It’s certainly no surprise but it is definitely a continuing disappointment to see that Kentucky’s governor is once again bowing to pressure from the big gambling corporations and plans to push gambling expansion yet again in the coming session of the General Assembly. Even if you set aside the purely moral arguments against expanding gambling, seeking this form of revenue for the commonwealth is just bad public policy. Not only is it highly unlikely that slot machines or casinos will ever deliver at the rate promised, they are sure to be a drain on the local economies where they are located. Furthermore, who in Kentucky really wants our politicians beholden to gambling interests to balance the state budget?
The social costs are also often dismissed or underestimated by the gambling industry but they are very, very real. The following story was published recently in The Courier-Journal of Louisville. Get ready for many more like it if gambling is expanded in our state.
Man admits he was ‘living a lie’ as he stole more than $1 million from employer to gamble
He is described by family, friends and his current employer as an outstanding worker, a former Bellarmine student, dedicated husband and loving father of two children adopted from a Ukraine orphanage.
But Gregory Woods admitted to police last year that he was “living a lie,” that he had stolen more than $1 million over several years from the Louisville car dealership where he was a manager and gambled away most of that money at Horseshoe Southern Indiana Casino.
“All of the money went to fuel my gambling problem,” Woods admitted in court records.