Casinos target senior citizens, gambling opponents say
9/24/2003 News media contact: Tim Tanton · (615) 742-5470 · Nashville, Tenn.
A UMNS Report
By Pat Rogers*
Bishop William Morris. Photo number W03016, Accompanies UMNS #452
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Dr. John Eades. Photo number W03015, Accompanies UMNS #452
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The Rev. Tom Grey. Photo number W03014, Accompanies UMNS #452
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Elderly Gambling Addicts. Photo number W03018, Accompanies UMNS #452
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Playing the Odds. Photo number W03017, Accompanies UMNS #452
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Edward Glines and his friend, Rhoda Wise, wait for
the "Lucky Streak" bus that will take them from a hotel parking lot in
suburban Maryland to Trump Casino in Atlantic City, N.J.
Glines,
78, makes a trip to Atlantic City at least once a year. He regularly
plays cards with his friends and often visits the racetrack near his
home in South Florida. He is one of a growing number of seniors who
spend their free time gambling in casinos and playing other games of
chance.
"It's exciting. … I guess everybody likes it," he says
before boarding the bus for the three-and-a-half-hour ride to Atlantic
City.
Seniors such as Glines and Wise see casino trips as welcome
social outings - a chance to get out of the house, be with friends and
have a little fun. But experts say seniors, especially those who begin
gambling late in life, risk becoming problem gamblers or even addicts.
Pat
Fowler, who runs the National Council on Problem Gambling, says 22
percent of the calls to her help line are from seniors who are problem
gamblers. "It's not unusual for us to hear from an older person who has
lost hundreds of thousands of dollars, and they usually lose it all in a
short time," she says.
In some cases, she says, senior citizens become so addicted to gambling that they risk money earmarked for prescription drugs.
"What
you are seeing today are older adults who never gambled or gambled very
little but begin gambling in retirement and it (gambling) often
accelerates out of control," Fowler says.
The Rev. John Eades, a
United Methodist pastor from Murfreesboro, Tenn., recalls a 70-year-old
man who lost everything to gambling. “He started gambling when he was
68, and he lost his home, his retirement, and he was left with whatever
his Social Security would bring in.” Eades, a professional addiction
counselor, knows the dangers, after battling a gambling addiction to it
himself.
Casinos and other gambling outlets target older
Americans because seniors often have free time and discretionary income,
Fowler says.
Casinos use perks such as free meals and drinks,
cheap transportation and coupons as lures designed to reel seniors in.
They also entice retirees with promotional mailings and advertising.
Fowler says a casino in Iowa even offered discounts on prescription
drugs.
"You will see the industry choose promotions that appeal
to the older adult; we have seen marketing across the board that targets
that population," Fowler says.
Fowler and other experts say
another factor in the rising number of problem senior gamblers is the
ever-increasing accessibility of gambling outlets.
The landmark
National Gambling Impact Study shows that before 1990, casino gambling
was legal in just two states; today 28 states allow casinos to do
business. The study also says that 48 states have legalized gambling,
such as casinos, lotteries and horse racing.
And, according to a
University of Illinois study, casinos depend on problem and addicted
gamblers for profits. Fifty-two percent of casino revenues come from
such gamblers, the study shows.
The Rev. Tom Grey, a United
Methodist and executive director of the National Coalition Against
Legalized Gambling, isn't surprised that casinos target older Americans.
"They
are bottom-line people; all that matters is money," Grey says. "Why
would we expect people that sell a product that is addictive should have
any concern if they sell that product to the old or the sick?"
Grey has battled with gambling interests in 49 states and five countries, fighting to stop or at least limit gambling's spread.
Seniors
are especially vulnerable to becoming problem gamblers because when
they were young, gambling was seen as sinful, or at least harmful, he
says.
"They grew up when gambling was prohibited, and now all of a
sudden the stamp of approval is on it as entertainment. And once they
get into it they don't have an immune system for it, they didn't grow up
with it," Grey says.
The United Methodist Church opposes
gambling in any form. In its Book of Discipline, the church condemns
gambling as a "menace to society, deadly to the best interests of moral,
social, economic, and spiritual life, and destructive of good
government."
Grey urges congregations to offer seniors more
alternative free-time activities in an attempt to keep their older
parishioners out of casinos.
And he says religious leaders haven't done enough to fight gambling forces looking to expand.
"I
naively expected that the church would want to get in a good fight, but
as far as a national battle, it hasn't happened. America should be
ashamed of itself that it has let gambling have a free ride, and I mean
the political and the religious establishment," Grey says.
The
coalition and the National Coalition Against Gambling Expansion will
hold their annual meeting Sept. 26-27 in the Washington area.
Fowler and Grey are calling for educational campaigns warning older Americans about the dangers of gambling.
"They
aren't being prepared to gamble safely," Fowler says. "They are going
in growing numbers without any awareness or education about the fact
that it isn't risk free."
But older gamblers such as Glines and
Wise say they're willing to take what they see as a small risk in order
to pursue their hobby. "We have a limit," Glines says.
"Have fun," Wise says, stepping onto the "Lucky Streak" bus. "That's the story of life - do it while you can."
# # #
*Rogers is a writer and producer based in Washington.
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