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Michigan Officials Against Expanded Gambling

LANSING, Michigan – (Press Release) -- U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers, R-MI, Michigan Senator Samuel Buzz Thomas, D-Detroit, and former Lt. Gov. Dick Posthumus, R-Alto, in a joint news conference today, outlined the negative impact expanded gambling will have on Michigan.

Bills adopted by the state House and awaiting Senate action, creates up to nine new, unregulated casinos under the guise of helping agriculture and easing the state budget crisis.

The measures allow up to 15,000 slot machines at race tracks in the state, creating so-called "racinos," and permit new Internet and telephone gambling on horse racing.

"Casinos at racetracks are a bad bet for Michigan," said Rogers, a former FBI agent and key proponent and co-author of tough oversight laws that govern the three non-Indian casinos in Detroit. "This gambling legislation sets up nine new casinos without oversight, creating the potential for abuse, addiction, and costly problems for the state to contend with.

"And to say this helps agriculture gives 'cash crop' a new meaning. This is about more prostitution, suicides, thefts, personal bankruptcies, and swelling Michigan's addicted-to-gambling population above the already staggering 350,000."

Thomas said racinos are a shell game.

"Taking money out of one pocket and moving it to another is nothing more than a shell game," Thomas said. "It may fool some people at first, but in the long run it will hurt, not help, Michigan's economy."

Posthumus, a life-long farmer, pointed out that the racino package is all about expanding gambling and not about helping agriculture at all.

"There are nearly as many beef cattle on one single farm in Michigan's thumb as all the race horses in the entire state," said Posthumus, who with his wife, has been a 4-H leader. "This package is not about farming, it is totally inconsistent with what we teach our children in 4-H and it will not build a strong foundation for agriculture in Michigan. This is not the way to save agriculture for future generations."

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