October 1, 2026
In a recent Special House Study Committee on Gaming at the State Capitol on Aug. 25, 2025, individuals lobbying in support of the gambling industry (including casinos) presented a lot of information that appeared to make gambling expansion seem like it would be a benefit to Georgia.
It is better that we have data from an academic standpoint, not merely from an industry perspective. Industry perspectives tend to overlook the detriments and focus more on what are the “perceived benefits.”
I'm reminded of the fact that years ago, State Representative Todd Jones declared that it was intellectually dishonest to talk about the benefits of gambling without talking about the detriments. He co-authored the mental health legislation that passed in 2022.
Professor John Kindt, a retired professor from the University of Illinois, has provided me with research that shows that when gambling increases, crime, bankruptcies, and addiction go up! When gambling increases, jobs, savings, and spending on basics go down!
Gambling addiction is now classified like opioid and drug addictions by the American Psychiatric Association in the Diagnostic & Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. In Georgia, things like casinos and online sports gambling would increase these addiction rates by at least another 110%. We have to understand that around new gambling facilities, gambling addiction rates can double.
As gamblers lose their money, new gambling facilities increase personal, professional, and business bankruptcies by 18% to 42%. Gambling-addicted employees have embezzled from numerous companies and banks, throwing non-gambling employees out of work.
Each casino video gambling machine (VGM) can cannibalize approximately $45,000 per year out of the consumer economy, which results in $150,000 in “lost consumer spending” or one lost job in the consumer economy per year per video gambling machine. The medical community calls these VGMs the “crack cocaine” for hooking new addicted gamblers.
Addicted gamblers, and another 6% to 8% “problem gamblers,” lose substantial amounts of money and then resort to crime to get money to continue gambling. Data has also shown that within 50 miles of gambling facilities, crime increases as much as 9% every year. Also, problem gamblers are 4.3% to 7.6% more likely to commit crimes.
When women and kids lose money as new addicted gamblers or problem gamblers, they become newly vulnerable to sex trafficking and prostitution.
For example, Atlantic City has a large sex trafficking problem—sparking public demonstrations against the government’s “prostitution environment.” Because of this fact, statistically, Georgia’s current prostitution problems with statewide casinos could be expected to increase as much as 35% to 75%.
It has been seen that one-third of addicted gamblers may attempt suicide. Under current Georgia gambling proposals such as casinos, Georgia can anticipate increased suicide attempts by at least 5,750 newly addicted adults and children.
Around a casino or large gambling facility, there is typically 10% less spending on food, 25% less spending on clothing, and 37% less money in savings accounts. It is interesting that there are people who would rather gamble than feed their children.
The American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders lists multiple socioeconomic costs. Problem gamblers can regularly engage in child abuse, spousal abuse, and crime, culminating in increased divorce rates.
Gambling creates no new product and is profitable only via constant increases in human misery. Problem gamblers and addicted gamblers contribute as much as 67% to 90% of the dollars that commercialized gambling makes.
There is no doubt from this data that when more gambling is legalized, it violates the principle of governmental ministry (Romans 13:4) to citizens by permitting laws that encourage state-sponsored predatory gambling.
___
Mike Griffin is the Public Affairs Representative of the Georgia Baptist Mission Board.
Share with others
