This is Viewpoints for Monday, Jan. 4, 2016

Georgia doesn't need casinos

Take a look at a little research by John Kindt and it won't take long to agree that casinos are not in the best interest of the citizens of Georgia.

The gambling industry has a host of lobbyists in Georgia applying pressure on our legislators in an attempt to persuade them to pass legislation allowing casinos in Georgia.

The only people who benefit in states where casinos are legal are gambling insiders. For instance, in Illinois $35 billion to $100 billion in tax giveaways to gambling's insiders created such a shortfall on the budget that the Legislature made an attempt to eliminate benefits and pensions to teachers and public employees.

John Kindt writes, "Researchers at universities across the country agree crime increases about 10 percent annually around new gambling facilities — as gamblers lose their resources and resort to crime. In addition, bankruptcies increase 18 to 42 percent with casino gambling as gamblers lose their revenue to such facilities. And the number of new addicted gamblers increases.

Under the best scenarios for gambling revenues to the government, the socio-economic costs of legalized gambling to the taxpayers are $3 in costs for every $1 in new revenues. Non-gambling and less-gambling states have better economies and more future tax revenues than gambling states."

John Kindt holds two graduate degrees from the University of Georgia, is professor emeritus of business and legal policy at the University of Illinois and author of several research papers on gambling.

— Aaron Hufstetler

Warner Robins

This story was originally published January 3, 2016 at 8:02 PM with the headline "This is Viewpoints for Monday, Jan. 4, 2016 ."