Video lottery terminals (also known as VLTs) have become the buzzword of the week thanks to the controversial OTB proposal that would put a slew of them on the site of the former Fortunoff store over at the Source Mall in Westbury. It has spawned a grassroots organization Stop the Casino at Fortunoff, caused plenty of political chest beating and ignited a tidal wave of community opposition from residents living in surrounding communities. And while it might be quick to label this yet another brand of NIMBYism for which Long Island has become so infamous, the point is that this outcry is justified. Gambling, like drugs and alcohol, is a serious addiction and the idea that the state is placing profit over the social well being of its citizenry is rather appalling. According to Rehab International, recent research reveals that in America, approximately 2.5 million adults suffer from compulsive gambling, about 3 million are considered problem gamblers, around 15 million adults are under the risk of becoming problem gamblers and 148 million fall under the low risk gambler category. The potential costs of emotional damage to gamblers, lost business productivity and government expense that will arise from combating the uptick in crime and need for treatment programs really makes it clear why all these strange bedfellows are combating what can wind up being a disastrous outcome should OTB get its way.
—Dave Gil de Rubio
