Press release from the Coalition for a Better Fort Wayne:
April 1, 2009
Don’t be fooled by casinos!
What a casino would cost Fort Wayne
The social cost to a community far outweighs tax revenue generated by a casino.
- Crime will increase. 75% of pathological gamblers admit committing a felony to feed their habit.
- New business will be less likely to locate in Fort Wayne. Robert Ady of Ady and Associates, who has identified more prime locations for corporations in the United States than any other individual, says, “A casino is an eliminator.” In other words, it could be the very reason a new business would turn down Fort Wayne.
- Suicides and bankruptcy could increase. Nevada, the state with most gambling, ranks first in the nation in suicide, first in divorce, first in high school drop-outs, and third in bankruptcies.
- Non-gamblers will pay an estimated $10,330 for every additional person in the community who becomes a pathological gambler. Police work, adjudication, incarceration, counseling, social services and welfare costs will increase.
 Learn more:
Casinos, Crime and Community Costs:
The true cost of casinos in Fort WayneWho: Dr. Earl Grinols
What: Public lecture, “Casinos, Crime and Community Costs”
When: Friday, April 24, 2009, 10:00 am to 12:00 pm
Where: Allen County Public Library, downtown Fort Wayne
Cost: FreeThe Coalition for a Better Fort Wayne presents a free lecture by Dr. Earl Grinols, “Casinos, Crime, and Community Costs.” The lecture will be held on Friday, April 24, 2009, 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. at the Allen County Public Library in downtown Fort Wayne.
Earl Grinols is Distinguished Professor of Economics at Baylor University. He has researched the effect of legalized casinos in the United States. In 2004 Grinols’ book, “Gambling in America: Costs and Benefits,” was published by Cambridge University Press. His work “Casinos, Crime, and Community Costs,” with co-author Professor David Mustard, studied all 3,165 counties in the United States for a twenty-year period to establish statistical links between casinos and FBI Index I crime.
Grinols has taught at Cornell University, the University of Chicago, and the University of Illinois in addition to Baylor University. He has worked at the Department of the Treasury and was a Senior Economist with the Council of Economic Advisors.
The lecture is free and open to the public. Questions will be answered after the presentation. Also in attendance will be Tom Grey, spokesman and field director for Stop Predatory Gambling.
The Coalition for a Better Fort Wayne is a non-partisan group of citizens concerned about the quality of life in our city.Â
Say NO to Casinos in Fort Wayne.
For more information, contact the Coalition for a Better Fort Wayne at (260) 969-1441, or visit their website.
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