The Harms of Expanded Gambling
The Ohio General Assembly is considering several proposals that would expand state-sponsored predatory gambling in the state. Among the proposals are the expansion of “iGaming” or online casinos, and Video Lottery Terminals (VLT) in bars and restaurants that look and feel like slot machines. Center for Christian Virtue strongly opposes any effort to expand predatory gambling because of how these proposals exploit low-income Ohioans and hurt families.
5 Reasons to Oppose Gambling Expansion
Gambling addiction has a higher suicide rate than any other known addiction, and disproportionately impacts the poor.
According to the Ohio Casino Control Commission, an estimated 80% of individuals struggling with gambling addiction consider committing suicide, and 20% actually attempt to take their own lives. This is roughly twice the rate of most other addictions. The burden of gambling problems is felt most strongly among people in poverty.Online betting, including iGaming and sports betting, is especially targeted at young men.
As Ohio deals with lower participation in the workforce by young men, expanded online gaming is especially harmful. A Rutgers University study on legalized gambling in New Jersey found that a third of this population were now gambling in some form online—four times as many as when the center last surveyed the state’s population in 2017—and 19% were at “high risk for problem gambling.”
The National Council on Problem Gambling has estimated that the national risk for gambling addiction increased by almost a third between 2018 and 2021, and that a significant percentage of the rise is attributable to men between the ages of 18 and 24.Adding video slot machines to iGaming massively increases addiction.
A 2012 study from the University of Princeton found that gamblers are 2.5 times more likely to become addicted to slot machines compared to other forms of gambling due to the intermittent reward system. An estimated 62% of players who experience a near-miss will continue playing, despite losing money.Ohioans lost more than $4.73 billion in personal wealth to gambling in 2024.
An unprecedented wealth transfer is happening, primarily from Ohio’s lowest-income residents to wealthy out-of-state corporations. In 2024, Ohioans lost a combined $4.73 billion to commercialized sports gambling, regional casinos, state lotteries, and video gambling machine venues. Unlike other products or services, Ohioans got nothing in return, only an incentive to spend and lose more.State gambling revenues are driven by creating addiction.
According to a UK study by the House of Lords gambling select committee, 60% of the gambling industry’s profits come from the 5% of customers who were either problem or at-risk gamblers.
TAKE ACTION
Use CCV's Action Center to contact your Ohio Representative and Senator and tell them to oppose expanding predatory gambling!
Pastors—Take action
In response to the push to expand online gambling in Ohio, a group of pastors from across the state helped craft a unified letter urging lawmakers to oppose this legislation.
If you are a pastor or ministry leader, please consider adding your name to this letter to let the legislature know that the pastors and ministry leaders in Ohio are standing together, on Scripture, against this legislation that disproportionately targets and harms the most vulnerable in our communities.
LEARN MORE
On this special livestream, CCV President Aaron Baer, Policy Director David Mahan, and Communications Director Mike Andrews are joined by national experts for an in-depth discussion on the devastating impact that expanding predatory gambling would have on Ohio families, businesses, and communities.
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Click here to download the PDF: Why Ohioans Should Oppose Internet Casino Gambling by Les Bernal, National Director of Stop Predatory Gambling
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Check out this website for additional resources.
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Center for Christian Virtue retained a firm to prepare a memorandum assessing the constitutionality of SB197—a bill that would permit currently banned forms of online gambling. The gist is this: the proposed law would, in many of its applications, violate Article XV, Section 6 of the Ohio Constitution. Click here to read the memorandum.
As Ohio's largest Christian public policy organization, Center for Christian Virtue seeks the good of our neighbors by advocating for public policy that reflects the truth of the Gospel.
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