No and no to more gambling and to Propositions 26 and 27
$6,000 Welcome Bonus
Fund programs to help with homelessness!
Uphold the future fortunes of Native Americans in California!
So, vote for more gambling! More casinos!
And thus ensure people will have even more opportunities to throw away hard-earned money betting foolishly against the house.
In truth, the last thing California needs is more gambling. Nevada, right next door, is the national gambling capital. But after Nevada, California has the most slot machines of any state.
The state already has 66 tribal casinos, 84 card rooms, 33 horse racing facilities and 23,000 stores selling lottery tickets. In California, you can bet on a horse race, buy a lottery ticket, put money on poker in a card room and play slots at a tribal casino all in the same expensive day.
Voters are asked on the Nov. 8 ballot to further enrich a rapidly growing, multi-billion-dollar gaming industry that has no problem leaving behind forlorn gamblers who have incurred tens of thousands of dollars of debt.
That’s why we urge a “No” vote on Proposition 26, which would expand onsite tribal casino gambling to allow sports wagering, roulette and dice games such as craps and would also allow sports betting at horserace tracks.
It’s also why voters should oppose Proposition 27, which would allow tribes to join with large, established, out-of-state internet gambling companies to provide online wagering on sporting events — and block out small competitors.
The measures have been festooned with promises that some of the revenues would go, depending on the proposition, to the state general fund, gambling-addiction programs, homeless programs and schools.
Don’t be fooled. Voters have been promised similar funding boosts from backers of the state lottery and the cannabis industry, but the revenue has never matched expectations.
It’s all about greed.
California’s tribes have split their support between the two measures depending on which one they expect would provide the biggest payoff. The gambling industry, like many, took a hit during the pandemic. Nationally, commercial gaming revenue after winnings shrank by more than 25% between 2019 and 2020. Then, in 2021, it came roaring back – even faster than the rest of the economy – and brought in more money than any previous year. Tribal casinos also had a record breaking year in 2021, with annual estimates of tribal gross gaming revenue (all wagers, minus winnings) surging to almost $12 billion.
Little wonder spending on the two ballot measures is expected to break California campaign spending records. As of the end of last month, more than $350 million had been spent on TV ads for and against the two propositions. That’s money backers could have sent to help cities with their homelessness crisis, or other needs. But they’re not gambling their political contributions for the public good. They’re hoping to hit another jackpot no matter the cost to society.
Gambling addiction can cause a cascade of problems in a person’s life including mental health issues, increased use of drugs or alcohol, financial problems and strained relationships. Out of the roughly 2,549 people who called California’s problem gambling hotline in 2019 for themselves or someone they knew, gamblers had taken on an average debt of about $24,000. Their average household income was around $74,000. A 2006 statewide survey found that nearly 4% of California adults were problem or pathological gamblers at some point in their lives.
Meanwhile, the state Office of Problem Gambling receives only a paltry $8.6 million a year to cover all gambling addiction and treatment services.
But now the tribes, race track owners and sports betting sites are offering through their ballot measures to provide more funding for addiction programs — but only if they can make the problem worse by expanding gambling.
For Californians, that’s yet another losing bet. Voters should stop this greedy come-on and vote no on Propositions 26 and 27.
