Sunday, January 07, 2007

Hundreds of slot machines were rolling last week in Broward County, where
crowds thronged a new "racino" at the former Hollywood Greyhound Track,
newly dubbed the Mardi Gras Racetrack and Gaming Center. At nearby
Gulfstream Park, slots were introduced in mid-November and more than $77
million has already flowed through its machines. Two more tracks plan to
open rooms for slots soon -- and there's little the Legislature can do about
it. A statewide constitutional amendment approved in 2004 allowed voters in
Miami-Dade and Broward counties to vote on allowing casino-style slots.
Miami-Dade voters said no, but the issue could face a re-vote in the coming
year. Broward voters said yes, and the Legislature -- under pressure from
Gov. Jeb Bush, a gambling opponent -- scrambled in 2006 to enact
restrictions and set a tax rate on the new machines. For the most part, the
restrictions made sense. Lawmakers mandated that 50 percent of slots revenue
go to the state, to be used for education. That's in line with the education
revenues produced by the Florida Lottery. State law also restricts hours of
operation for slots, a measure intended to break the trance many gamers fall
into when they begin to play the slots. Along the same lines, casinos are
not allowed to offer free or low-cost alcohol to gamers. Automated-teller
machines are banned from slot-machine parlors, along with check-cashing or
loan services.
These are important protections. With slots, "you can use up so much money
in so very short a period of time," says Pat Fowler, executive director of
the Florida Council on Compulsive Gambling. "The only thing that makes the
gambler stop is the need for more money." Bush insisted on these regulations
as a way to protect Floridians from slots -- perhaps the most addictive form
of gambling available. Lawmakers who support gambling are already suggesting
that these measures be repealed, and they're counting on Gov. Charlie Crist
to back their play. Crist accepted thousands of dollars in campaign
contributions from many of the state's gambling interests. But Crist, along
with the Legislature, should stand firm. Instead of making it easier for
problem gamblers to sink deeper into debt, state officials should consider
using the slots revenue to shore up programs to treat gambling addiction.

First, the state needs a good look at trends. The Legislature commissioned a
study of gambling that was completed by the University of Florida in 2003.
That study -- which provided valuable information on the national, as well
as regional, impacts of gambling -- cries out for a follow-up now that slots
are established in the state.

The state can also maximize the programs it already has in place by
investing in publicity for its gambling helpline. Spending money on
advertising carries a dual benefit: It helps Floridians reach out for help
they might not otherwise know about, and it gives the state a constantly
updated picture of problem wagering.

But the hotline faces its own challenges. Too often, staffers can't offer
problem gamblers a place to turn for anti-addiction counseling. Some
mental-health professionals still treat gambling as a self-control issue,
despite studies showing it's a geniune addiction with mental and
physiological components. Better training for the state's psychiatric
community -- and subsidies for those who can't afford to pay private
physicians -- would help.