Casinos drive Wisconsin’s tribal economies, generating nearly $1.3 billion in net winnings a year before the pandemic’s disruption, according to the Wisconsin Department of Administration, which tracks gaming dollars. But by 2021 those winnings dropped by nearly a third to $893 million — an aggregate total that obscures the financial hit to individual tribes.  Read more here.

Here is the clear danger behind “risk-free” and “free-to-play” gaming. “Free to Play (F2P) games are effectively a gateway strategy to recruit users who may have never considered betting on sports or racing.”  Read more here.

On Monday, another player joined the infamous ranks of NFL players that have bet on the league’s games. That would be Falcons receiver Calvin Ridley.  Read more here.

For the past several years Americans have been increasingly exposed to predatory gambling, the practice of using gambling to prey on human weakness for profit. Unfortunately, rather than protect the vulnerable, state governments are colluding with the profiteers to exploit ​​their citizens. For-profit gambling, or commercial gambling, is illegal unless granted special legal exemption by the government — which many states are increasingly willing to provide.  Read more here.

A recent study by American Psychological Association of online gamblers found: 69.6% underestimated their betting frequency by more than 10%. 64.8% underestimated their losses. Read more here.

David Cranford pastors First Baptist Church in nearby Ponchatoula, and he was president of the Louisiana Baptist Convention when that group went up against powerful political operatives backing the gambling legislation. “We live in a state that is itself addicted to gambling,” he said, “and what I mean by that is the state of Louisiana is addicted to gambling revenue, and they will do anything to see gambling expand.” Read more here.

Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services developed a group-based GD treatment manual for adults with co-occurring disorders. Over the course of 5 years, 353 individuals engaged in at least some of the manual’s 12 weekly modules, and more than one-third (n = 122) completed the entire curriculum. Read more…

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – More than 1,000 people have sworn off gambling at Massachusetts casinos, including MGM Springfield. Mark Vander Linden, MGC’s Director of Research and Responsible Gaming, said, “This milestone is significant but represents a small percentage of those struggling to control their gambling.” Read more here.

Despite only having a $1,250 per month salary, a woman from northern Wisconsin spent over $140,000 of another person’s money at casinos and paid herself and her family over $80,000. Read more here.

Government’s job is to protect its citizens, not profit from their losses. The state of Michigan has set records in online casino gambling and sports wagering. But for some people, the price was never worth it. In the time that online casino gaming and sports wagering has become legal, the state’s gambling hotline has received over 2,000 more calls in just one year. That was a nearly 33% increase, according to the Department of Health and Human Services.  Read more...