When I was in Albany this spring and early summer to advocate rejection of the casino expansion amendment, I had no great hopes of being heard.
When I met with legislators like Assemblyman Phil Steck, I was heartened by the experience. Then, he voted for passage of the amendment and the enabling legislation. On his website, he touts the "requirement for all casinos to develop a comprehensive problem gambling program. We need to make sure that anyone with a gambling problem has access to resources to overcome the problem."
The Upstate NY Gaming Development Act he voted for provides $500 per slot machine for gambling addiction programs. The average income from an electronic slot machine at Resorts World Casino in New York City is more than $370 a day, according to an October 2012 New York Times article. Let's say the daily earnings of a New York slot machine average only $250 per day. That means just two days of earning a year would go for addiction mitigation. Meanwhile, casinos get about 50 percent of their revenues from gamblers with disordered gambling while providing less than 1 percent of earnings for treatment.
This fig-leaf funding is going "to make sure anyone with a gambling problem has access to resources to overcome the problem?"
The drastic underfunding of addiction mitigation continues as this "progressive" legislator pats himself on the back. In fact, he is joined by a majority of legislators, in both houses, of both parties, who have irresponsibly voted to put New York in the predatory casino business.
Arnie Lieber, MD
Saugerties