Clothing sales plummet, rent delinquencies mount and even grocery sales shrink as gamblers, having tapped out their entertainment budgets, dip into dollars set aside for necessities

Lotteries boost state revenues in the short run but don't feed the economy in the long run

A study in Illinois in the mid-1990s found that 65 percent of businesses were hurt by the proximity of gambling

Thirty-seven percent of gamblers dip into their savings to fulfill their habit

A 1999 report by a bipartisan federal panel on gambling concluded the United States should put a hold on further casinos until it is clear what the impact is on America

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

The socio-economic impact of gambling addiction is comparable to drug and alcohol addiction