July 3, 2007
Gambling Action Alert
Privatizing the Lottery -- House to Meet on July 5
Speaker Michael Madigan called a meeting of the full House on Thursday, July 5 and sent a letter inviting the Governor to speak. The Speaker asked the Governor to have legislation drafted by Thursday morning so the House can take a vote this week on his proposals to lease the Lottery and issue pension obligation bonds, according to newspaper reports.
A private company will expand the Lottery electronically to increase sales through the Internet, Video Lottery, and Keno. There are only a few Lottery companies in the world. GTECH, one of the largest lottery operating companies, was bought by an Italian Lottery company last year. Privatizing the Lottery will result in increased advertising targeting the poor and the addicted.
For Immediate Action
- Contact your State Representative (217-782-2000) and ask him/her to OPPOSE the leasing of the Lottery.
- Talk with your Legislators at 4th of July Parades, picnics, and community events to tell them NO MORE GAMBLING.
The following Editorial in the Peoria Journal Star shows what happens in communities with casino gambling.
State shouldn't push Lady Luck too far
Monday, July 2, 2007
As lawmakers look at gaming expansions to plug holes in the state budget, we couldn't help but note that Lady Luck can have a corrupting influence, even on those in positions of power. In central Illinois there's been a long list of prominent locals falling from grace due to gambling-related behavior.
- In September 1996, a former principal at Peoria's Glen Oak Primary School was fined and ordered to perform 100 hours of community service for stealing money from the school, reportedly to feed her gambling problem.
- In September 1997, the Roanoke village clerk pleaded guilty to official misconduct for stealing $45,000 to support a gambling addiction.
- In July 2002, Woodford County's sheriff pleaded guilty to federal charges of money laundering and mail fraud after embezzling more than $200,000 and misusing county credit cards to make cash advances to feed his gambling habit.
- In November 2005, Pekin's mayor lost his job after being convicted of official misconduct for using a city-issued credit card to withdraw about $1,400 to play video poker at a riverboat casino.
- In April 2006, a former Delavan city treasurer who also handled the accounts of a park district and cemetery association pleaded guilty to stealing money from those organizations to gamble at the riverboat. She was ordered to pay about $52,600 in restitution and to seek treatment for her gambling problem.
- In September 2006, a prominent Peoria attorney was sentenced to 10 years in prison for stealing $278,000 from an elderly client over several years, reportedly to feed his alcohol and gambling addictions. He was later disbarred.
- In March 2007, a decorated Peoria police veteran was terminated a month before retirement amid allegations that he took winnings from another gambler at the riverboat.
- In May 2007, a former principal at Peoria's Garfield Primary School pleaded guilty to stealing about $12,000 from a disabled relative to feed her gambling habit. A decade earlier she confessed to stealing $3,800 from the school's activity fund, which she reportedly spent at the casino.
- On June 22, 2007, a 49-year-old former Lewistown Township supervisor pleaded guilty to embezzling some $182,000 over a 10-year-period, in part to cover her gambling losses.
This list is not meant to be comprehensive, but it's a revealing rundown. Maybe it will give politicians pause about tapping gaming dollars to fund everything from schools to road construction. Oh, we're not out to blame casinos for the destructive behavior of a few. Gambling is entertainment for most people. For others it becomes an unhealthy obsession. To the degree that the state can discourage the latter by tempering the expansion of gaming positions and looking elsewhere for ongoing revenue, it should.
Indeed, it's disheartening to witness personal actions torpedo public careers. Need we wonder, who's next?