It's lose, lose for the taxpayer

In 1993, 40 percent of Minnesota restaurateurs reported declines attributed to casinos

Studies in Australia have verified this drain on the economy by video gambling machines

Crime goes up 10 percent due to the gambling by the third year after racinos or slot machines are open, and then it continues upward after that

Utah sells itself to Fortune 500 companies as a noncasino state where employers don't have to be concerned about absenteeism and other problems associated with gambling

While advocates of legalized gambling say it brings in revenues needed for education and other uses, it actually has led to higher taxes, loss of jobs, economic disruption of non-gambling businesses, increased crime and higher social-welfare costs

Any legislator who says he doesn't see the downside hasn't done his homework