According to a recent study by Wisconsin Public Research Institute, every Wisconsin resident is within a two-hour drive of a Native-American gaming facility.   The casino market in Wisconsin is saturated, and introducing a new casino into a saturated market has consequences both economic and social. In a saturated market, any new revenue that is generated by the new casino would in fact be taking away revenue, jobs, and any economic multipliers from other established casinos and their respective communities.  There...

As the nation’s annual April 15th tax filing deadline nears, one reason why we are paying more taxes for less government services than we should is because of regional casinos and lotteries. State governments have relentlessly pushed these extreme forms of gambling onto the public in a bid to collect more money. Yet a new report this week by the Rockefeller Institute of Government at SUNY Albany confirms what is becoming obvious to most Americans: “In the long-run, the growth...

Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) has been a highly debated topic in recent months.  Forbes reported that daily games were projected to generate $2.6 billion in entry fees alone in 2015 while only paying out around $1 billion in contest prizes.  More concerning, is that 80 percent of bettors will lose about half of their money. A few weeks ago, DraftKings, Inc. and FanDuel, Inc. lobbied the legislature to consider a bill that, if passed, would have made Daily Fantasy Sports...

Teenagers today have the world in the palm of their hands.  Literally.  Smart phones, laptops, tablets and any devices that access the internet makes just about anything in any part of the world at their disposal.  The good, the bad and the ugly. The internet exposes children to gambling well before they’re 18 – they encounter ads for gambling in emails, pop up ads and online advertising. These ads send the message that gambling is fun and exciting, that the...

TO: Chairman Swearingen and Members of State Affairs and Government Operations FR: Lorri Pickens, Citizens Against Expanded Gambling DATE: January 27, 2015 RE: Testimony Opposing AB 800 Thank you Chairman Swearingen and Members of State Affairs and Government Operations. My name is Lorri Pickens, and I am here on behalf of Citizens Against Expanded Gambling. Citizens Against Expanded Gambling is a group of concerned citizens, employers and community leaders who oppose the expansion of gambling in Wisconsin. Citizens Against Expanded Gambling represents...

Gambling is taking on a new flavor – daily fantasy sports (DFS) betting. It’s the latest trend sweeping the nation, and there is really big money on the line. According to some analysts, entry fees in daily fantasy sports will total $18 billion by 2020. Proponents of legalizing DFS gambling are trying to skirt the law altogether by seeking to define it in state statutes as a game of skill rather than a game of chance. One such proposal (AB...

Below is a letter to the editor written by Tim Johnson of Beloit. Letters to the editors are very effective ways to let members of your community and elected officials know that there is opposition to the expansion of gambling and casinos in Wisconsin as well as an opportunity to educate why people they should oppose casinos in their communities. There are many other ways to help (click here for more opportunities)  Please join our efforts to help stop the...