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Washington Group to Secure Problem Gambling Funding

WASHINGTON – As reported by the Seattle Post-Intelligencer: "Jennifer McCausland, the citizen-activist who has fought unsuccessfully for a state program to treat Washington's problem gamblers, yesterday announced the formation of a Seattle-based group dedicated to securing a permanent funding fix.

"McCausland's group, Second Chance Washington, also plans to fight statewide gambling expansion efforts like Tim Eyman's proposed property tax initiative.

"…McCausland is trying to gain public commitments from a majority of state legislators before the new legislative session in January for a proposed bill that would demand $12 million from the state's gambling industry to fund problem gambling prevention, treatment and public awareness. If a majority of senators and representatives do not publicly commit, McCausland says she will file a citizen's initiative to try to enact the law.

"Though the program would be run out of the Department of Social and Health Services' Division of Alcohol and Substance Abuse, the bill does not spell out exactly which gambling purveyors would pay what amount to fund the new program, though it would be proportionate to each organization's revenues.

"…Gambling revenues in Washington grew to more than $1.3 billion last year, more than double the revenues reported in 1998…"

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