioned gambling because it’s failed. It’s inevitable. It’s not a question of if but when.

We’ll continue our just fight to improve people’s lives with compassion and fairness until then.”

Click here to read the U.S. Supreme Court decision.

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Stop Predatory Gambling

Who We Are

• A 501c3 non-profit based in Washington, DC, we are a national government reform network of individuals and organizations from across the U.S.
• We believe in improving the lives of the American people with compassion and fairness, freeing us from the lower standard of living, exploitation, and fraud that commercialized gambling spreads.
• We are one of the most diverse organizations in the United States, one in which progressives work side-by-side with conservatives with a common national purpose.

What We Stand For

• We believe everyone should have a fair opportunity to get ahead and improve their economic standing.
• We believe every person’s life has worth and that no one is expendable.
• We believe that a good society depends on the values of honesty, concern for others, mutual trust, self-discipline, sacrifice, and a work ethic that connects effort and reward.
• We believe no government body should depend on predatory gambling to fund its activities.

If you share our beliefs, please help sustain our work by making a tax-deductible, financial gift today of $10 or more.

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Our Vision

“One day we will live in a world where we won’t have to call it “brave” when talking about mental illness. We’ll just call it talking.”

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MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS ~ OUR MISSION

The mission of This Is My Brave, Inc. is to end the stigma surrounding mental health issues by sharing personal stories of individuals living successful, full lives despite mental illness through poetry, essay and original music, on stage in front of a live audience, through stories submitted and published to our blog, and via our YouTube channel.

Through the sharing of stories and experiences of those in recovery, we provide a sense of community and hope; and encourage others to share their stories. We believe that each time one of us shares our story, there’s another crack helping to break down the stigma surrounding mental illness. Right now, it’s time to #LiveBrave, stand up with us to say #isharemystory and help us bring mental health issues into the spotlight because they’ve been in the dark too long.

We believe in the power of community. There’s strength found in people coming together to propel a movement forward which is why we created our organization.

Please Help Prevent Suicide and Support The Mission and Visit  “This Is My Brave Org” to Help TODAY!

 

(Huffington Post) – Truckers Line Up Below Bridge To Help Prevent Suicide

 

 

Coming The End of Sept. ‘The 2nd Annual National Week Of Action To Stop Predatory Gambling’and Ronda Hatefi.

IT’S TIME TO STOP PREDATORY GAMBLING
FROM GOVERNMENT & STATES…

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*TIME AGAIN FOR “THE NATIONAL WEEK OF ACTION TO STOP PREDATORY GAMBLING” SEPTEMBER 2016*

Fall is in the air and that means another week of ‘Raising Awareness, Educating, and Informing the Public about Problem and Addicted Gambling’ . . . . .

Most all my friends and recovery blog followers know I live my life in recovery for almost 10-year’s from gambling addiction and alcohol abuse. For my new visitors?

That is what this recovery blog is all about. It is my continued journey from my current book/memoir titled; “Addicted to Dimes (Confessions of a Liar and a Cheat) ” My story of my life and what I went through with gambling addiction and living with undiagnosed mental health, which cost me way more than the money lost, it almost cost my LIFE TWICE by SUICIDE.

So once again this year I will be blogging here all month long in “Honor” of My dear friend Ronda Hatefi and her brother Bobby Hafemann who had committed suicide due his gambling addiction. Suicide should never be an option to STOP GAMBLING ADDICTION.

 
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.    ( Ronda Hatefi and a Photo of her brother Bobby Hafemann )

My dear friend Ronda lost her brother July 20, 1995, and for 21 years she has been sharing his story and raising awareness of State Lottery Predatory Gambling. See, Bobby Hafemann became addicted to ‘The Oregon State Lottery Video Poker machines’ after they were introduced in 1992 throughout the State of Oregon, USA. And as Ronda knows, so was I later in 1997 on for many years. Shortly after Bobby’s death, she started the organization Oregonians For Gambling Awareness and petitioned Oregon’s governor to proclaim September 29 as “Problem Gamblers Awareness Day.”

I spoke with Ronda the other day by phone and told her that The Oregon Lottery and our State failed her, her family and Bobby by not having enough funding for Bobby from the lottery for treatment services they are supposed to set up for those who become addicted. There have been many articles written about Bobby Hafemann and his story through the year’s, here is one to get the full scope of Ronda and her families loss here: http://www.mentalhealthportland.org/since-brothers-suicide-ronda-hatefi-has-worked-to-raise-awareness-about-problem-gambling/

And the expansion of lottery and casinos? That will be another blog post topic here this month. And this is not taking into account all the Indian Casinos that have opened throughout my former state I lived in for over 26-years myself. Gambling machines were everywhere! So last year’s very first “National Week of Action to Stop Predatory Gambling” was to Honor and Remember Bobby Hatefi and were many events held with the help of Les Bernal and the fine folks of
Stop Predatory Gambling  ….

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Les has been National Director since 2008 when the national network grew into the organization of Stop Predatory Gambling. Like many of the thousands of citizens who have fought against government-sponsored casinos and lotteries over the last twenty-five years, Les was a convert to the cause. The more he learned about the spectacular failure of this public policy, so the more committed he became to work for a more honest, fairer, healthier and more hopeful vision of the path to American prosperity.

He has spoken and written extensively about online gambling, regional casinos, and state lotteries, all of which are being promoted by our government and states to citizens. He has testified before Congress, he has appeared on national television and radio including 60 Minutes, CNN, Fox News Channel, MSNBC, National Public Radio and The BBC. He has been cited by more than 550 newspapers and magazines including The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Economist, USA Today, and Sports Illustrated. He has also spoken before more than 1000 business organizations, college audiences and faith groups across the nation.

They are a great resource to see how gambling establishments are “impacting your community.” So visit their website, type in your STATE, and see what you can do to help in your community here:  Check Your State
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Now  Ronda works very hard sharing her “Take a Break Campaign” that has been educating and raising awareness about addicted gambling.  And Ronda will be with us all month sharing more about the campaign and how she advocates. But today, I wanted to share a little of what she and her family experienced and had gone through watching her brother, their son slip through their fingers as he became deeper into gambling addiction.

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THE PLACES LUCK WILL TAKE YOU  ~ Ronda Hatefi

My story is about luck. You know, everyone today wishes to be lucky. Lucky enough to win the game, to get the promotion at work, to not get a speeding ticket when your late for work, and of course to win the lottery or just your local poker game.

How much does just plain luck have to do with these things? Are some people just luckier than others? Can you increase your luck by carrying a lucky penny, rabbit’s foot, or token of some sort?

I used to think these things were true. We always said that my brother was the lucky one in our family. As kids we would walk through the store together, he found a $20 bill near the register. Camping we all walked along the same log, he found the $10 bill. He was always picking up coins off the ground, and somehow we all just knew it was because he was luckier than we were. This did not stop in adulthood.

When he turned 18 he bought himself a scratch ticket from the Oregon Lottery. Guess what, $500 winner. How can one guy be this lucky? He continued to buy lottery tickets, winning some, losing some. He bought some mega bucks, and keno tickets as well. We heard a lot more about the winning than we did the losing so I can’t really tell you a percentage of wins to losses.

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Then video poker machines came into Oregon. This was a new challenge for him, one that he took on like any other, with 110% effort. Again, he started out lucky, with wins; enough for him and us to all think once again, he was just lucky.

After some time, it seemed that his luck had started to run out. Things were not going his way anymore. He was losing more than he was winning, to the point of having to borrow and sell things to keep gambling, and he was passed up for a promotion at work. He continued to gamble, more than he had been to try to get his lost money back. Chasing that win, knowing that his luck would turn again. It didn’t happen liked he had hoped. For a guy that was used to winning, these were some pretty hard facts to face.

He became suicidal and spoke about it to only a couple of people who didn’t know what to do so they did nothing. I am not sure how long he felt this way; I know that he did write a few notes. The last one he wrote was the hardest to read. He spoke of a cruel world, (things weren’t going his way anymore), he felt like a ghost, someone that no one could see, and that he couldn’t see anyone else. You see, Bobby’s luck took him places for a long time, but when it ran out, he lost more than his money.

Before he lost his life, he lost his self-respect, his self-esteem, his quality of life, his love of life, and his desire to live and hope. He wanted it all to stop. This is way too much to lose; I think gambling with these things is too much to ask. My point of this story is that you really can’t rely on luck, you may be lucky for awhile but chances are it will run out. You hear about the good things that gambling does, the big wins, this is the other side.

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If you can’t control it by sticking to time and money limits or if it controls your thoughts, or it is not fun anymore, it is time to get help.  I have learned there are people out there that care, and that really want to and know how to help, that it is okay to talk about your gambling problem or your family members gambling problem without feeling the shame and guilt that Bobby felt. I know that if we continue to educate people on this issue that maybe we can help others not suffer the same pain that Bobby suffered and that we are still suffering today.

I have always said that the pain that my family and I have felt is sometimes unbearable, but it is nothing compared to what he must have been feeling at the moment he decided to end it. I can’t imagine having that kind of pain over something that is offered as entertainment by our State and Country.

Please help us continue to share about the addiction of gambling, and the trouble it can cause. Know that help is available. It is free, confidential and it works.

If you live in the State of Oregon, Please Call 1-877-MY-LIMIT ( 1-877-695-4648).
If in any other State Call The National Hotline: Gambling Helpline Network (1-800-522-4700).  If you feel ‘Hopeless’ call The Suicide Hotline: Call 1-800-273-8255 Available 24 hours every day  .  .  .  .

 

Ronda Hatefi –Eugene, OR.
Founder  Oregonians for Gambling Awareness Organization and Ronda Hatefi  And The Take a Break Campaign.

A very important Message from my friend Les Bernal…Casino’s & Gambling Addiction

Hello Recovery Friends, Readers, & New Visitor’s,

I happened to get a Very Important Email today from my “PAL Les Bernal” and felt I needed to *SHARE* it in the *SPIRIT* of Educating the public about MY addiction I’m recovering from for almost 7 years now.  Compulsive Addicted Gambling Addiction is a REAL Addiction & Disease….

Many DON’T know that with ALL the Indian Casino’s popping up all over the United States, and many individual states NOW allowing the STATE LOTTERY have Slot Style Machines, just like the one’s that were EVERYWHERE in my home STATE of OREGON.

SO, for all you FOLKS WHO ARE in Recovery from Addicted Gambling in The New York State Area….

This Blog post and share of the EMAIL I received from LES is for YOU! I hope you can get involved and help *SHATTER THE STIGMA about COMPULSIVE ADDICTED GAMBLING, and help those who are still HELD *HOSTAGE* BY It’s CYCLE……

GOD BLESS FRIENDS! *Author, Catherine Lyon*

<a href=”http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/11056361/?claim=dp2ry9z5gp5″>Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>

                  

***We joined New Yorkers to smash a slot machine at the State Capitol***

Dear Catherine, Yesterday I joined with several New York leaders and scholars to smash a slot machine at the State Capitol in Albany. We smashed the machine in a reenactment of former New York City Mayor Fiorello La Guardia’s efforts against slots more than seventy years ago. We also pointed to the substantial amount of evidence that government sponsorship of slot machines is contributing to rising inequality and unfairness across America…. As a leader who many scholars view as the greatest mayor in American history, La Guardia personally smashed many slot machines during his time as mayor because he hated ordinary New Yorkers getting exploited and cheated – particularly lower-income New Yorkers who could least afford it, and particularly when politicians were involved in it. Watch a video of La Guardia smashing slot machines here. Other slot smashing participants from yesterday included David Blankenhorn, author of “New York’s Promise: Why Sponsoring Casinos is a Regressive Policy Unworthy of a Great State” and President of the Institute for American Values, a non-partisan think tank in New York City; Barbara Whitehead, author of “Why Casinos Matter: Thirty-One Evidence-Based Propositions from the Health and Social Sciences;” and Dr. Stephen Shafer, a retired Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons faculty member who leads a statewide citizens effort against the state’s sponsorship of casinos. Because of the history of the moment, every major media outlet in the state was there. Read and watch some of the coverage (click on the newspaper): The New York Times, The Buffalo News and The Albany Times-Union. The event effectively delivered a powerful message. If you want your government to stop sponsoring highly predatory forms of gambling like slot machines in our communities, then I strongly urge you to organize a slot machine smashing in your state. It’s not hard to do. Contact me and I’ll share what we learned from the first smashing. If you want to take action, I’d be honored to join you along with many others. Now go find yourself a sledgehammer. Thank you. Best, Les Bernal Executive Director Stop Predatory Gambling

Quick Links                                                                   An American Declaration on Government and Gambling                                                                   Online Store                                                               SPG in the Media                                                                   Take Action                                                                   A Failed Government Policy                                                                   Lies vs. Facts                                                                   Background Reading                                                                   Share Your Story                                                                Donate To The Mission

Stop Predatory Gambling Foundation ι 100 Maryland Avenue NE, Room 310 ι Washington, D.C. 20002 ι (202) 567-6996 ©2013 Stop Predatory Gambling Foundation. All rights reserved.

*This is a Great Foundation to be a Part Of like myself!! I hope you CHOOSE to Join Today,
and lets work Together! Here is a little of what Les, and the foundation does,:

Mission

We have dedicated ourselves to a fundamental national reform –an America where no taxpayer dollar is used by government to lure citizens into gambling away their money and becoming slaves to debt; where no agency or entity of government depends on gambling to fund its activities; and where no legislature, whether in the name of economic development or raising revenue, passes laws to promote or sponsor gambling.

Government’s experiment with gambling has failed. It stands as one of the biggest public policy failures of the last forty years. The time has come to get government out of the gambling business so we can pursue a fairer, healthier and more hopeful vision of the path to American prosperity.

Join us today. 

Organization

A 501c3 non-profit organization based in Washington, D.C, Stop Predatory Gambling Foundation is a national transpartisan coalition of more than one million citizens and groups from diverse backgrounds, religious faiths, political convictions, and life circumstances.

History

The roots of the movement began forming in the early 1990’s as state and community leaders challenged efforts to bring commercially exploitive forms of gambling into their communities. Tom Grey, a Rockford, Illinois resident who fought against a proposed casino in his community, emerged as a leader for the movement representing a diverse national coalition of groups and individuals.

As the movement continued to grow, Stop Predatory Gambling Foundation was formed in 2008. We are the most diverse movement in the nation, an affirmation that most Americans share basic core principles and values regardless of their position along the political spectrum.

Dr. Taylor Branch, the Pulitzer Prize-winning historian of the Civil Rights Movement and biographer of Martin Luther King, was the keynote speaker at the launch of Stop Predatory Gambling Foundation held at National Harbor, Maryland in September 2008, and stands behind us!

Join

Help us build the grassroots movement against the government program of predatory gambling, an issue that unites people across the political spectrum. Together, we can get America back on the road toward real prosperity and better government as well as stop a program that is severely hurting millions of citizens and their families. CLICK THE BUTTON BELOW TO HELP MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

Join The Movement

Sign the Declaration

AFTER FOUR DECADES OF UNFULFILLED PROMISES, CORRUPT DEALS AND BROKEN DREAMS, it is time for our government to end its partnership with organized gambling interests and to embrace a fundamentally different and higher vision of the path to American prosperity. CLICK THE BUTTON TO SIGN THE DECLARATION.

SIGN THE DECLARATION

*So please visit the Foundations Website at: http://Stoppredatorygambling.org and read
all about the latest happenings. I THANK YOU for your SUPPORT!
*Catherine* 🙂