Bill DeWeese is a Proponent of Gambling Expansion

In the spring of 2006, I took the opportunity to testify before the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board. I was the only person who testified against a casino in Fayette County. There is much to say about gambling expansion in PA, its ill effects and the corruption it cultivates. I will leave that for another post.

I learned much through this experience. One of the profound lessons occurred just after I completed my testimony. A notable community leader leaned over and thanked me for my testimony and courage. He then went on to say that gambling will destroy our community. This very individual, earlier that morning, stood up to promote a casino, the need for jobs, and to sing the praises of the family and politicians who were going to make this happen. The reality (or his reality) was that he couldn’t speak against a family (the Hardy family) or the politicians that give grants and funds to his organization. Some folks call that politics; some call it compromise or a lack of conviction. I say it is a lack of character… or worse.

Below is a copy of a guest commentary the local paper was gracious to print just after the hearing. I am putting it here, now, as Bill DeWeese is a proponent of gambling expansion. In fact, not soon after the slots legislation went into effect, Bill DeWeese began to lobby for table games. Bill DeWeese must be stopped.

I endured an act of government on May 2. Nemacolin Woodlands, LLC, presented their plan for a casino in Fayette County to the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB). Local officials, community groups and individuals had the opportunity to respond and provide testimony for the board’s consideration.
I heard about the epidemic of poverty, joblessness and hopelessness from our local government and business leaders. What I learned is that we are blinded by desperation, that we collectively lack vision and have lost the ability to critically think about our futures.

The management team of Nemacolin Woodlands deserves tremendous credit for building a world-class facility. The vision, creativity, amenities and customer service are superb; the ability to evaluate the effectiveness of marketing strategy and new concepts or initiatives is absent.
A casino cannot produce sufficient revenue or profit in the hills of Fayette County.
Ms. Magerko, I implore you to apply the carpenter’s maxim of “measure twice, cut once.”
Find an independent and unbiased entity to review or reconstruct the business case for a casino at your resort. Look at gambling participation rates, expected share of wallet and disposable income in the target area – as well as with your current customer base. You will find that this analysis demonstrates a failed plan.
Hope is not a strategy. Even more unbelievable than the belief that “this will work” is the rationale “we need a casino because Fayette County is among the poorest in the state.”

A casino will bring prosperity? Who does the state lottery target? Who is the target customer of a slot parlor? The poor. It was numbing and saddening to hear testimony from our local government and business leaders who believe the best way to help the poor is provide opportunities to gamble away what little we have, Gambling is referred to as a regressive tax as it targets those with less means and not more.
I listened to county Commissioner Vince Vicites parrot the exact testimony of the applicant; describing job creation, revenue sharing tax revenue and the like. As an elected official, Mr. Vicites, take a step away from the talking points and the podium and think for yourself and your constituency. Please, please, please don’t simply regurgitate information that was handed to you.

Similar to Mr. Vicites, I consistently heard others state that they “feel” this is a good idea. What happened to the facts? John Adams once took a very unpopular position prior to the Revolutionary War of defending a British soldier who was incited to fire upon a crowd of colonialists. In his trial, he said, “Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passion, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.”

A casino will produce benefits; but can those benefits be produced without costs? There is always a cost side to any business equation. Only in government can we forget this. The costs of a casino are great: crime, bankruptcy, social services, abused dollars, suicide, government regulation, increased taxes and corruption are common costs in casinos with casinos.
In dollar terms, these costs will likely grow to $30 million a year for our county. The casino doesn’t pay for these things… you do.
If you desire to stand up for the addicted, the poor, and the oppressed and demonstrate your love to your neighbor and kindness to the needy, please let the Gaming Commission know your opinion and please let the Hardys know your position.

And here is the post script. In November of the same year, Nemacolin spokesman Jeff Nobers said that despite the resort's enthusiasm to enter the gambling field from the onset, continued study of projected costs and revenues dimmed the appeal. Nemacolin withdrew their application. For the entire article see this Post Gazette link.

My hope is that Bill DeWeese withdraws his bid for re-election. For the good of Brownsville, District 50 and Pennsylvania.