Video Gambling—letter to the Tazewell County Board.
Last night—Wednesday, November 18, 2009—the Tazewell County Board TABLED the bill to ban video gambling.
On Monday, I mailed all 21 members of the Tazewell County Board and the Board Chairman the following letter. (Okay, truth in blogging requires me to qualify the above statement. One member of the county board is my brother-in-law. I handed him the letter rather than mailing it. I’m not sure he wants me to admit that we are related by marriage so I won’t identify him by name. I also slightly modified the letter without changing any of the important information that it contains.)
November 16, 2009
Tazewell County Board member:
The Tazewell County Board has the opportunity to benefit the citizens of the county and to ban a section of a terribly ill-advised and tainted law passed this year by the General Assembly. As you know, the General Assembly does not often allow you, as a Board, to right a wrong created by their malfeasance. I’m referring, of course, to the video gambling section of House Bill 255 which was passed in one day in the Senate without any substantial input from the general public contrary to the clear and obvious intent of the Illinois Constitution. I urge you to act upon this opportunity.
According to http://www.ilcaaap.org/ (Illinois Church Action on Alcohol & Addiction Problems) as of 11/14/09, the following communities and counties have already banned video gambling:
1) Beach Park
2) Bloomingdale
3) Buffalo Grove
4) Carbondale
5) Carol Stream
6) Country Club Hills
7) East Dundee
8) Elburn
9) Elmhurst
10) Evanston
11) Hanover Park
12) Itasca
13) Lake Forest
14) Libertyville
15) Lincolnwood
16) Mt. Prospect
17) Naperville
18) Northbrook
19) Palos Heights
20) Rochester
21) Rosemont
22) South Holland
23) Villa Park
24) Wheaton.
Counties:
1) Cook County
2) Du Page County
3) Lake County.
Thirty-four other communities and counties are considering a ban at this time.
Using a strictly cost/benefit analysis without considering the devastating consequences of a legalized addictive behavior, will Tazewell County as a relatively prosperous county receive more revenue from this new law than is paid in taxes to the State, less revenue, or have returned the same amount as collected? Even though Cook County has banned video gaming in the county, how much will that county benefit from this new law because of Chicago area political clout? Recently, the governor has agreed to once again help bail out the Chicago Transit Authority with State money even as the State is awash in red ink. How much income will other local businesses lose because of legalized gambling at licensed county establishments? At any one time, local residents have only so much money to spend on goods and services. Money spent on gambling can not be spent on other goods and services. Gambling does NOT increase people’s income. It only chances the mix. It is a transfer of money; not a creation of money. Does the Board really believe this perversion of a law will benefit the county?
I write a political blog at http://www.christiangunslinger.blogspot.com/. I have written several posts dealing with video gambling starting on September 14th with “Give US more money” and ending on October 1st. Starting on Thursday the 19th, I plan to begin a second series on this issue. The first post will deal with the action or inaction taken by the Board at its Wednesday night meeting.
Also, I will include the attempt by the General Assembly during the veto session to again skirt the Constitutional requirement of three readings on a bill over three days while unsuccessfully attempting to grandfather in licensed establishments for two years even if video gambling is banned by a community or county. I fully expect the Assembly to try to do so again this January. It is imperative that the county take action before the General Assembly has an opportunity to do even more mischief. The leadership in the General Assembly obviously miscalculated the willingness of local governments to ban this addictive and harmful behavior.
Even the Illinois Coin Machine Operators Association on its propaganda filled website http://www.icmoa.org/ stated “that about 0.8 percent of Americans were ‘probable compulsive gamblers.’” Information I have seen, place that figure at approximately 2% or more. Regardless of the figure used, video gambling is addictive for some citizens. In Tazewell County using the lower figure of .8% and using 2000 population figures (128,485 people) that would be 1028 citizens with resultant families whose lives could be ruined by this additive behavior if this law is allowed to stand.
We know that the former mayor of Pekin was prosecuted for the misuse of a city credit card while gambling. In a recent newspaper article dealing with the conviction of a Peoria police officer and his addictive use of alcohol (Peoria Journal Star, 11/13/09, page A1), Woodford County Circuit Court Judge John Huschen is quoted as saying, “It never ceases to amaze me the amount of HAVOC (my capitalization—my addition) addictions can cause in people’s lives, and you can be a poster child for that.” In another article that same day on page B3, the Knox County Recorder was arrested for stealing from the Democratic Party. The story states that she admitted to the police that “she had a drug addiction and was struggling to pay her bills.” These are instances of illegal behavior resulting from an addiction with public individuals whose actions are reported because they are public officials. How many lives are ruined because of addictions that are not reported because they are private citizens? Why would any governmental body want to legalize an addictive behavior when that body has an opportunity and an obligation to prevent such damaging harm?
A representative of the Chicago Crime Commission in testimony before the Illinois Gaming Board on 11/06/09 declared “The decentralized nature of video gambling may soon turn Illinois into the ‘Wild West of gambling,’ said J.R. Davis, Chairman of the Chicago Crime Commission. ‘It’s an unfortunate reality, but the concerns and dangers associated with video gambling cannot or will not be fully addressed in the Illinois Gaming Board rule making. Law enforcement and other regulators would be left with a virtually uncontrollable situation.’ he added.
‘Video gambling has been called the crack cocaine of gaming for good reason. With the proliferation of video gambling, communities can expect to experience an increase in crime and a rise in other social ills connected with gambling expansion,’ he continued.”
Furthermore, “Davis also expressed concern that it would be difficult if not impossible to curb the influence of organized crime in this new, tough to regulate enterprise. ‘It is a fact that organized crime is known to gravitate towards gambling and other ancillary businesses,’ he continued.
Additionally, Davis said that the state’s self exclusion program, which prohibits problem gamblers from entering casinos, would be left hobbled if video gambling proliferates in Illinois. ‘I have significant concern that entire families will be left penniless because Mom or Dad will be feeding their entire paycheck into the video poker machines,’ he concluded.” (From http://www.prnewswire.com/)
“O’Shea (a spokesperson from the Illinois Gaming Board—my addition) said. ‘This legislation creates the largest video game jurisdiction in the world.’ (10/19/09 from http://www.suburanchicagonews.com/)
I have been told that communities in Tazewell County are reluctant to ban video gambling unless other communities do the same. That is bogus reasoning. It is like declaring, “I won’t do good unless everyone else does good first.” It is time for some leadership from our elected officials.
When I lived in Arizona, all schools played girls’ basketball in the spring and girls’ softball in the winter. A girls’ basketball coach filed suit in federal court. A parent filed suit on behalf of his daughter who played both softball and basketball. On my initiative as a school board member, our school board passed a motion on a 3-2 vote to change the seasons for the two sports to correspond to the boys’ seasons. At the time we were building a second high school but faced the immediate possibility of not offering the sports and then playing games only between the two schools in our district.
I wrote letters to all the districts in Southern Arizona urging them to also change their seasons. Tucson Unified did so. Once they did, ever school in Southern Arizona followed. Once that happened, every school in the State did also. What good is a State championship if Phoenix area schools aren’t playing schools from the second largest population center in the State?
Three counties have already banned video gambling. Not one of them is from outside the Chicago area. Tazewell County has the opportunity to keep the momentum moving and influence other counties in Central and Southern Illinois. Show the necessary leadership that should be the hallmark of Central Illinois. Do the right thing. Please vote to ban video gambling! It is the right thing to do.
Thank you for taking the time to read this letter and for putting this vote on the agenda. May GOD direct you to vote for the benefit of the citizens of our county and not for the monied interests of the gambling lobby who spend thousands of dollars yearly in campaign contributions to influence the members of the General Assembly.
Sincerely,
Last night—Wednesday, November 18, 2009—the Tazewell County Board TABLED the bill to ban video gambling.
On Monday, I mailed all 21 members of the Tazewell County Board and the Board Chairman the following letter. (Okay, truth in blogging requires me to qualify the above statement. One member of the county board is my brother-in-law. I handed him the letter rather than mailing it. I’m not sure he wants me to admit that we are related by marriage so I won’t identify him by name. I also slightly modified the letter without changing any of the important information that it contains.)
November 16, 2009
Tazewell County Board member:
The Tazewell County Board has the opportunity to benefit the citizens of the county and to ban a section of a terribly ill-advised and tainted law passed this year by the General Assembly. As you know, the General Assembly does not often allow you, as a Board, to right a wrong created by their malfeasance. I’m referring, of course, to the video gambling section of House Bill 255 which was passed in one day in the Senate without any substantial input from the general public contrary to the clear and obvious intent of the Illinois Constitution. I urge you to act upon this opportunity.
According to http://www.ilcaaap.org/ (Illinois Church Action on Alcohol & Addiction Problems) as of 11/14/09, the following communities and counties have already banned video gambling:
1) Beach Park
2) Bloomingdale
3) Buffalo Grove
4) Carbondale
5) Carol Stream
6) Country Club Hills
7) East Dundee
8) Elburn
9) Elmhurst
10) Evanston
11) Hanover Park
12) Itasca
13) Lake Forest
14) Libertyville
15) Lincolnwood
16) Mt. Prospect
17) Naperville
18) Northbrook
19) Palos Heights
20) Rochester
21) Rosemont
22) South Holland
23) Villa Park
24) Wheaton.
Counties:
1) Cook County
2) Du Page County
3) Lake County.
Thirty-four other communities and counties are considering a ban at this time.
Using a strictly cost/benefit analysis without considering the devastating consequences of a legalized addictive behavior, will Tazewell County as a relatively prosperous county receive more revenue from this new law than is paid in taxes to the State, less revenue, or have returned the same amount as collected? Even though Cook County has banned video gaming in the county, how much will that county benefit from this new law because of Chicago area political clout? Recently, the governor has agreed to once again help bail out the Chicago Transit Authority with State money even as the State is awash in red ink. How much income will other local businesses lose because of legalized gambling at licensed county establishments? At any one time, local residents have only so much money to spend on goods and services. Money spent on gambling can not be spent on other goods and services. Gambling does NOT increase people’s income. It only chances the mix. It is a transfer of money; not a creation of money. Does the Board really believe this perversion of a law will benefit the county?
I write a political blog at http://www.christiangunslinger.blogspot.com/. I have written several posts dealing with video gambling starting on September 14th with “Give US more money” and ending on October 1st. Starting on Thursday the 19th, I plan to begin a second series on this issue. The first post will deal with the action or inaction taken by the Board at its Wednesday night meeting.
Also, I will include the attempt by the General Assembly during the veto session to again skirt the Constitutional requirement of three readings on a bill over three days while unsuccessfully attempting to grandfather in licensed establishments for two years even if video gambling is banned by a community or county. I fully expect the Assembly to try to do so again this January. It is imperative that the county take action before the General Assembly has an opportunity to do even more mischief. The leadership in the General Assembly obviously miscalculated the willingness of local governments to ban this addictive and harmful behavior.
Even the Illinois Coin Machine Operators Association on its propaganda filled website http://www.icmoa.org/ stated “that about 0.8 percent of Americans were ‘probable compulsive gamblers.’” Information I have seen, place that figure at approximately 2% or more. Regardless of the figure used, video gambling is addictive for some citizens. In Tazewell County using the lower figure of .8% and using 2000 population figures (128,485 people) that would be 1028 citizens with resultant families whose lives could be ruined by this additive behavior if this law is allowed to stand.
We know that the former mayor of Pekin was prosecuted for the misuse of a city credit card while gambling. In a recent newspaper article dealing with the conviction of a Peoria police officer and his addictive use of alcohol (Peoria Journal Star, 11/13/09, page A1), Woodford County Circuit Court Judge John Huschen is quoted as saying, “It never ceases to amaze me the amount of HAVOC (my capitalization—my addition) addictions can cause in people’s lives, and you can be a poster child for that.” In another article that same day on page B3, the Knox County Recorder was arrested for stealing from the Democratic Party. The story states that she admitted to the police that “she had a drug addiction and was struggling to pay her bills.” These are instances of illegal behavior resulting from an addiction with public individuals whose actions are reported because they are public officials. How many lives are ruined because of addictions that are not reported because they are private citizens? Why would any governmental body want to legalize an addictive behavior when that body has an opportunity and an obligation to prevent such damaging harm?
A representative of the Chicago Crime Commission in testimony before the Illinois Gaming Board on 11/06/09 declared “The decentralized nature of video gambling may soon turn Illinois into the ‘Wild West of gambling,’ said J.R. Davis, Chairman of the Chicago Crime Commission. ‘It’s an unfortunate reality, but the concerns and dangers associated with video gambling cannot or will not be fully addressed in the Illinois Gaming Board rule making. Law enforcement and other regulators would be left with a virtually uncontrollable situation.’ he added.
‘Video gambling has been called the crack cocaine of gaming for good reason. With the proliferation of video gambling, communities can expect to experience an increase in crime and a rise in other social ills connected with gambling expansion,’ he continued.”
Furthermore, “Davis also expressed concern that it would be difficult if not impossible to curb the influence of organized crime in this new, tough to regulate enterprise. ‘It is a fact that organized crime is known to gravitate towards gambling and other ancillary businesses,’ he continued.
Additionally, Davis said that the state’s self exclusion program, which prohibits problem gamblers from entering casinos, would be left hobbled if video gambling proliferates in Illinois. ‘I have significant concern that entire families will be left penniless because Mom or Dad will be feeding their entire paycheck into the video poker machines,’ he concluded.” (From http://www.prnewswire.com/)
“O’Shea (a spokesperson from the Illinois Gaming Board—my addition) said. ‘This legislation creates the largest video game jurisdiction in the world.’ (10/19/09 from http://www.suburanchicagonews.com/)
I have been told that communities in Tazewell County are reluctant to ban video gambling unless other communities do the same. That is bogus reasoning. It is like declaring, “I won’t do good unless everyone else does good first.” It is time for some leadership from our elected officials.
When I lived in Arizona, all schools played girls’ basketball in the spring and girls’ softball in the winter. A girls’ basketball coach filed suit in federal court. A parent filed suit on behalf of his daughter who played both softball and basketball. On my initiative as a school board member, our school board passed a motion on a 3-2 vote to change the seasons for the two sports to correspond to the boys’ seasons. At the time we were building a second high school but faced the immediate possibility of not offering the sports and then playing games only between the two schools in our district.
I wrote letters to all the districts in Southern Arizona urging them to also change their seasons. Tucson Unified did so. Once they did, ever school in Southern Arizona followed. Once that happened, every school in the State did also. What good is a State championship if Phoenix area schools aren’t playing schools from the second largest population center in the State?
Three counties have already banned video gambling. Not one of them is from outside the Chicago area. Tazewell County has the opportunity to keep the momentum moving and influence other counties in Central and Southern Illinois. Show the necessary leadership that should be the hallmark of Central Illinois. Do the right thing. Please vote to ban video gambling! It is the right thing to do.
Thank you for taking the time to read this letter and for putting this vote on the agenda. May GOD direct you to vote for the benefit of the citizens of our county and not for the monied interests of the gambling lobby who spend thousands of dollars yearly in campaign contributions to influence the members of the General Assembly.
Sincerely,
posted by Christian Gunslinger at 4:33 AM
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