Praise for stories on casinos, gambling

Kudos to the Daily Herald for its eye opening series on Illinois casinos. I was particularly stunned by the problem gambler component of reporter Joe Ryan's exposé. It is shameful our state spends only five one-hundredths of a percent (of the tens of billions it has raked in from gambling taxes) on problem gamblers. Compulsive gamblers can destroy families, embezzle from businesses or the government and cost everyone money due to bankruptcies and bloated welfare rolls. For several years, I have introduced legislation to mandate one member of the Illinois Gaming Board be "a person verified by the National Council on Problem Gambling or the Illinois Council on Problem and Compulsive Gambling, as a compulsive gambler in a recovery treatment program for 10 years or an individual with specialized knowledge or experience in the field of pathological gambling." Your paper's casino series proves it's time to dust off my legislation and reintroduce it in the fall veto session!

State Sen. Kirk W. Dillard

Hinsdale