Absolutely despicable!  The fact that the new Rivers Casino in Des Plaines was caught promoting its vice to struggling gambling addicts is outrageous.  How else can we describe Rivers’ attempt to lure vulnerable victims to the lair?  

Rivers Casino specifically targeted people who recognize they are problem gamblers — people who have voluntarily put themselves on a self-exclusion list to be kept out of gambling establishments. There are thousands of Illinois people on this list.  

This isn’t really a big surprise; after all, the gambling industry is built on greed and exploitation.  Thanks to complicit and foolish state lawmakers, gambling has been allowed to expand across the state and nation, so much so now, they’ve over-expanded and have saturated the market.   

Well that’s not good news for the gambling industry.  If they want to stay afloat, they need plenty of losers, so their new targets are self-identified gambling addicts!   Since Illinois state lawmakers approved these casinos (10 state-wide), giving their imprimatur to these exploitative games of chance to get their share of the booty, does it really matter who they target or exploit?  As long as the state and gambling industry get their ill-gotten cut, it doesn’t matter how much it costs the families and legitimate businesses of Illinois.

  Lottery officials need to make sure they’re not selling to minors and that the people buying tickets actually live in Illinois. But the information lottery officials are asking for is a bit personal, and it’s not sitting well with some ticket buyers.

The online system tracks users’ IP addresses, to ensure buyers are within state lines.  Lottery Superintendent Michael Jones said the Lottery has taken steps to protect users’ personal information online. “We have a private Manager – North Star – who’s responsible for the operational aspects of lottery and they have hired and created software to do that,” he said.  Read more HERE. 

University of Illinois Professor John Kindt speaks out about the dangers of Internet Lottery.    The measly $100 million the state expects to rake in this year is going to cause a $1billion social problem, because the state is going to be creating all these new addicted gamblers, particularly among young people, the most vulnerable and fastest growing gambling market.  Gambling is not just a major drag on tax revenues, but also on local economies.  Read more HERE. 

Wednesday’s Chicago Tribune editorial asks lawmakers to repeal the Video Gambling Act.  Nobody yet knows how much of Illinois is off-limits to video gambling.  But it’s a lot.  The Gaming Board is investigating whether every community and county in Illinois has either an opt-out statue or an anti-gambling statute.  The board will then build three lists:  communities and counties where bans make gambling illegal, communities and counties that have opted out of video gambling since 2009, and the leftover communities and counties where terminals could be licensed.  The Tribune wants lawmakers to craft a sensible, scaled-down casino expansion bill to replace video gambling.  Read more HERE. 

Legislators and gambling interests have been meeting behind closed doors with a representative of the Governor’s office to work on a gambling expansion bill.  If, and when there is an agreement, the bill will move very quickly for a vote. 

The Illinois House launched a new venue for citizens to participate in the legislative process by filing witness slips online.  During committee hearings is the only time public opinion is openly incorporated into the Illinois House’s decision-making. The Illinois House’s new public interaction via the internet allows citizens over age 13 to file witness slips online and provides a way for virtual participation in the House proceedings.  The forms are considered official state documentation and information included should be verifiable.  Read more HERE.      

In their quest for new casinos in and around the city of Chicago, State Senator John Cullerton (D-Chicago), State Representative Lou Lang (D-Skokie), Mayor Rahm Emanuel (D-Chicago), and other prominent public officials continually lament the number of Illinois license plates on cars parked at Wisconsin and Indiana casinos.

It’s ironic that these politicians fail to articulate the same level of concern regarding the high number of Illinois plates on cars parked in out-of-state shopping malls — a situation that is especially pronounced during this time of year.

If our elected officials are worried about out-of-state gambling locations siphoning away ill-gotten tax resources from Illinois coffers, how much more should they be concerned about legitimate business being drawn out of Illinois because of anti-business and anti-family tax policies?

Considering that Illinois ranks near the bottom for job creation, has one of the largest budget deficits of any state in the nation, and has the highest sales tax in the nation, Illinois lawmakers would be wise to quit fiddling around with predatory gambling proposals that are harmful to Illinois families and our state’s business climate, and get serious about solving the economic malaise and high unemployment rate plaguing our state.

Your Action Makes a Difference!

The “new” gambling bill, which wasn’t that much different from the one passed by the Illinois General Assembly in May, failed in the Illinois House this evening by a vote of 58 to 53 with 3 voting present. This bill received fewer “yes” votes than did the original version which garnered 65 votes.

The champion of this legislation, State Representative Lou Lang (D-Skokie), claimed during floor debate that this newest version was better than the version they passed on May 30th. Apparently, his colleagues disagreed with him.

But there is no time to relax. The Chicago Tribune is reporting that Rep. Lang is working to find two more votes to gain the necessary 60 to pass the bill on Thursday.

Take ACTION: Click HERE to send your state lawmakers an email or a fax to tell them “NO MORE GAMBLING — PERIOD.” Don’t delay in speaking out!

Background

It was frustrating to hear some conservative lawmakers defend their pro-gambling vote by saying that this bill would bring jobs to their districts and to the state of Illinois. If they had taken the time to read the research we provided them on this topic, they would have learned that the social costs associated with gambling include high rates of job loss, divorce, bankruptcy, and foreclosure.  (Source)

Other conservative lawmakers, like Representative Raymond Poe (R-Springfield) defended their votes by suggesting that they were supporting the agricultural industry. They voted for the bill because it would have re-allocated casino money to the horse industry as well as agriculture programs, such as 4-H, soil and water conservation and FFA.

Why are conservative lawmakers concerned with propping up the horse racing industry? Haven’t they learned anything from the “too big to fail” philosophy that infected our federal lawmakers over the past few years? Have they forgotten the conservative principle of free market?

If the horse racing industry is failing, why are we trying to bail them out — and at the expense of the well-being of the families of our state, no less?

Although it is important for lawmakers to be politically savvy and to work for the special interests in their respective districts, they should not allow special interests to trump the interests of the families they represent.

And that is why it is so important that you take a few minutes to call or email your lawmakers on these important public policy issues. They need to be reminded just who they serve.

Read more:

Illinois gambling regulator calls new casino plan ‘pile of junk’ (Chicago Tribune)

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Illinois lawmakers are back in Springfield for round two of the Fall Veto Session, which is scheduled to run through November 10th.

This morning, the Illinois House Executive Committee voted to pass a new gambling bill by a vote of 8-2.  Voting against this bill in committee were Representatives Eddie Lee Jackson (D-East St. Louis) and Mike Tryon (R-Cyrstal Lake)

The new bill, SB 1849, introduced by State Representative Lou Lang (D-Skokie), would bring five new casinos to Illinois.  The proposed locations of these casinos are Chicago, Rockford, Danville, Park City and somewhere in the south suburbs of Chicago. The current 10 casinos would also expand their gambling capacities from 1,200 to 1,600 gambling positions, and video slot machines would be authorized at the six existing racetracks.

SB 1849 contains many of the provisions that were included in SB 744 — the bill Gov. Patrick Quinn said went too far. Slot machines at Chicago airports and the state fairgrounds are not included in this newest predatory gambling bill.

The Chicago Tribune reports that this legislation would more than double gambling in the state: “Lang’s gambling expansion would increase the number of gambling positions in Illinois from 12,000 to about 32,000.”

Take ACTION: Click HERE to send your state lawmakers an email or a fax to tell them “NO MORE GAMBLING — PERIOD.” Don’t delay in speaking out. With only 2 days left in the Veto Session, this gambling bill will move fast.

Background

In addition to the 10 casinos Illinois currently has, residents face the prospect of an additional 15 casinos, making Illinois a top contender for the most anti-family and predatory gambling state in the nation.

Supporters of the bill say this gambling expansion will bring in jobs, but at what cost to the citizens of Illinois? While we do need jobs, what else does gambling bring with it?

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 Chicagoland 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 underreported. 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 that in the long run gambling will harm Illinois.

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The Illinois Family Institute has sent a letter to Governor Quinn, with more than 200 signatures of Illinois pastors. The letter implores the governor to veto the massive gambling bill passed by the Illinois General Assembly during the closing days of the Spring Session — Senate Bill 744.

The Chicago Crime Commission warned to expect more scandal and corruption that this expansion of gambling will surely bring.

“It greatly concerns us that gambling’s presence is growing rapidly in Illinois . It is already the fourth leading cause of bankruptcy and the fastest growing teen addiction,” said David E. Smith, Executive Director of Illinois Family Institute. “The Commission’s observation is consistent with the fact that crime is already higher in towns that play host to casinos. Gambling, it can be argued, is the lifeblood of organized crime.

“Moreover, it is morally indefensible for the State to approve, license and promote an industry that thrives on the exploitation of the citizens it is constituted to serve,” said Smith. “Creating thousands of citizen-losers to create a revenue stream is terrible public policy.”

Gambling addiction is linked to bankruptcy, home foreclosure, depression, and white-collar crime, all of which lead to family stress and can lead to domestic violence, divorce, and suicide. Playing these kinds of odds against constituents is not good public policy.

Click HERE for more information about Senate Bill 744 and how to contact Illinois legislators.

To book David Smith for an interview, contact Deborah Hamilton at (215) 815-7716 or (610) 584-1096.

By Steve Scherrer, Rockford Pro-Family Activist

True leadership requires individuals who have a clear vision on how to build a better future for their constituents. Our local political class, business leadership and newspaper, in their passionate pursuit of a Rockford casino, all seem mesmerized by the allure of a quick fix to this area’s economic problems. The arguments the pro-casino advocates are putting forward are in some cases ridiculous.

Chuck Sweeny’s column June 26 indicates he thinks that a 401(k) and putting money in a slot machine represent a similar investment. I have the image in my mind of financial advisers all over the Rockford area falling out of their chairs when they read that line.

He struggles to see a distinction between church bingo and a for-profit casino. His conclusion is that opposition is only coming from the far left and the far right. Chuck, that’s where you find political activism. What it really shows is that opposition crosses normal partisan boundaries with a multitude of people in the middle who do not want the casino to go forward.

Last but not least, he states the tired old argument that Rockford has to build a casino because Beloit has talked about building its own. The Beloit casino project has been dead in the water for years. If Rockford builds the casino, it vastly increases the probability that Beloit will feel that plans for its mega casino would have to move forward. A bigger, more attractive Beloit casino could turn Rockford’s casino into just another white elephant.

The newspaper’s July 3 editorial proudly claims that 1,105 people have signed the support petition as of Friday, July 1. In reality that’s a surprisingly low number of supporters for this project, considering the promise of new jobs the casino advocates are offering to gain support for their project and the aggressive promotion of the casino that’s taking place.

Here’s a question for John Groh, CEO of the Rockford Area Convention & Visitors Bureau, Janyce Fadden, CEO of the Rockford Area Economic Development Council, and Einar Forsman, CEO of the Rockford Chamber of Commerce:

In your June 26 column you make the presumptuous claim that you are speaking on the behalf of more than 1,500 local businesses and their 60,000 employees. When enormous amounts of their cash flow start to be redirected from local merchants to the casino’s slot machines and gambling tables, how will you explain to them that your advocacy for the Rockford casino was in their best interests? It appears that you are more interested in supporting the powerful gambling lobby than your own constituents.

Our local political leadership represented by Rockford Mayor Larry Morrissey, state Sen. Dave Syverson and Winnebago County Board Chairman Scott Christiansen sadly are all committed to this project. Their collective dream for the future of Rockford is to turn the city into a gambling mecca. They appear to have no other answer for the economic difficulties we face here. Their professional and personal reputations are on the line. I’m not sure they fully understand the extent of the damage they are doing to their reputations in the eyes of the public.

Good bedtime reading for this group is the National Gambling Impact Study Commission’s report. The social costs and inevitable cultural pathologies that are well documented in the report will be with us long after the wages have been earned and spent by the trades who would build the casino. These leaders ignore these facts at their own risk.

These community leaders would better serve our community if they stopped their cheerleading for the casino and thought twice about rushing to push Rockford over the cliff. The character of this community would be damaged and changed forever.

Steve Scherrer is a Roscoe resident.

Watch July 20, 2011 – Illinois Gaming Chair on PBS. See more from Chicago Tonight.

During the public television news program Chicago Tonight on Wednesday, July 20th, host Carol Marin interviews Illinois Gaming Commission Chairman Judge Aaron Jaffe about the massive gambling bill that was passed by the Illinois General Assembly in late May. Jaffe gives a realistic evaluation of this anti-family legislation (SB 744), calling it “a pile of garbage”.

Watch the full episode. See more Chicago Tonight.

The bill has yet to make it to Governor Patrick Quinn’s desk, so we still have time to speak out and ask Quinn to reject it.

Aaron Jaffe, chairman of the Illinois Gaming Board, appeared on WTTW Chicago Tonight this week. Please watch this informative video: July 20, 2011 – Illinois Gaming Chair | Chicago Tonight | PBS Video

Steve Chapman’s recent column seems to dismiss critics who are concerned about the impact of the massive expansion of gambling and the legalization of video gambling statewide. The results of a natural experiment in South Dakota, suggest that the accessibility and availability of video gambling machines is an important factor in the number of people being adversely impacted by gambling.

The National Gambling Impact Study Commission Final Report found the presence of a gambling facility within 50 miles roughly doubles the prevalence of problem and pathological gamblers.

The State of Iowa commissioned a prevalence study as to the rate of pathological gambling prior to the beginning of riverboat gambling an five years after the casinos were operational. During that time, the rate of lifetime pathological gambling increased 200 percent (from 1.7% to 5.4%).

In a Chicago Tribune article about the Rivers Casino, the marketing director noted that while rewards card members make up 20% of casino clientele, they generate 80% of the revenue. In Pennsylvania local people are going to racetrack casinos 3-5 times a week to gamble on the slot machines.

A casino is not like any other business. Illinois casinos are required to have State Police and Illinois Gaming Board staff on hand to ensure against money laundering, cheating, and crime. How many other businesses are operated in this fashion?

The Illinois Supreme Court recently ruled the 2009 video gambling bill was constitutional. Every community and county that does not OPT OUT of video gambling, will have local people gambling and losing money in their own community. People who would never participate in illegal gambling, will be tempted to try their luck when the legal machines are installed in truck stops, sports bars, restaurants, bowing alleys, veterans and fraternal organizations, and many other locations. Making gambling more accessible will lead to increases in addiction, bankruptcy, and crime.

One bet is for sure: Gambling expansion never sleeps.

Where loopholes in the law exist, gambling will find a way to bypass the intent of the law. Where masses of people visit or live, gambling will find a way to exploit them. Where there is money to be had, gambling interests will mine it, regardless of the harm caused. It’s the nature of gambling and greed.

Such is the sad irony playing out in our nation’s capital with a recent lottery-based online gambling amendment.

District of Columbia council member, Michael A. Brown, slipped an amendment into a larger budget bill to authorize it late last year. Brown’s amendment bypassed public vetting and normal procedures for approving legislative changes. When suspicions of wrongdoing began to surface, Washington, D.C. hit the brakes on the Internet gambling scheme until council member Brown could be investigated, proper procedures for approval followed and a public vetting granted.

In light of the sudden online-gambling bravado impasse, the brazen online gambling lobby and the D.C. lottery – insistent on moving forward regardless of approval – are jointly promoting “gambling demonstrations” to whet the appetites of the D.C. public – for points and not real money (yet), of course.

According to the Washington Times article , “Any effort to implement online gambling would have to comply with the federal Johnson Act, which generally prohibits the manufacture, possession, use, sale or transportation of any gambling device in the District of Columbia…. While serving as D.C. attorney general, Peter J. Nickles argued that the District’s gambling law would need to clear multiple federal legal hurdles before online gambling could start.”

Wouldn’t it be refreshing if the brazen gambling bullies had to swallow a “NO” pill in Washington, D.C.?

We’ll see.

Please take 3 minutes to send an email to Gov. Quinn about this important issue!

The Peoria Journal-Star recently reported that the massive predatory gambling bill (SB 744) “hinges on Quinn’s decision.”

The article reports:

Under the Illinois Constitution, the governor could use his amendatory veto powers to strike provisions from it. A majority of lawmakers then would have to agree for Quinn’s version to become law. A three-fifths majority would have to vote to override Quinn in order for the bill to become law as it was originally approved.

Of course, we’d like to see Quinn veto the entire package. Illinois government has no business advancing a destructive vice like gambling as official policy.

According to Rich Miller of Capitol Fax, top state lawmakers will sit down with Governor Patrick Quinntomorrow to discuss the gambling bill. In other words, Gov. Quinn is going to face tremendous pressure to support the bill in its current form.

Take ACTION: Send an email or a fax to Governor Quinn today to ask him to VETO this massive gambling bill.

The Governor must hear from the families of Illinois and not just the special gambling interests who only want to further exploit citizens of Illinois. Remind him that he campaigned against the expansion of gambling in Illinois. Respectfully tell him that creating losers is a terrible way for the state to gain a revenue source.

The governor has repeatedly claimed that the bill is “excessive.” He is correct — but he needs our encouragement to stand firm against this radical expansion of gambling in the Land of Lincoln — despite the pressure from the spend-aholic lawmakers who sponsored this anti-family policy.

After sending your email, you can also call the Governor’s office toll free at (800) 642-3112. Make sure they hear you loud and clear!

Although the massive gambling bill passed the Illinois General Assembly in the waning days of the Spring Session, Governor Patrick Quinn has made it clear that he is not excited about the size of this gambling expansion. In a press conference on June 1, 2011, Quinn told reporters that he thought this gambling bill was “excessive.”

According to a Chicago Sun-Times article, Quinn also said “I’m beholden to the people of Illinois, not to legislators, not to mayors. The people of our state, all 13 million good and true, they’re the ones who I get up in the morning every day and say, ‘What’s best for them?’ ”

If that is true, it is hard to see how Gov. Quinn can ignore the plethora of research that strongly suggests gambling is a blight on the social well-being of society.

Gov. Quinn said he wants to “listen to the people” and will look at every part of the gambling bill before deciding what to do. He may veto part or all of this predatory gambling bill. Since he is listening, the faith community must speak up and encourage him to do the right thing.

Take ACTION: Contact Governor Quinn today to ask him to VETO this massive gambling bill (SB 744). Remind him that he campaigned against the expansion of gambling in Illinois. Respectfully tell him that creating losers is a terrible way for the state to gain a revenue source. If there is an outpouring of calls into his office, this could still get defeated.

You can also call the Governor’s office toll free at (800) 642-3112.

More ACTION: Please also pray that Gov. Quinn recognizes gambling as being harmful to the families of Illinois. Pray that Gov. Quinn understands how gambling leads to an increases in foreclosures, bankruptcies, unemployment, crime and other social ills. Pray that the pleas of local mayors and other greedy politicians will be unpersuasive. Pray that Gov. Quinn will do the right thing for the families and culture of Illinois.

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.

Rep. Lou Lang is drafting an amendment to a (shell) bill passed in the Senate, according to the Chicago Tribune. If the bill passes in the House, the bill would go back to the Senate for a vote, but no amendments will be added according to Rep. Lang.

The Chicago Sun-Times recently published an editorial supporting a casino in Chicago and slots at six racetracks. The new Mayor of Chicago, Rahm Emanuel, has expressed interest in a city-owned casino, and Governor Quinn is “open to discussing proposals” that raise revenue, create jobs and lead to greater investment in schools, as noted in the editorial.

Gambling interests promise more than they can deliver. The 10th casino license is scheduled to open in July, and promised to bring in about $9 million in revenue each year for the city of Des Plaines. The Daily Herald reported that based on the latest projections by a bipartisan state commission and the city’s own independent research, the city will only receive $2 million to $4 million — the cost of one fire truck!

The legislative session is scheduled to end on May 31. Legislators still have many issues to address. Gambling is an unstable source of revenue. Ramming a massive gambling expansion bill through in the final days of the session will not solve the revenue problems for Chicago or the State, and the cost, harm, and impact on communities are not even being considered.

Take ACTION: Click HERE to send your lawmakers an email or a fax to encourage them to oppose any bill to yet again expand gambling in the Land of Lincoln.

More Action:

1. Call your State Representative and Senator at             (217) 782-2000       and ask them to Vote NO on ALL gambling bills.

2. Call Governor Quinn at             (800) 642-3112       to ask him to OPPOSE a Chicago casino, slots at race tracks, and ALL gambling expansion.

3. Write a Letter to the Editor

4. Share this Alert with your faith community and PRAY.

5. Forward to 10 others.