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NOCASINO News — Spring 2002 (in order to view this file you will need adobe acrobat
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Restrictive Convenent Signed
Blue Diamond Resorts, Inc. (aka Nevada Gold) has provided for certain restrictions on the 880 acres of land on Wellesley Island that orginally included plans for a casino. The restrictions provide that Blue Diamond, its grantees, heirs, legal representatives and their successors and assigns declare that those “premises shall be held, transferred, sold, conveyed and occupied subject to the restrictions . . . as follows:
No part of the premises shall be used for operation of a business engaged in gambling activities and no existing structures which are hereinafter erected shall be utilized for operation of a business engaged in gambling activities; provided, however, that “gambling activities” as used herein shall not include the sale of lottery tickets as permitted under the laws of New York State.
The restrictive covenant is intended to benefit Blue Diamond, its successors and assigns and all owners of real property which is located on Wellesley Island, Towns of Alexandria or Orleans, New York.
The restrictive covenant provided herein shall be perpetual and appurtenant to and shall run with and continue to benefit and burden the premises.”
Alex Bay Public Forum a Success
Interest in making sure that a casino is not developed in the Thousand Islands area seemed to be on the minds of many area residents. Approximately 100 people showed up at Alex Bay High School on August 25 even though it was one of the last and nicest Saturdays of the summer! They were not disappointed.
The audience was told that it is true that Nevada Gold (aka Blue Diamond Resorts) has withdrawn their plans to build two hotels and a casino on Wellesley Island. The bad news is that other, more powerful casino operations may try to build a casino in the future. The Rev. Tom Grey, Director of the National Coalition Against Gambling Expansion, quickly pointed out that someone will see what Nevada Gold saw and attempt a casino in the future. Tom Grey, a Vietnam war veteran who Time magazine referred to as “Riverboat Rambo,” has been in over 300 “battles” against the expansion of gambling; and he says that “the enemy never rests.” He also said that the odds are always stacked against the gambler, or the business would not be lucrative to the owners. He pointed out the unavoidable consequences of bringing gambling into the area: increased addiction, bankruptcies, crime of all kinds, and increased suicides. He admonished that while casino developers call it “economic development,” in actuality, casinos suck disposable money out of the community and cause local businesses to shut down.
Ed Looney, Director of N. J. Council on Compulsive Gambling, reiterated all that Rev. Grey said and added that although 80 percent of gamblers can handle their gambling, the other 20 percent can wreak havoc in their own and countless others’ lives. He talked of people stealing from their employers and others, broken families, jail sentences, suicides, bankruptcies, anxiety-induced illnesses, and other gambling-related problems. He shared his personal experiences, strength, and hope; and he referred to Gamblers Anonymous (for the gambler) and Gam-Anon Family Group (for the friends and relatives) as the most successful treatment for compulsive gambling. (Locally, Gamblers Anonymous and Gam-Anon Family Group can be reached through the Northern New York Center on Problem Gambling in Watertown at 315.788.7241.) Mr Looney backed up what Rev. Grey had to say about so-called “economic development.” He pointed out that out of 21 counties in New Jersey, Atlantic County – with its 21 casinos- has the highest bankruptcy rate – 71percent steeper – along with the highest unemployment rate. Casinos drove out 65 percent of surrounding businesses in less than three years.
Speaker, Ann “Blu” Mackintosh, Director of Casino Watch Ontario, talked of their lost battle in the Gananoque area. She warned that while that casino will get money from this side of the TI Bridge, no one in this area will get anything in return. (They, in Canada, will supposedly get 5 percent of the profits.) She indicated that Casino Watch is pushing for a government study before and after the casino opens. She said, “We feel that you on this side of the border should be thinking about a study as well. Our casino will have an effect on you.” Nancy Langille, the communications officer for the Ontario group, said, “The last thing we should do is just roll over now that a casino will be here. This is not the time to stop. I don’t feel that this is a United States issue. I don’t feel that this is a Canadian issue. It is a global issue. We are all in this together.”
What Can I Do?
What can I do? You can’t fight City Hall. I’m just one person – with no power. One person can’t make a difference. If you can’t fight them, join them. What’s the use? Many people who are concerned about the negative effects of gambling – casino or otherwise – on the citizens of the Thousand Islands region make these kinds of comments frequently.
YOU can make a difference! Each of us has “the power of one,” which has throughout history proven to be an astronomical power! Following are a few ideas for activating that power in you:
Be aware. Knowledge–not opinion–truly is power. Read all you can, and share the knowledge you have–with anyone who will listen. (Even if they do not appear to be listening, they will hear – and who knows? What you shared may some day be acted upon.)
Be an activist. Join organizations such as -Yes! NOcasino and the National Coalition Against Legalized Gambling.
Use YOUR sphere of influence. If you are an educator, help to get educational materials into schools. If you are a businessperson or entrepreneur, help to get information into employee assistance programs or workshops. If you belong to any kind of a group (study groups, senior citizens’ groups, etc.), share what you know. If you are a politician, make sure you are armed with accurate information when you represent the people who are your constituency; and share what you know with other politicians. If you are in the clergy, share information with your congregation and with other clergy members. If you are an environmentalist, share your knowledge. If you are a researcher, help us to try to get some university to conduct baseline research data as the casino in Canada opens this coming summer. Etc., etc., etc., (as Henry Higgins said!)
Write an article for this and other newsletters.
Write letters to the editors of your local newspapers.
Write to your politicians. Please refer to the list on this page for the names and addresses of the local politicians. Share your concerns about the expansion of gambling in the Thousand Islands region. Your voice and opinions do count!
These are just a few suggestions as to how to make a difference. If you have any other ideas, let us know.
Speakers Available
NOcasino can provide speakers for public forums about gambling and the effects on the local environment, economy, and social issues. Contact us at 315.686.1133 or info@whynocasino.org.
Stay Tuned
If the old saying that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery is true, NOcasino is taking it to heart and is copying Casino Watch. NOcasino is calling together many spheres of influence on this side of the bridge in order to promote public discussion. (See Casino Watch article on page 4.) Watch the local papers for notification of the meeting this summer.
Casino Watch Ontario
“Blu” Mackintosh of Casino Watch reports that the Canadian group is continuing to be very proactive regarding the issue of prevention of problem gambling in the township of Leeds and the Thousand Islands as well as surrounding areas.
Two current initiatives are: (1) sponsoring a Discussion Group comprised of more than 20 spheres of influence, including local health officials, banking officials, police, addiction counselors, principals of local schools, members of Chambers of Commerce, community volunteers, credit counselors, and others; and (2) encouraging two students from Queens School of Urban and Regional Planning who are preparing papers on economic and social impacts of the new casino which will open this summer. These papers, it is hoped, will be a template for someone to follow in order to do a baseline study, which would probably take about a year. (NOcasino welcomes any suggestions/contacts regarding doing the same kind of study with a major university on the American side of the border.)
NOcasino Donates Books
The NOcasino Board of Directors voted to purchase two books: The Luck Business by Robert Goodman and In the Shadow of Chance: The Pathological Gambler by Julian I. Taber, Ph.D. These books have been purchased and are currently being donated to local libraries, Chambers of Commerce, social agencies, and business and political leaders in the area. (Anyone wishing to have a copy of either of these books may contact NOcasino at the address in the front of this newsletter.) These books are donated as part of the ongoing mission of NOcasino to provide information and education so that community members of towns in the Thousand Islands region may make well-informed decisions regarding gambling establishments in the region.
Did You Know?
• In Atlantic City, a majority of visitors to the casinos arrive by bus or car, stay 6 hours, and then go home, leaving no money in the pockets of local businesses.
• In the first ten years of casinos in Atlantic City, 40 percent of the restaurants in the area were driven out of business, the number dropping from 243 to 146.
• Only four years after the introduction of casinos in Atlantic City, a third of the city’s retail businesses had closed.
• Within the first three years of casinos in Atlantic City, there was a tripling of crime, much of it spilling over into adjoining areas – causing property values to drop $24 million.
• Unemployment in Atlantic City jumped from 30 percent above the state average to 50 percent above.— (Robert Goodman, The Luck Business)
• Atlantic City saw a short term construction boom but little long term gain. James Hughes the Dean of the School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers states that the jobs that are created are low end service positions and that main street businesses often go bankrupt soon after the arrival of a casino.
• Casino tycoon Donald Trump happily stated that, “people will spend an enormous amount of money they would otherwise spend on refrigerators.” This shows that gaming rearranges wealth rather than creating new wealth. Casinos will get big profits while other businesses lose them.
• Theoretically, to maintain the same quality of life after the legalization (of gambling) occurs, social-welfare budgets would have to increase by 100% to 550%. The pressure on elected officials to increase taxes to address these social welfare costs will be enormous.—Ex. Office of the Governor, Florida
• The business-economic environment caused by Colorado casinos forced so many of the pre-existing local businesses to close that by 1992 residents had to drive 40 miles to buy a quart of milk.—Dr. J. W. Kindt, Univ. of Illinios Study
Quotable Quotes
How we rebuild our nation will define our character. America needs a call to sacrifice in order to survive. Answers to our challenges are to be found in hard work and responsibility. Lawmakers need to rise to the occasion by calling us to commit ourselves to larger purposes. States cannot gamble themselves rich.”— Tom Grey, Executive Director, National Coalition Against Legalized Gambling, Christmas 2001 Newsletter
“. . . gambling promises more than it delivers . . . along with the money come other things: lowlifes and organized crime, drugs, prostitution, loan sharking and money laundering. The mob infiltrates, and corruption in local government often follows. For a small minority, gambling is a serious addiction, wrecking lives and families.”—Wall Street Journal, March 1, 2002 (in an article criticizing New York for embracing casinos and slots at the tracks)
“Governor Mario Cuomo refused to endorse casinos because he felt they sapped more vigor from families than they would ever inject, and he was probably right. But the fact is that gambling casinos, while they are doing this sapping, do surprisingly little to invigorate the communities in which they reside, just the opposite in fact. Casinos are created to keep the gamblers fed, watered, entertained, and sometimes even bedded while preying on their wallets. People who go to a casino rarely come out until they’re done and ready to head home. Surrounding businesses become overmatched competitors . . .” —Editorial, Press Republican, Plattsburgh, New York
“What really drives me up a wall is what I call ‘entrepreneurial government.’ Well regulated and taxed private industry is our model in this country, and I believe government should never offer or sell goods and services such as alcohol, tobacco or gambling. Regulate and tax it, of course. But to use it as regressive taxation is obscene and should be unconstitutional. Any government that lives on the weaknesses of its people deserves to fall. We are on shaky grounds.” —Julian I. Taber, Ph.D., Author
“ . . . Their research (Robert Goodman, author of The Luck Business, and John Kindt of the University of Illinois) suggests that the costs of gambling are greater than the benefits. The gambling jobs, taxes and recreational values provided by the industry cannot compensate for the social pain – in the form of bankruptcies, white collar crime, divorce, a compromised political process, an increase in alcoholism – it inflicts.”—Gerald E. Forshey, United Methodist pastor and former teacher of philosophy and film at Malcolm X. College in Chicago
“ . . . Yes, the money may flow, but so will the problems, problems that someone will have to pay for. And as the legislation authorizing these casinos mentions ‘funding for treatment,’ there is no real provision beyond that mere mention. At least we are not entering into this new world of ‘gambling for everyone’ blindly. The leadership in Albany knows the risks and the future cost to society, but seems to be willing to take these risks anyway.” —John C. Valentine, Executive Director, the Alcohol and Substance Abuse Council of Jefferson County, Inc.
Please Help NOCASINO
We have had a very active, productive and costly year - the Public Forum, getting the Restrictive Covenant signed (with all the accompanying legal bills), continuing to inform legislators, an ongoing gambling education program, initiating a possible university project, initiating contact with social agencies in the area, and contacting clergy in the area. Donations have been appreciated and used wisely. In order for us to continue to learn together how terribly intrusive any gambling endeavor would be in our area on the environment, the economy, and the community, we must continue to raise funds.
To become a member of this group or to continue your current membership, please send your contributions made payable to NOcasino to: NOcasino, PO Box 148, Clayton, NY 13624.