Taxpayers lose if gambling expanded

I am no self-righteous puritan; if it feels good do it, so long as no harm occurs to others. But expanded casino gambling does nothing more than a stack the deck against Illinois residents. The notion that Illinois can gamble its way out of debt with expanded casino gambling is troubling.

Casino gambling revenues will be derived mostly from Illinois residents thereby only shifting the flow of consumer expenditures from other goods and services to the gaming industry. Any benefits from taxes and job creation will be outweighed by the negatives.

I can only imagine the corrupt deal-making from the moment the legislation is passed, the seeds of which have long been planted. Some questions readily come to mind. Who will manage the casinos? Who will benefit from the lucrative contracts for goods and services? Who will construct the casinos and how will there be effective oversight of the process now and in the future?

It should not come as a surprise Chicago has had a long and rich history with casino gambling. In days past, the Stardust and Fremont casinos in Las Vegas existed, if for no other reason, to be a steady source of cash flow skimmed from gambling revenue and delivered back to the Chicago outfit. Fortunately, changes in federal laws such as the RICO statute along with aggressive law enforcement by the feds have weakened, if not hindered, the mob. However, I doubt the corrupt influences are gone, and they will surface to affect all aspects of expanded casino gambling.

Yes, the deck is stacked against the hardworking taxpayers of Illinois.

Robert H. Hanaford

Barrington