SPIN THAT WHEEL GRANNY:

Grandma charged with stealing and gambling away grandson’s college fund

A 73-year-old woman has been found in Louisiana after being charged with stealing and gambling away $97,000 from a trust fund for her grandson’s college education, authorities said, but she may never return to Indiana for prosecution.

This is one of the many down sides to a gambling addiction. The majority of people that frequent casinos, buy lottery tickets, feed the ponies and spend their last dime on scratch-offs are the people that can least afford it. They spend their pension checks, medicine money, grocery money, rent money and yes even seal from their grandkids college funds.

They are always looking for that shot in the dark, the big score, the next spin of the wheels but it rarely happens.

http://www.npgaw.org/problemgamblinginformation/factsfigures.asp

• 75% of US adults have gambled at least once in the last year, 15% at least weekly.
• Since 1975, the proportion of adults who “never gambled” dropped from 1 in 3 to 1 in 7.
• 48 States and a majority of tribes have some form of legalized gambling (Hawaii and Utah are the exceptions).
• $95 billion in gaming revenue is generated by casinos tracks and state lotteries.
• $7 billion is the annual social cost of gambling-related addiction, bankruptcy and crime.
• $6 billion per year in Federal tax revenue comes from individual gambling winnings.
• 6 million adults and 500,000 teens meet criteria for gambling addiction.

http://nogamblingaddiction.com/addiction-statistics.htm

• The most innocent gambler has to remember that he has 5% of chances to risk something that will change his\her life.
• In the USA there twice as more addicted gamblers, than cancer patients.
• Americans that live within 50 miles near the casino, have the doubled rate of going there and becoming addicted.
• Each compulsive gambler in the USA just costs the economy approximately $16, 000 per year.
• 25% of addicted gamblers have tried to commit suicide, and Nevada has been the center for such attempts for the last 12 years.
• Harvard research presents that 92% of 80 addicted gamblers tend to relapse.
• Between 4% and 8% of American youngsters become addicted nowadays.
• 672, 000 American college students and 35 millions of teens are addicted to gambling.
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It is really a shame to say that the USA and a good portion of the world have had to resort to revenue from gambling to sustain their governments through the taxes they collect. Whatever happened to the make money through hard work and industry in this country? Sodom and Gomorrah may be lurking around the corner.

Just as an example of what kind of money passes through the slot machine and card tables in a casino; Presque Isle in Pennsylvania put out the “crying towel” last week that they ONLY grossed $37.900, 000.00 during the week of May 14-20 a dropped from the outrageous amount of $ 44,000,000.00 that they usually make, in part due to the new casino that opened in Cleveland, Ohio. My heart bleeds for the poor souls. Maybe we all should get together and pass a “poor casino”basket in church for them Sunday.

Instead of taking the 90 minute ride to PA to lose their money, the people in the Cleveland areas can lose it a lot closer and not drive as far. Saves on the gas you know.

As more and more casinos are being built I foresee a lot of the older casinos closing their doors. Vegas has certainly felt the impact of casinos going nationwide. At one time they were the only show in town and knocking them dead.

http://www.lvrj.com/business/nevada-gaming-revenues-down-11-percent-in-march-150942435.html

Nevada gambling revenues totaled $854.5 million in March, a 10.8 percent decline compared with the same month last year. The double-digit decline in revenue was preceded by two months of modest gains.

So to all the grannies out there that has the seven-year gambling itch; give the grandchildren a break and leave their bank accounts alone. Go get some help.

The odds against you winning big are not very good!! I will bet you $ 20.00.