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The Cost of Gambling Policy
A recovering addict and a researcher share with WGLT about gambling's social impact.
“‘Seventy-five percent of people that gamble in any one year suffer from major depressive disorder,’ [Dr. Kerber] said… One in five gamblers who suffer from depression attempt suicide. It’s the highest suicide rate among any kind of addict.”
Commercialized Gambling's Exploitative Practices and Harm to All of Us
National Director Les Bernal testifies before a Georgia legislative committee
Why Commercialized Gambling is Different Than Any Other Business
National Director Les Bernal testifies before the Georgia legislature
Illinois grapples with a rise in sports gambling problems as bets hit $1B a month
Illinoisans bet $1 billion on sports for the first time in October, then did it again in November and December, state data shows… Around 5% of the clientele at Oak Park’s Way Back Inn addiction recovery center had problems with sports gambling before it was legalized. That rate has shot up to around 30%… Miller, of the Illinois Council on Problem Gambling, noted the state operates a 24/7 problem gambling help line. The help line received 1,283 calls during the fiscal year of 2020, 2,889 the following year, and 5,460 in the fiscal year of 2022, according to an IDHS spokesperson. From last July to December, which was the first half of fiscal year of 2023, it received 4,461 calls."
Illinois Gaming Board Moves to Hand License to Alleged Money Launderer and Wildlife Trafficker With Ties to Mexican Drug Cartel
"When the people regulating gambling see an operator who has been suspected of money laundering, wildlife trafficking, and ties to drug trafficking for the Mexican cartels as acceptable, it demonstrates even further why the citizens of Chicago can't trust the Lightfoot administration's claims that the casino regulatory approval process will protect our communities."
How Sports Betting Has Increased Predatory Gambling Across the U.S.: The High Cost to Poorer Communities
From the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission
