WATCH: No BLANK Check for Casinos - Support the campaign to stop predatory gambling

Show your support. Sign the letter.

Last week the No Casino in the Heart of the City Coalition began a campaign targeting the City Council to make sure council regulates the industry to their full ability and prevent predatory practices.

Their is a letter for the campaign now circulating that can be signed online. You can see the full letter and sign here. The demands are below.

The issue of building two Casinos in Philadelphia has shifted so much in the past few months - the Gaming Control Board giving Sugar House a green light, City Council planning to move forward Foxwoods if the other tenants agree, and the Planning Commission considering development with no actual plans in front of them. The communities organizing to stop the casinos have not let up, however. They increasingly see the issue of the casinos connected to the well being of Philadelphia as a whole. This is exactly why they are pushing to ensure the City Council does everything in its power to protect people from the casinos' predatory practices.

Gambling revenue is not a solution, and "convenience casinos" will carry out every lure possible to levy a a tax on the poor. This is a tax that is dealt on the casino floor but also through the rising costs for society as a whole - as the casinos displace jobs, foster embezzlement as people look to make good on their debts, and replace opportunities for sustainable development. All this in a time when city services are cut, sales taxes are increased, communities hospitals and schools are closed, and unemployment continues to rise.

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Prohibit slots parlors from staying open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This is a predatory practice designed to prevent compulsive gamblers from taking a break.

Don’t allow slots parlors to offer unlimited free alcohol. This impairs judgment and leads to more gambling addiction.  By serving free alcohol 24/7, the slots parlors would create a public safety hazard in the form of drunk drivers.

Prohibit lending institutions, machines or services on the gambling floor as well as check cashing services at casinos. The easy availability of ATMs, credit machines, and check cashing encourages some gamblers to wager more than they intended.

Mandate monthly statements to gamblers. Gamblers should receive monthly statements mailed to their homes by the casinos showing exactly how much they are spending per month in the slots parlor so they and their families can identify problem gambling before it becomes an addiction.

Hold public hearings on the workings of slot machines. Slot machines are the technological equivalent of loaded dice. Consumers should have a right to know how the machines are designed and how they operate.

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