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Politics : Stockman Scott's Political Debate Porch -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: lurqer who wrote (41332)	4/4/2004 3:47:11 PM
From: lurqer	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 89467

Followed by this story. Gambling Tied to Bankruptcy Terry Phillips Research confirms what we've always believed to be true is true. It would seem self-evident, but the relationship between casinos and bankruptcies is only now being confirmed by research conducted by a couple of Creighton University professors. The gambling industry doesn't like the study, although it takes tortured reasoning to fight the common-sense proposition that gambling creates bankruptcy, according to Professor Edward Morse. "It seems to me that, anecdotally, there has been long-standing belief that problem gamblers in particular have experienced bankruptcy, or financial meltdown," he said. "What hasn't been shown as clearly is a statistical increase of this nature." But Morse, who authored the study with Dr. Ernie Goss, found a doubling in the number of bankruptcies in a community when there's a casino in the county. Thirty-one states now have casinos. For Michael Geer, president of the Pennsylvania Family Institute, who is battling to keep 12 new casinos out of his state, the findings mean more ammunition. "It only stands to reason that you're going to see bankruptcies increase," he said. "There's really no other place where someone can go on a Friday night and lose their entire paycheck. That happens all the time at casinos." A University of Illinois study suggests gambling costs society two-and-a-half times what it generates in new taxes, but politicians continue to drag their states into the gambling business. "They do benefit analysis, without the cost analysis," Geer said. "And that's a shoddy way to do any analysis at all." FOR MORE INFORMATION Gambling's acceptance has taken a devastating toll. With powerful stories from real-life families, "House of Cards: Hope for Gamblers and Their Families" looks at the industry that profits from the desperate dreams of its addicts — and ruins families. And it provides hope for compulsive gamblers and those who love them. family.org lurqer