Nearly 30 gambling bills are still up for consideration by state legislators, ranging from stand alone casinos, lotteries, and internet gambling. lawmakers are floating the ideas to raise much needed revenues for the state. A professor who has studied the effects of gambling across the country says it's a big mistake.
I'm from illinois, we were one of the first states to get the casinos, we have the worst budget problem of any of the 50 states," says John Warren Kindt, University of Illinois professor.
Those who favor gambling say tourists are looking for more things to do while they're here. but honolulu mayor peter carlisle says casinos would only take visitors away from the beauty of the islands.
We do not need it, it is not what Hawaii is about, they're stuck with it on the mainland and they're not gonna be able to get rid of it, we don't want something that's gonna infect us forever," says Honolulu Mayor Peter Carlisle.
As a former prosecutor, Mayor Carlisle says he's all too familiar with the social ills that go with legalized gambling. and he's standing with religious and law enforcement organizations as part of a coalition against it. Professor Kindt cites a us international gambling report on the crime wave that can happen.
Which says once you bring in these gambling facilities your crime is going to increase 10 percent per year every year. Why? because people are losing their money and they resort to crime to recoup their losses," says Kindt.
Professor Kindt says gambling corrupts the economy and the political system. And even a lottery to raise money for education never works out as intended because the money it brings in is never enough to cover the social costs.
The social cost is at least three dollars for every one dollar in benefits and in the case of Hawaii it's probably gonna be 5, 6, 7 dollars in social cost to the taxpayers for every one dollar in benefits," says Kindt.
Mayor Carlisle says legislators should instead look at ways of cutting costs to solve the state fiscal problems.
