Proposal includes casinos for Chicago, Rockford, Danville, Lake County,
South Suburbs of Chicago, Williamson County, plus video slot machines galore.

On February 28th, the Illinois Senate passed SB 7 – a massive gambling bill – by a vote of 31-26.  Yet for lawmakers with an insatiable hunger for revenue at the expense of well-documented social costs, it wasn’t enough.

Yesterday, the Illinois Senate passed an amended version of SB 7 to exploit even more citizens, by a vote of  33-24 with 1 voting present.  (See roll call chart below.)

This oppressive and myopic legislation is sponsored by Illinois Senators Terry Link (D-Gurnee), Dave Syverson (R-Rockford), Mattie Hunter (D-Chicago) and Donne Trotter (D-Chicago). The passage of this bill demonstrates that our state lawmakers are not serious about solving the fiscal problems of the state — specifically the wasteful spending and bloat that is Illinois government.  Instead, a majority of politicians in the Illinois Senate gave their stamp of approval to an unstable and unfair source of “revenue,” while ignoring the many social costs that come with a vice like gambling.

According to Illinois Churches in Action, this legislation will give special perks to the gambling industry while soaking hard working families:

SB 7 includes a massive casino for Chicago, slots machines at Chicago Airports, additional land-based casinos for Rockford, Danville, Lake County, South Suburbs of Chicago, Williamson County Winery, and at 4 racetracks.

SB 7 allows progressive jackpots at casinos and video gambling establishments and expands video gambling by doubling the maximum bet and more than doubling the jackpot.

The bill lowers taxes on slot machines and table games and gives tax breaks to racetracks and casinos.  SB 7 will not solve the budget problem, but it will increase addiction and problem gambling.

Take ACTION: Click HERE to send your state representative an email or a fax to tell them “NO MORE GAMBLING — PERIOD.” Don’t delay in speaking out. With only 2 weeks left before state lawmakers adjourn for the summer, this gambling bill may move fast.

Background

In addition to the 10 casinos Illinois currently has, residents face the prospect of an additional 6 casinos (for a total of 16), making Illinois a top contender for the most anti-family and predatory gambling state in the nation. If we consider all the video slot machines currently in the state, plus all the Lottery fleecing “games,” we are well underway to securing the title of  being the top “swindle state” in America.

Think about the devastation a casino would bring to the poorest families in Chicago.  Impoverished working poor would be encouraged by this foolish policy to seek out the elusive “pot of gold” — and the “key” to happiness by gambling away their meager resources.  To make matters worse, they would have easy access to a Chicago casino via public transportation.

Moreover, the National Gambling Impact Study Commission estimated that approximately 15 million U.S. citizens have a gambling problem and/or are pathological gambling addicts. Their research also shows that addiction rates double within 50 miles of a casino. Think of all the people within a 50-mile radius of 15 casinos and how many new gambling addicts the state will help produce with this foolish proposal. There is enormous potential for many new gambling addicts in Chicago-land alone. How is this good public policy?

The American Psychiatric Association says that symptoms of pathological gambling include the following: lying about the amount of time or money spent gambling, needing to borrow money to get by due to gambling losses, gambling larger amounts of money to try to win back previous losses, and committing crimes to obtain money to gamble.

Researchers believe that crimes committed by compulsive gamblers are often under-reported. Some of these crimes include writing bad checks, check forgery, fraud, and embezzlement.

Some gamblers turn to street crime. The National Institute of Justice reported that 30 percent of pathological gamblers who were arrested in Las Vegas and Des Moines admitted that they had committed a robbery within the past year. About 13 percent of them admitted they had assaulted someone to get money.

Although some people win at the casinos, winning consistently is rare. And those people who believe they will win their money back after a losing streak are deluding themselves. The truth is one in five people addicted to gambling will file for bankruptcy. Casinos would not be able to stay in business if people won more than they lost.

Studies also show that both divorce and suicide rates are higher for pathological gamblers than non-gamblers. Gamblers Anonymous surveyed approximately 400 members and found that two-thirds had thought of suicide, 77 percent had wanted to die, and 47 percent had a definite plan to kill themselves.

Economics professor, Earl Grinols, says in his book, Gambling in America: Costs and Benefits, the annual cost of one addicted gambler to society is $10,330. Grinols argues that the costs of casino-derived revenues exceed the benefits by a factor of more than 3 to 1.

It is clear, the social costs of gambling far outweigh any perceived benefits.

How did they vote?

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Have you heard about the “Grand Bargain” that has been travelling the bumpy road of the legislative process in Springfield during this General Assembly session? Not surprisingly, it is neither a bargain nor grand for taxpayers.

Illinois Senate Minority leader Christine Radogno (R-Lemont) has been (or was?) working with Illinois Senate President John Cullerton (D-Chicago) for a few months on trying to craft a budget that can pass.

There are conflicting reports about whether talks are still underway between the Radogno and Cullerton camps. There are not conflicting reports about the continuing Governor Bruce Rauner and Speaker Michael Madigan feud. Both sides are already blaming the other for the bargain’s failure.

Illinois has been without a budget for almost two years. What’s wrong with that? Many things, including what Illinois Senator Dan McConchie (R-Lake Zurich) has pointed out, “Every day we go without a balanced budget, the state debt rises by $11 million.”

That deserves a repeat: Illinois’ debt rises by $11 million every day we don’t have a balanced budget.

Another not-so-little problem are reports estimate that without action, the state could have as much as $15 billion in unpaid bills by July.

Doesn’t it make you proud to live in the Land of Lincoln? On that topic:

Illinois registered voters are divided over whether they’d like to leave the state or stay, according to the latest poll from the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University Carbondale.

Specifically, the poll found that 47 percent say they would like to move and 51 percent prefer to remain in the state. Just under 2 percent said they didn’t know.

It’s no surprise that taxes “are the single biggest reason” people want to leave.

The Illinois Policy Institute’s John Tillman recently noted that IPI “commissioned a poll that found that more than half of Illinois voters want lawmakers to balance the budget by only cutting state spending.”

With the help of our friends at the Illinois Policy Institute, let’s do a quick survey of some more of the unpleasant facts regarding Illinois’ fiscal state of the state.

Illinois Has Highest Overall Tax Burden in the Nation
A new report from WalletHub finds Illinois’ combined state and local tax burden is higher than that of every other state and the District of Columbia.

From the article:

Some state politicians want to make this tax burden even worse. The Illinois Senate is currently negotiating its so-called “grand bargain” budget deal, which includes billions of dollars in tax hikes for Illinoisans. Among the Senate’s ideas: a permanent 33 percent income tax hike, implementing a tax on sugary beverages, raising taxes on food and drugs, and expanding the sales tax to include previously exempt services.

The Truth About Your Property Tax Bill

From the article:

Illinoisans are struggling to pay the highest property taxes in the nation, and that’s largely due to unfair overspending in local governments.

How about those bloated and overly generous government employee pensions?

Interest on Illinois’ pension debt is $9.1B per year
A golden rule of finance is this: Debt that can’t be paid won’t be paid.

Just a few more:

Illinois Senate’s Spending “Cap” Doesn’t Protect Taxpayers, Core Services

From the article:

The Senate’s “grand bargain” contains a one-year spending “cap” that won’t improve fiscal responsibility. A real cap must come with structural spending reforms to return spending to a level that taxpayers can afford.

Lest you think it’s only income and property taxes being discussed:

Illinois Senator Pitches Expanding Sales Tax to Tattoos, Manicures and Pedicures, More

Illinois Pitches Sales Tax for Netflix, Spotify, Other Streaming Services

Ready for a silver lining (albeit a very thin silver lining)?

Six Illinois Republican state senators have pledged to not raise taxes:

Tim Bivins of Dixon
Kyle McCarter of Lebanon
Jim Oberweis of Sugar Grove
Dave Syverson of Rockford
Bill Brady of Bloomington
Sue Rezin of Morris

Take ACTION:  Please send a message to your state senator to urge him/her to reject any and all proposals to increase taxes in Illinois. Springfield lawmakers need to understand that state government has a serious spending problem, not a revenue problem. Moreover, they have proven to be utterly irresponsible with the billions of dollars in revenue they already receive; why should they be entrusted with even more?

Image credit: Illinois Policy Institute.

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How did they vote?

Yesterday, the Illinois Senate put two amendments on SB 7 – a massive gambling bill – and then ignored protocol by calling the bill for a vote without a committee hearing.  This proposal authorizes casinos in Chicago, Rockford, Danville, Lake County, south suburbs of Chicago, Williamson County and 4 casinos at racetracks.  It is important to note that this legislation would legalize a city-owned casino for Chicago with a perpetual license that cannot be revoked or suspended. No other city in the United States owns a casino.

The amendment that passed yesterday:

Includes slots and video gambling machines at the Chicago Airports.

Reduces live horse racing.

Removes money going to County Fairs and Universities for equine research.

Allows racetracks to keep their tax credit for 5 more years after electronic gambling begins.

Adds progressive slot machine jackpots for casinos AND video gambling with No cap.

Increases number of gambling positions from 1,200 to 2,000 at casinos.

Gives tax breaks for 5 years for current casinos for construction of at least $15 million.

Expands video gambling – DOUBLES amount per bet,  increases jackpots from $500 to $1,199, with no limit on cash awards for progressive jackpots.

SB 7 passed with 31 Yes votes and 26 No votes.  Click HERE to see how your state senator voted, or look at the chart below.  The sponsors of this legislation include: State Senators Terry Link (D-Gurnee), Dave Syverson (R-Rockford), Mattie Hunter (D-Chicago) and Donne Trotter (D-Chicago).

Twelve bills are linked together in the “grand bargain.”   SB 7 will not take effect UNLESS all 12 bills pass–Senate Bills 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13, and 16.  To date, Illinois Senators have passed Senate bills 3, 5, 6, 7, and 8.

Take ACTION: Click HERE to send an email or a fax to your state senator and state representative today to ask them to stop exploiting the citizens of Illinois through gambling expansion.  The state is already saturated with gambling and it has proven to be an unstable (and immoral) source of revenue.  Ask them to oppose the passage of SB 7.

Click HERE to learn more about ILCAAAP.

The Illinois State Senate Gaming Committee recently heard testimony on SB 7, the massive gambling expansion bill.  Thank you to those who signed witness slips.  There were 35 opponents and 4 proponents.

There were many questions from members of the committee asking sponsor Illinois Sen. Terry Link (D-Gurnee) to make changes to the bill.  The Senate moved SB 7 to third reading so it can be called for a vote at anytime now.

Illinois Sen. Dave Syverson (R-Rockford) filed Senate Amendment 2 to SB 7 to include slot machines at Chicago airports for passengers who at least 21 years of age and members of a private club.

The General Assembly adjourned and won’t be back in session again until Feb. 7th for the Illinois Senate and Feb. 8th for the Illinois House.  Illinois Senate minority leader Christine Radogno (R-Lemont) told state senators not to be swayed by their constituents if they are against passing the “grand bargain” budget bills.  Illinois Senate President John Cullerton (D-Chicago) told state senators to be prepared to vote on the bills when they come back in February.

Take ACTION:  Click HERE to send a message to our Illinois state lawmakers about this massive expansion proposal.  Gambling is an unstable source of revenue.  SB 7 will lead to more addiction, financial ruin, broken families, increased costs for the state, and will not solve the budget problem.

Please share this alert with your faith community and ask them to CALL and PRAY.

Talking points to oppose SB 7

• SB 7 is a massive expansion of gambling that doubles the amount of casinos in Illinois – City of Chicago, Rockford, Danville, Lake County, south suburbs of Chicago, Williamson County, and 4 casinos at racetracks.  “More casinos will not mean substantially more tax revenue.”  (Forbes, 11/20/2015)

• SB 7 legalizes a city-owned casino for Chicago with a perpetual license that cannot be revoked or suspended.  No other city in the United States owns a casino.

•  SB 7 lowers the tax rate on casino gambling.  Currently casinos pay a graduated tax of 15 to 50 percent on Adjusted Gross Receipts.  SB 7 lowers the tax to 10% and has separate categories for electronic gambling devices (EGD) and table games.  Table games are taxed a maximum of 16% for adjusted gross receipts in excess of $70 million, and EGDs have a maximum of 50% in excess of $800 million.  NOTE:  Only Rivers Casino would qualify for the maximum tax on table games, and no casinos meets the maximum tax rate for slot machines.

• SB 7 rushes the approval process.  The Illinois Gaming Board shall issue the 6 casino gambling licenses within 12 months after the date the license application is submitted. The Board shall determine within 120 days after receiving an application whether to grant an electronic gaming license to a racetrack.  With the massive expansion and increased responsibilities and duties of the Gaming Board, this is irresponsible.  The public expects strict regulation and enforcement of gambling laws. Organized crime is a possibility if the process is rushed.  NOTE:  Rivers Casino was fined $1.65 million in 2016 for hiring United Services Co. for security and cleaning work at the casino.  United is run by Richard Simon, who has admitted business and personal ties to reputed mob figures.

• Gambling interests overestimate the amount of revenue generated.  When the Video Gambling Act was passed in 2009, the estimate of State revenue was $288 – $534 Million per year.  In  2016-4 years after the gambling machines were operational-the State received $277 million from 24,841 machines. Revenue projected in SB 7 could be much lower than expected, especially in communities with video gambling.

• Independent studies have found that 35 – 50 percent of the casino gambling revenues come from problem and pathological gamblers, according to “Why Casinos Matter“.  Doubling the number of casinos and increasing the number of gambling positions will make gambling even more accessible and lead to an increase in problem and pathological gambling.  There are currently 12,383 people on the self-exclusion list at Illinois casinos.  With a cost of $13,067 per pathological gambler per year, the cost to the State is over $161.8 million per year.

• Broken families, financial ruin, and crime will increase with the expansion of casino gambling.  The costs to the state are at least $3 for every $1 of revenue for regulation, criminal justice, and social costs.  These costs are not even considered when projecting the revenue for the State.

For more information about gambling or other addictive problems, please visit Illinois Church Action on Alcohol & Addiction Problems.

How did they vote?

On Friday, May 17th, the bill to legalize marijuana as “medicine” was debated on the Illinois Senate floor and then passed by a vote of 35-21.  This 200+ bill (HB 1) was sponsored by State Senator William Haine (D-Alton), and co-sponsored by Senators Linda Holmes (D-Aurora), Iris Martinez (D-Chicago), and William Delgado (D-Chicago).  

During debate, Senator Kyle McCarter (R-Vandalia) shared a heart-breaking story about the loss of his own child as a result of marijuana as a gateway drug.  Senator Mattie Hunter (D-Chicago), a certified drug and alcohol counselor, also spoke emphatically against the bill.  Senators Tim Bivins (R-Dixon), Darin LaHood (R-Peoria) and Jason Barickman (R-Blomington) also spoke in opposition to this proposal.

Democrats voting against the bill include Senators Bill Cunningham (Chicago), Mattie Hunter (Chicago), Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant (Plainfield), Gary Forby (Benton), Napoleon Harris (Harvey) and Julie Morrison (Deerfield).

Republicans voting for the bill include Senators Dave Syverson (Rockford), Pam Althoff (Crystal Lake) and Jim Oberweis (North Aurora).

See how your state senator voted HERE and how your state representative voted HERE.

This bill will now be sent to Governor Patrick Quinn .  According to various reports, Gov. Quinn is “is keeping an open mind about the issue.”  

Take ACTION: Click HERE to send an email or a fax to your Gov. Quinn today to ask him to veto HB 1.  You can call also call the Governor’s office to articulate your objections to having this bill signed into law.  The toll-free number to Gov. Quinn’s off is Call 800-642-3112.  Please do this today!  

Legitimizing the use of marijuana for medical purposes will encourage and increase destructive behavior, especially among young people. Marijuana is the most widely used illicit drug in the United States. Research has found that adolescent and teen drug use rises as the perception of harm diminishes.

Click HERE to download the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) White Paper on State-Level Proposals to Legalize Marijuana.

Contact Governor Quinn now!

Click HERE to make a donation to the Illinois Family Institute.

Please take three minutes to respond to this call to action!

With just a few days left before their scheduled May 31st spring session adjournment, Illinois state lawmakers do not have much time left to pass a budget, pension and retiree health care reform, workers’ compensation reform, and create new legislative districts for 2012.

As if they didn’t have enough to do, one of the proposals making their priority list is a massive gambling bill (SB 744) that would create five new casinos in the Land of Lincoln, including one in Chicago. This legislative proposal would authorize additional casinos in Danville, Rockford, Park City, and somewhere in the South Suburbs.

Sponsored by State Senators Terry Link (D-Lincolnshire), Dave Syverson (R-Rockford) and State Representative Lou Lang (D-Skokie), this 409 page bill would also create “racinos” — video slot machines at the state’s six horse race tracks and at Chicago’s two airports.

Take ACTION: Contact your lawmakers to tell them “NO MORE GAMBLING — PERIOD.” Don’t delay in speaking out! With only days left in the spring session, this gambling bill will move fast!

Background
Adding to the 10 casinos we currently have in Illinois, residents of this state face the prospect of having 21 casinos or casino-like establishments in the near future, making Illinois a top contender for the most anti-family and predatory gambling state in the nation.

The National Gambling Impact Study Commission suggests that problem gambling and addiction rates DOUBLE within a 50 mile radius of a casino. Think of all the people within a 50 mile radius of 11 new casinos or casino-like establishments, and how many new gambling addicts the state will help to produce with this foolish proposal. In Chicago there are 2.8 million people and in Cook County there are 5.2 million. There is an enormous potential for a great many new gambling addicts in Chicagoland alone! How is this good public policy?

While high-paid lobbyists for the predatory gambling industry promise our lawmakers to solve the state’s fiscal problems. Here are some important insights and facts that must be considered in this debate:

• Casino gambling causes up to $289 in social costs for every $46 of economic benefit. (Grinols, Earl L. Gambling in America: Costs and Benefits, Cambridge University Press, NY, NY, 2004)
• Professor John Kindt of the University of Illinois has studied the economic impact of gambling for over twenty years and concludes that for every $1 of revenue generated by gambling, the state must spend $3 on increased social services. (Tribal Proposals to Acquire Land-in-trust for Gaming Across States Lines: Hearing before the H. Comm. on Resources, 109th Cong. 4 [2005])
• Gambling is the fastest growing teen addiction, with the rate of pathological gambling twice that of adults — 4 percent to 8 percent for adolescents compared to 1 percent to 3 percent for adults. (Kindt, John, (Ed). US International Gambling Report, Hein and Co. 2008)
• The National Gambling Impact Study Commission strongly advised against the creation of racetrack casinos:
  

  Recommendation 3-12
  The Commission recommends that states should refuse to allow the introduction of casino-style gambling into pari-mutuel facilities for the primary purpose of saving a pari-mutuel facility that the market has determined no longer serves the community or for the purpose of competing with other forms of gambling.

• Increases in rape, robbery, aggravated assault, larceny and auto theft are found in areas where casinos are built. (Grinols, Earl L, David Mustard and Cynthia Hunt-Dilley. “Casinos, Crime and Community Costs” Social Science Research Network, June 2000)
• An Australian study concluded for every 80 slot machines, 2 million dollars is drained from the economy. (Grinols, Earl L.Gambling in America: Costs and Benefits, Cambridge University Press, NY, NY, 2004)
• Some studies concluded that gambling is as much a risk factor for domestic violence as alcohol abuse. (National Gambling Impact Study Commission, 1999)
• Gambling is the fastest growing and fourth leading cause of bankruptcy. (Kindt, John, (Ed). US International Gambling Report, Hein and Co. 2008)
• Suicide rates are 2 to 4 times greater in gambling counties than non-gambling counties. (Phillips, David P. Ward Welty and Marrisa Smith. “Elevated Suicide Levels Associated with Legalized Gambling” Dec. 1997)

Expanding legalized gambling creates a web of loss, anger and despair that impacts not only the gamblers, but their families, friends and communities. Expanded gambling is not the answer to the state’s fiscal problem, but will instead create pain and suffering for far too many families. Much of this will have to be absorbed by taxpayers as foreclosures, crimes, addictions, divorce, bankruptcies, and unemployment increase.