Illinois gambling expansion disagreed with by State’s Attorney
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The Illinois State-Journal Register is reporting on reactions to a letter sent earlier this month by State’s Attorney Stewart Umholtz to House Minority Leader Tom Cross. In the letter, which has been posted apparently by Umholtz himself in a forum on a news aggregate community, he speaks out against the expansion of gambling in Illinois, stating:
Local gambling is much more likely to result in addiction. It is much more difficult for a person to stay away from a casino that is right down at the river. Unlike hopping on a plane and flying to Vegas, when a person has a gambling problem it is more likely that they will continue to gamble if the casino is local. Revenue from casinos pails in comparison to the the social costs of gambling.
In Illinois, we still have a statute that criminalizes gaming. The only exception is when the government gets its cut. What sort of message does this send to our citizens, especially our children. Do we really want to teach our children that the end justifies the means?
“I don’t know that I will have any influence on the decision-makers,†he said later, “but I know I would not have any influence if I don’t speak out.â€
Umholtz has given his support to incumbent Kentucky governor Ernie Fletcher, who is running a “No Casinos” reelection campaign.
