- Stop Predatory Gambling Foundation
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Stop Predatory Gambling Foundation is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit educational organization based in Washington, D.C. The organization has affiliates in most states across the country.
Stop Predatory Gambling's main objective is to highlight "predatory gambling" as a failed public policy. According to their website, predatory gambling is defined as "the government program of casinos and lotteries that uses gambling to prey on human weakness for profit." They seek to highlight the industry's business model and the social and economic costs associated with gambling, including but not limited to: the loss of jobs; the rise in addiction, crime, and suicide; and increases in personal debt and bankruptcy rates.
The organization that would become Stop Predatory Gambling began forming in the early 1990s as state and community leaders challenged efforts to bring gambling into their communities. Tom Grey, a Rockford, Illinois resident who fought against a proposed casino in his community, emerged as a leader for the movement representing a diverse national coalition of groups and individuals. As the movement continued to grow, Stop Predatory Gambling Foundation was formed in 2008 to spotlight their concern that casinos and state lotteries are the most predatory business in America.
The organization is funded by small donors, as well as donations from various foundations and faith-based organizations. According to Tom Grey, "We're up against a multi-billion dollar industry, and we're beating them with housewives and dentists."[1]
Contents
See also
Notes
Further Reading
- 60 Minutes segment: "Slot Machines: The Big Gamble." January 2011
- Economist.com debate on the legalization of gambling
- New York Times Op-Ed by Les Bernal, Executive Director of Stop Predatory Gambling
External links
Categories:- Gambling and society
- Gambling in the United States
- Organizations established in 1994
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