McCollum Has Bad Dreams

The Attorney General of Florida, Bill McCollum, has presented his point of view in the Florida Baptist Witness this week, calling the gambling expansion a nightmare for Florida.

The opinion was published following a growing concern on behalf of the AG and the Baptist readers, regarding the expansion of gambling in the state of Florida, with Indian tribes proposing they develop such gambling centers on their territories. McCollum views this as potentially having a negative impact on the state's tourism industry, public safety and consumer protection.

McCollum claims the following:

• Experience has taught him that Class III casino gambling has brought greater crime rates, at double the national average, to communities like Las Vegas.
• Illegal gambling is more likely to take place in states that permit gambling.
• The state's family-friendly tourism might change, with the casinos somehow taking center stage over the Florida beaches.
• The social cost will be 300% the revenue that will come from gambling.
• A general concern for problem gambling addicts.
• Fraud concerns
• And more.

It is nice to read of the citizen Bill McCollum's concern for his state and fellow state residents. It is another thing to have the person who is the Attorney General shy from the effort to battle these problems, protect consumers, enforce the law, difficult as it may be.

The AG prefers preserving the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) instead. And calling the suggested change in policy a "nightmare."

McCollum and his readers, those supporting the Act, should acknowledge theirs is only an opinion, and possibly founded on wrong information, if founded on information at all. The claims of age verification difficulties, prevalent fraud and bad odds are all out wrong. Suggestions to sign up and try gambling online have appeared on the web. That actually might not be a bad idea.