{"id":377,"date":"2021-06-21T20:57:35","date_gmt":"2021-06-21T17:57:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/xxbet-company.com\/massachusetts-sports-betting-opponent-claims-gaming-institutionalized-racism\/"},"modified":"2021-06-21T20:57:35","modified_gmt":"2021-06-21T17:57:35","slug":"massachusetts-sports-betting-opponent-claims-gaming-institutionalized-racism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/xxbet-company.com\/pl\/massachusetts-sports-betting-opponent-claims-gaming-institutionalized-racism\/","title":{"rendered":"Massachusetts Sports Betting Opponent Claims Gaming \u2018Institutionalized Racism\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_34 counter-flat ez-toc-counter ez-toc-transparent ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\">Spis tre\u015bci<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1'><li class='ez-toc-page-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/xxbet-company.com\/pl\/massachusetts-sports-betting-opponent-claims-gaming-institutionalized-racism\/#Wide_Sports_Betting_Support\" title=\"Wide Sports Betting Support\">Wide Sports Betting Support<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/xxbet-company.com\/pl\/massachusetts-sports-betting-opponent-claims-gaming-institutionalized-racism\/#Bernal_Gaming_Industry_is_Fraudulent\" title=\"Bernal: Gaming Industry is Fraudulent\">Bernal: Gaming Industry is Fraudulent<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p>Massachusetts lawmakers are hearing arguments this week on whether to legalize sports betting. But one critic of the further expansion of gambling says it unjustly targets minorities.<\/p>\n<figure aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-176847\" data-style=\"width: 1200px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-176847 lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Screen-Shot-2021-06-18-at-10.58.14-AM-142x95.jpg?x38396\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Screen-Shot-2021-06-18-at-10.58.14-AM-142x95.jpg?x38396\" alt=\"Massachusetts sports betting Les Bernal\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Screen-Shot-2021-06-18-at-10.58.14-AM.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Screen-Shot-2021-06-18-at-10.58.14-AM-142x95.jpg 142w, https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Screen-Shot-2021-06-18-at-10.58.14-AM-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Screen-Shot-2021-06-18-at-10.58.14-AM-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Screen-Shot-2021-06-18-at-10.58.14-AM-600x400.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" data- title=\"\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-176847\" src=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Screen-Shot-2021-06-18-at-10.58.14-AM.jpg?x38396\" alt=\"Massachusetts sports betting Les Bernal\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Screen-Shot-2021-06-18-at-10.58.14-AM.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Screen-Shot-2021-06-18-at-10.58.14-AM-142x95.jpg 142w, https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Screen-Shot-2021-06-18-at-10.58.14-AM-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Screen-Shot-2021-06-18-at-10.58.14-AM-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Screen-Shot-2021-06-18-at-10.58.14-AM-600x400.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" title=\"\"><figcaption class=\"text-description\">Stop Predatory Gambling National Director Les Bernal on a Zoom call with the Massachusetts Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies. Bernal is advocating that state lawmakers vote against sports betting. (Image: Commonwealth of Massachusetts)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Les Bernal has been the national director since 2008 of Stop Predatory Gambling, a nonprofit organization committed to limiting commercial gambling. He spoke before the Massachusetts Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies to urge lawmakers to reject sports betting.<\/p>\n<p>Bernal, long known in the gaming industry for making strong allegations against it, didn\u2019t disappoint during this week\u2019s Economic Development hearing.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI want to look at this issue [sports betting] through a racial equality lens,\u201d Bernal said during the call.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"main-blockquote\">\n<p><strong>If you approve these bills as a committee and legislature, what you\u2019re doing is furthering institutional racism of state-sanctioned gambling in Massachusetts,<\/strong> Bernal said.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Bernal further explained that since the introduction of the lottery, the state has used the state tax code to benefit white citizens.<\/p>\n<p>Bernal added that Massachusetts people already lose $2 billion of personal wealth to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/massachusetts-casinos-post-record-revenue-gaming-win-totals-87m\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">state-sanctioned gambling<\/a> each year.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Massachusetts lawmakers have introduced numerous pieces of legislation that seek to authorize sports betting. The state is currently home to three commercial casinos: Encore Boston Harbor, MGM Springfield, and Plainridge Park.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Wide_Sports_Betting_Support\"><\/span><b>Wide Sports Betting Support<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Bernal was in the minority during the committee\u2019s sports betting hearing. The committee heard from numerous individuals that argued it\u2019s time to legalize sports wagering.<\/p>\n<div class=\"callout\">\n<p>The main argument among proponents is that sports gambling is already occurring in Massachusetts, whether it be through illegal underground bookies or offshore sites. Many other residents, supporters claim, travel to one of Massachusetts\u2019 neighboring states that have legal sportsbooks to place their wagers.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Massachusetts-based DraftKings said 30 percent of its business in New Hampshire comes from Massachusetts residents.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey\u2019re going right by our mom and pop stores, our restaurants, and they\u2019re staying in New Hampshire. They\u2019re shopping in New Hampshire, and all that revenue, unfortunately, is going to New Hampshire, not Massachusetts,\u201d said Rep. Brad Hill (R-Ipswich).<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Plainville Select Board Chair Brian Kelly said Massachusetts failing to legalize sports betting is \u201cnothing but a loss to our communities and our state in terms of revenue and job opportunities.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Massachusetts is bordered by five states. Three \u2014 New York, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island \u2014 have legal sports betting operational. Connecticut is expected to soon join after the state recently reached new gaming compacts with its two tribes to allow Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/connecticut-gov-ned-lamont-signs-tribal-gaming-expansion-bill\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">operate sports betting and iGaming<\/a>. Those compacts, however, are pending approval from the US Interior Department.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Bernal_Gaming_Industry_is_Fraudulent\"><\/span><b>Bernal: Gaming Industry is Fraudulent<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Not only did Bernal argue that gambling is essentially a racist undertaking, but the anti-casino lobbyist also contended that the entire gaming industry is fraudulent.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAt its core, commercial gambling, the lottery, and local casinos are a big con. It\u2019s a form of consumer financial fraud,\u201d Bernal opined. \u201cIf I go out and buy a piece of pizza, or order a glass of wine, that\u2019s what you receive in return.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"main-blockquote\">\n<p><strong>With commercialized gambling, or sports betting, it\u2019s a financial exchange. And the financial exchange is rigged against you. So, the more you participate, the more you\u2019re going to lose your cash,<\/strong>\u201d he continued.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s price gouging. It\u2019s false advertising,\u201d Bernal concluded.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>The post <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/massachusetts-sports-betting-critics-says-gaming-institutionalized-racism\/\" target=\"_blank\">Massachusetts Sports Betting Opponent Claims Gaming \u2018Institutionalized Racism\u2019<\/a> appeared first on <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\" target=\"_blank\">Casino.org<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Massachusetts lawmakers are hearing arguments this week on whether to legalize sports betting. But one critic of the further expansion of gambling says it unjustly targets minorities. Stop Predatory Gambling National Director Les Bernal on a Zoom call with the Massachusetts Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies. Bernal is advocating that state lawmakers <a href=\"https:\/\/xxbet-company.com\/pl\/massachusetts-sports-betting-opponent-claims-gaming-institutionalized-racism\/\" class=\"more-link\">&#8230;<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":378,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/xxbet-company.com\/pl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/377"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/xxbet-company.com\/pl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/xxbet-company.com\/pl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xxbet-company.com\/pl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xxbet-company.com\/pl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=377"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/xxbet-company.com\/pl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/377\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xxbet-company.com\/pl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/378"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/xxbet-company.com\/pl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=377"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xxbet-company.com\/pl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=377"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xxbet-company.com\/pl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=377"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}