It's like free money (not really)!

Elmhurst bars and fraternal organizations are understandably attracted by the extra revenue from video gambling.  It’s like free money for putting a few machines in your establishment.  Except that the establishment’s gambling revenues are the gambling losses of their customers, friends, and neighbors.

The Oregon Lottery is all in on video gambling with 12,000+ machines across the state.  The numbers are big.  2013 video gambling losses by gamblers (also known as revenues) were $9.9 billion with $737 million going to the state as profits.  With increased gambling came the social costs of theft, illness, crime, family crises, lost work time, bankruptcy, and divorce.  The Oregon social costs are estimated to be $400 - $600 million.  Problems gamblers pay a steep price and the tab for society is worse.

43 - 60% of gambling losses (revenues) come from problem gamblers.  It is estimated that 2-4% of the population are problem or potential problem gamblers.  For Elmhurst with approximately 32,000 adults over 21, that’s 640 to 1,280 problem gamblers.  As adults, they can gamble anywhere, even on the Internet.  The problem is that the video gambling machines were designed to be highly addictive and they become convenience gambling.

I urge the City of Elmhurst to find more ethical alternatives to support fraternal organizations and businesses than to capitalize on the trap of video g