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Casino-Free Philadelphia www.CasinoFreePhila.org Find us on Facebook, MySpace, YouTube & Twitter www.CasinoFreePhila.org Find us on Facebook, MySpace, YouTube & Twitter Slide 2 Casino-Free Philadelphias mission is to stop casinos from coming to Philadelphia and close any that open. Slide 3 Casino-Free Campaigns 2006: Operation Transparency 2007: No Way Without Our Say 2007: Phillys Ballot Box 2008: Operation Hidden Costs 2006: Operation Transparency 2007: No Way Without Our Say 2007: Phillys Ballot Box 2008: Operation Hidden Costs Slide 4 destination gambling vs. convenience gambling Slide 5 SugarHouse Site Slide 6 Foxwoods Site ? Slide 7 Market East Proposal 87,700 daily rail passenger s 118,700 daily bus passenger s Slide 8 Predatory Gambling Slide 9 State-sponsored predatory gambling The practice of using gambling to prey on human weaknesses as a method for government to raise money for public services. Slide 10 The gambling trade and our government are turning Americans away from being small savers and into habitual bettors. Slide 11 70% to 90% of casino profits come from 10% of the gamblers Slide 12 But isnt it voluntary? Slide 13 in the actual language of the casino industry, they want players to play to extinction Slide 14 Near misses are perfectly tuned to stoke the addiction. Discover Magazine, Feb. 12, 2009 Slide 15 24-hour accessibility ATM machines easily available Free alcohol And more... Predatory Marketing Practices Slide 16 The Casinos Faulty Pitch Slide 17 The Casino Industry Convenience casinos draw from neighborhoods. Recreation budget displacement. People go to closest convenience casino. Slots parlors have fewer employees per revenue generated than other industries. Slide 18 Hidden Costs Casinos create expensive police, infrastructure and social impacts, and are likely to leave the city with a net loss of jobs and deficits. Pennsylvania Intergovernmental Cooperation Authority July 2007 report Slide 19 Crime Business & Employment Suicide Illness Regulatory Costs As much as $285 million per year For every 1 dollar in revenue, there are 3 dollars in costs. Slide 20 Who is being targeted? Slide 21 Presentation to PA Gaming Control Board by PhiladelphiaPark Casino & Racetrack, October 22, 2008 Slide 22 Is the market saturated? Slide 23 Slide 24 How we got here. Slide 25 Act 71: The PA Gaming Law Originally a 33-line bill applying to horse racing Sat in the House for 47 days, and Senate for 100 days, without amendment On eve of Senate vote, Sen. Fumo replaced 33 lines with 144 pages House passed bill after midnight on July 4, 2004, without public hearings or input Slide 26 $ $ The Source of Support for Act 71 More than $6 million donated by gambling industry to state political campaigns between January 2000 and July 2004. Tad Decker Loaned $100,000 to Rendells campaign (since repaid) Former Chairman of the PA Gaming Control Board Family Foundation of Lewis Katz Friend of Rendell Foxwoods Investor Family Foundation of Ron Rubin Campaign contributor Foxwoods Investor Richard Sprague Criminal defense laywer for Sen. Fumo SugarHouse investor Sen. Fumo $250,000 from the gambling industry Gov. Rendell $1.7 million from the gambling industry Slide 27 The driving forces: a senator from Philadelphia a governor from Philadelphia Slide 28 Act 71 Vote in the State Senate: 30 in favor, 20 opposed all 7 senators from Philadelphia in favor Slide 29 Act 71 Vote in the State House: 113 in favor, 88 opposed all 26 representatives from Philadelphia in favor Slide 30 What about the Supreme Court? Slide 31 Today: Slide 32 Both casinos frozen Slide 33 Pending lawsuits Slide 34 Video poker proposal a threat and an opportunity Slide 35 How we can win. Slide 36 A Declaration of Independence from Casinos Slide 37 We The People.