“Texas Destination Resorts” ads seem to be everywhere right now. These ads are primarily funded by the Las Vegas Sands Corp., a major casino and resort company, through its backing of the Texas Destination Resort Alliance (TDRA).
The ads urge lawmakers to let Texans vote on “destination resorts,” a euphemism for casinos, and emphasize so-called benefits like education funding and keeping revenue in Texas, rather than losing it to neighboring states. The ads fail to mention the costs of dealing with diminished economic prosperity and crime related to gambling expansion. They also omit the Texas Lottery education-funding bait and switch that has been pulled on Texans for almost 30 years.
Gambling’s Costly Underbelly
Diminished Economic Prosperity: Studies estimate that up to 60 percent of machine gambling revenue comes from those with gambling issues (Schüll, Natasha Dow; Addiction by Design). The National Council on Problem Gambling notes that not only the gambler is impacted. Problem gambling also affects 10–17 people per gambler, such as ...
