State Ill-Prepared For Gambling Expansion

At the New York State Gaming Commission’s public forum in Albany this morning on problem gambling, a number of experts and advocates are set to testify on the effectiveness of the state’s efforts to deal with compulsive gamblers.

One of those speaking is Keith Whyte, the executive director of the National Council on Problem Gambling, who told City & State that the state is spending about $2.2 million a year—while it needs about $20 million.

“Quite frankly, New York is very ill-prepared to deal with expanded gambling,” Whyte said. “They’ve short-changed their problem gambling system consistently.” New revenues will be diverted from new casinos in upstate New York, but some argue that more needs to be done now.