Abolish the practice of gambling operators reaping more than half their profits from citizens who’ve been turned into addicted gamblers.
Because millions of young people in America are growing up in homes where a loved one is addicted to gambling or they themselves have become addicted, we are working to implement reforms that:
- Require commercialized gambling interests to be subject to the same civil litigation laws as any other business in a state.
- Prohibit the predatory practice of allowing commercialized gambling on credit, whether by credit card or “markers,” (interest-free loans issued by gambling operators.) It’s inconceivable that states encourage citizens to fund their gambling addiction using debt.
- Reduce the speed of the commercialized gambling being offered by states. Many of the most harmful forms of commercialized gambling are also the fastest like electronic gambling machines, online gambling, and scratch tickets.
- Restrict the inducements offered to gamblers to keep them gambling or luring them to start gambling after they have stopped.
- Create an Office of the Public Advocate to Stop Abusive Gambling Operator Practices. The office will be committed to public service in representing state citizens in any matter that is covered by the authority of the state gambling commissions, as well as proceedings before state and federal agencies and courts, so that they are protected from being exploited and cheated by commercialized gambling operators. This is similar to what many states do in representing state utility consumers.
- Require state lotteries to track and report re-wagers and quantify their relationship to sales and subsequent prizes. State lotteries advertise the billions of dollars in prizes paid to players of their instant scratch lottery games. These announcements are celebrated by the lotteries. The prize amounts are used to justify the operation of the state lottery and to entice participation. However, a significant amount of these prizes never leave the store with the players, and instead are re-wagered for higher price point tickets, such as a $100 ticket.
- Reduce the overall amount of lottery games being marketed to the public. Presently, several states market more than 100 different gambling games.
- Reduce the amount of locations where extreme forms of gambling like electronic gambling machines are being marketed by the state.