Slot machines, table games, lotteries, firehouse bingo, horse racing, keno — gambling is growing to unprecedented levels in the Washington area as governments search for new revenue.
Though lottery revenues are falling, area jurisdictions are banking on wider gambling options to drive up profits, bridge budget shortfalls and create jobs.
“It’s their money,” Del. Bob Marshall, R-Manassas, said of gamblers. “They can throw it away. But it’s not a reliable source of income for the legislature to depend upon. And you’re encouraging habits that are not conducive to good citizenship.”
The Mega Millions lottery, already available in Maryland and Virginia, is coming to the District starting Jan. 31. Virginia and Maryland, meanwhile, expect to add Powerball the same day, joining D.C. and West Virginia. The cross-sales will mean four big jackpots a week, in addition to daily state lotteries, instant scratch-off tickets, and keno in D.C. and Maryland.
“We know in Virginia we’re going to lose some of our Mega Millions sales, but we’ll gain Powerball sales and it will be a net increase,” said Paula Otto, executive director of the Virginia Lottery, referring to players who switch from one game to the other. “Our players will enjoy the convenience of having both games.”
» In Virginia: 888-532-3500
» In Maryland and D.C.: call the National Council on Problem Gambling: 800-522-4700
Jefferson County, W.Va., home to Charles Town Races & Slots, recently approved table games for its casino 90 minutes from the Capital Beltway. Maryland is slowly advancing toward slot machine gambling after voter approval last year. Delaware offers slots, as does Pennsylvania, and the Pennsylvania legislature is debating table games.
There is “massively increased accessibility” in legal and illegal gambling options, said Keith Whyte, executive director of the D.C.-based National Council on Problem Gambling. Sports gambling, online poker and charitable gaming are widely available, he said, “and we predict we’ll see more.”
While area governments bet on gambling, they are putting few resources into prevention, education treatment, enforcement and research, Whyte said.
“If you think about gambling, it’s a lot like alcohol,” he said. “Most people can drink without harm, but you want to make sure that children don’t do it all, and you want to make sure that adults, if they do it, do it responsibly.”
In Maryland, as the General Assembly debated slots legislation, opponents warned of surging gambling addiction and related societal ills.
Virginia lists its toll-free problem gambling hotline on its home page. Maryland and D.C. do not.
The council runs the only privately funded gambling addiction line in the region. The numbers suggest an uptick in hooked gamers.
The hotline, from January through November, received 246,289 calls nationwide. Maryland accounted for 3,823, up from 3,418 in all of 2008. Virginia calls totaled 2,782 through November, up from 2,706 the previous year. D.C. calls through November totaled 969, down from 1,354 in all of 2008.
Some gamblers blow more money in a year than governments invest in addiction prevention, Whyte said. And that includes the lottery, he said, despite the perception that it is a “softer form of gambling.”
Area lotteries, meanwhile, are struggling to equal past years’ successes.
» The D.C. Lottery generated $68.9 million for the general fund in fiscal 2009, $1.4 million less than the year before.
» The Virginia Lottery brought in $439 million in 2009, $16 million less than 2008.
» Maryland raised $493 million for the general fund in 2009, down from $529 million in 2008.
The addition of Powerball in Maryland is expected to boost revenues by $50 million a year. Virginia hopes for an increase of at least 5 percent.
