Lake County casino would need special safeguards
The bill to significantly expand gambling in Illinois has been criticized for many reasons, but it was one aspect of the plan that drew the ire of anti-gambling activists this week — the casino proposed for Park City in Lake County.
At issue is its location near Great Lakes Naval Station. Why? Because thousands of sailors at Great Lakes are part of a demographic group that experts say is prone to gambling addiction.
While gambling proponents contend the issue is a red herring because many sailors aren’t old enough to enter a casino and are restricted to the base, we think the proximity to so many young people is a unique challenge and if a casino is built in Park City, accommodations should be made. The casino and base should be required to work together to put programs in place to educate sailors and base personnel about the dangers of gambling addiction and create vehicles to provide help to those who need it.
For now, the gambling bill is stalled and awaits a decision by Gov. Pat Quinn. If ever signed into law, it contains provisions to allow slot machines at Arlington Park and a casino in Chicago, in addition to new casinos elsewhere in the region including Park City.
The Navy hasn’t taken a position on the matter, but says at any given time, 5,000 of the campus recruits are in an eight-week boot camp and not allowed to leave the base. About 5,000 others are mostly between the ages of 18 and 24, taking classes in various Naval specialties and are allowed to leave the base. About 10,000 other people, including civilians, work there as well.
One base official said, “It’s like a college campus here, except with marching.”
And that’s the point, gambling critics say.
“They’re (young sailors) having a hard enough time being away from home,” said Anita Bedell, executive director of the Illinois Church Action on Alcohol and Addiction Problems.
Similar arguments have been made about a new casino in the plan for Danville, a 30-minute drive for students at the University of Illinois.
The societal problems caused by gambling addiction are extensive and well-documented. The destructive behavior pathological gamblers engage in — from crime to large debt to damaged relationships — can’t be ignored, and they’re among the reasons we consider the casino bill too big and too poorly constructed from the outset. Experts point out that gambling that begins in teen years can lead to addiction problems later in life. They also say the presence of a gambling facility within 50 miles roughly doubles the prevalence of problem and pathological gamblers.
So if all these gambling sites must be built, we ought to at least recognize that safeguards are needed to head off problems in the unique relationship between Great Lakes and any casino in Park City.