From the Desk of Ernie Goss Located in 24 states, 515 commercial casinos in 2016 collected $8.9 billion in taxes on $40.0 billion in gambler losses for an average tax rate of approximately 23%, or roughly triple the average sales tax rate. Eleven of the 24 casino states devoted casino tax collections to education spending, while the remaining 13 states dedicated the taxes to a wide array of state and local spending projects. Table 1 shows how casino states differed...

But while some Wisconsin lawmakers on both sides of the political aisle are open to the idea, which could bring more tax revenue to state coffers, placing a legal wager in Wisconsin could be years away and involve a series of complex measures. It would first need to be approved by the Assembly and Senate in two consecutive sessions and would then need to be approved in a statewide referendum in order to change the state’s constitution. https://madison.com/wsj/business/sports-gambling-inches-closer-to-wisconsin-but-its-legalization-in/article_c12028d8-0e88-5fb9-ae97-b4d6f6c539df.html?fbclid=IwAR18oNp7k-ygMLzS0IrvPMsDo3H8IeFcWf0W1iR5nyfq7SGqPBT-FAoiESo#utm_source=madison.com&utm_campaign=%2Femail-updates%2Fbreaking&utm_medium=PostUp&utm_content=8f08ea8184c2285643b56038b37d3fcfe6790229

Kathleen Pasch says she always intended to pay back the money she is accused of taking during her time as treasurer of the Black Creek Rescue Service. But that didn’t happen, authorities said. The 60-year-old woman is charged with stealing more than $100,000 from the service to support her gambling addiction, according to a criminal complaint filed last month in Outagamie County. Pasch isn’t the first person with access to company funds to face charges for taking money to finance...

A must read – keen insight to the gambling industry. The winners are the operators and government at the expense of the citizens. By Jason Grotto / Pro Publica Illinois  Owners of one of Illinois’ largest video gambling companies are behind efforts to influence city politics, expand gambling and build a casino near land they control. The first and only official truck stop in Waukegan sits on a lot so small that a tractor-trailer would have a hard time pulling...

Iowans are at a greater risk for gambling problems, according to a recent study by the Iowa Department of Public Health. The study 315,000 of the 1.7 million (13.6%) adult Iowans who gambled over 12 months are classified as “at-risk” for gambling problems. The study’s companion document, “Sports Betting and Fantasy Sports,” found 23% of Iowans who bet on sports or played fantasy sports were classified as at-risk gamblers. https://www.kcci.com/article/report-gambling-on-the-rise-in-iowa-problem-gambling-worsens/28658698#  

Under the direction of federal guidelines, the BIA engaged an independent consultant, Analytical Environmental Services, to assess the socioeconomic impact of the Beloit casino and to prepare the Final Environmental Impact Statement that is required to address the casino’s socioeconomic impact on the people of Wisconsin. AES then hired The Innovation Group, another consultant, to determine the casino’s socioeconomic impact component of the FEIS. However, it is now confirmed that TIG is the same consultant hired by the Ho-Chunk to...

This is a great article on the impact that expansive gambling has had on UK’s citizens, and what we can expect here in the US if we continue to expand gambling. There have always been gambling addicts. Go back in time to Britain’s official inquiries into gambling in 1978, 1951 or even the 1930s and you will find the same concerns being expressed about the dangers it posed to the public, particularly those on middle or lower incomes. As late...

In his article for Wisconsin Watch, Coutu consulted a statistical expert, who concluded that the lucky streaks among some of the frequent winners of the Wisconsin Lottery defied any reasonable explanation. In all, Coutu found that three of the top 13 frequent winners had close ties to the retailers selling them the winning tickets. Another expert noted in the article that retailers get a cut of the winnings, providing additional temptation to cheat. Read more here

As the Ho-Chunk Nation Beloit casino proposal moves forward, public comments issued to the Bureau of Indian Affairs show mixed reactions to the plan. Those wishing to make public comment may do so by mailing or hand-delivering written comments to Timothy LaPointe, Regional Director, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Midwest Region, Norman Pointe II Building, 5600 West American Boulevard, Suite 500, Bloomington, Minnesota 55347 https://www.beloitdailynews.com/news/20190604/casino_projectdraws_mixedcomments_?fbclid=IwAR3sS7iicbgSk6Xsmi6ff98sLSMdhATZKhlhod4Bm3DSYYeB5mp7cJsZ-d4

This is what the future of almost every US state looks like and why our fight to stop the expansion of gambling matters more than ever.   https://www.chicagotribune.com/politics/ct-met-illinois-general-assembly-session-wrap-20190602-story.html?fbclid=IwAR10bSjDF7qTPxLUG4BuFcB2hwjW9qIEy8yehDNc7XYVxNa-K9xAIO_k6mE