Saturday, November 04, 2006

I join many Ohio clergy leaders in urging defeat of Slot Machine Issue 3 on
November's ballot. Issue 3 aims to amend Ohio's Constitution to allow
casino-style gambling. Video slot machines are extremely addictive and
gamblers can lose entire paychecks in minutes at a video slot machine. The
pro-gambling initiative has been dressed seductively as a "Learn and Earn"
campaign to entice voter support with the bait of educational benefits. The
motive is not about supporting Ohio children. Rod Parsley said, "This is
about the rich getting richer at the expense of those who can least afford
to part with their hard-earned income." Alert clergy from a broad group of
Christian backgrounds, have condemned Issue 3 as an educational sham and
deliberate ploy to trick voters. "Learn and Earn is about greed and bleed,"
said United Methodist Bishop Bruce Ough. "Thousands of Ohio children from
our poorest families will go hungry and inadequately clothed because their
parents' paychecks will go into state-sanctioned slot machines. This is bad
economics and irresponsible government." This initiative is financed by Ohio
casino and race-track owners and would ride on the backs of poor and
already-addicted gamblers. Gambling addiction increases the closer casino
gambling comes to where you live.

The gambling industry's own study indicates 109,000 new gambling addicts
will be created in Ohio if slots are legalized. A national study shows
bankruptcy rates are 100 percent higher in every county with casinos than in
counties without casinos. Ohio already has one of the highest bankruptcy
rates in the county. "Slot machines are the crack-cocaine of gambling," said
Rev. Rebecca Tollefson, executive director of the Ohio Council of Churches.
Learn and Earn claims this is about education, but only 30 percent goes to
education. Administrative costs come out of the 30 percent. And the cost to
administer the program is not yet known. Supporters are running a shameful
media campaign suggesting its purpose is to provide college scholarships to
Ohio's children.

They are misleading the public when they claim the high social costs of
casino gambling are worthwhile because it will provide college scholarships
to Ohio high school graduates. The truth is very different. The fund for
scholarships will not be fully functioning for 14 years. The grant program
is restricted to only the top 5 percent of all graduates; those students are
the most likely to go to college with other scholarship support. Qualifying
graduates receive no funding if they attend an out-of-state school. For the
first 14 years, race track owners and owners of the two casinos in Cleveland
will rake in the money while 95 percent of high school students receive no
assistance. Issue 3 is about taking dollars from the homes of ordinary Ohio
families and put it into the hands of casino owners.