Opinion

Letter: Tell legislators to reject bad bet on sports wagering

Posted April 11, 2019 11:00 pm

Letter to the Daily Herald editor

Gov. JB Pritzker wants the General Assembly to immediately legalize internet and sports gambling.

The last time legislators moved quickly to pass a massive expansion of gambling, the state began borrowing hundreds of millions of dollars against the anticipated revenue, according to ProPublica's investigative report, "How Illinois bet on video gambling and lost."

It took eight years before the state collected the minimum amount expected from video gambling, and was $1.3 billion short of what lawmakers expected.

Almost 31,000 video gambling machines are now operating in 6,800 neighborhood establishments. Municipalities have enacted moratoriums, banned or limited video gambling parlors and increased fees to pay for costs.

Legalizing internet and sports gambling will expand gambling in homes and on mobile devices and cellphones. Access to sporting events worldwide 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, makes gambling just a touch away and fuels gambling addiction.

Underage gambling could also increase. There are 25,000 children ages 11-16 who are pathological gamblers in the United Kingdom, where internet and sports gambling is legal. One 13-year-old boy used his phone to take a picture of his dad's company credit card and set up an account to gamble in a matter of minutes.

More than one-fifth of 18- to 24-year-olds in the UK are gambling at work. About 15 percent of the men who are gambling have set up five gambling accounts. Recently, a 20-year-old man withdrew more than $2,500 every few minutes from PayPal and lost more than $195,000 gambling in one night.

People check their cellphones frequently throughout the day, and gambling apps entice them to gamble. Gambling companies target young people with free spins and free sports bets for trying casino games, and give multiple "nudges" to bet.

Gambling is an unstable source of revenue. Tell legislators to reject another bad bet!

Anita Bedell

Executive Director

Illinois Church Action on Alcohol and Addiction Problems

Springfield

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