Thomas Kaplan of The New York Times writes on a constitutional amendment to expand casino gambling that, with the urging of Gov. Cuomo, was passed by New York voters.
Late in the article, this is found:
The state’s Catholic bishops urged voters to “consider the potential for negative consequences” and the Episcopal bishop of New York warned against “false hopes,” saying, “In places where casino gambling has been introduced, almost all gains have come at the high social cost of addiction and family disintegration, and deepening poverty.”
The push to expand gambling was a textbook case of how well-financed interests can push Albany to embrace an industry, hiring an army of lobbyists and wooing Mr. Cuomo and lawmakers with millions of dollars in campaign contributions.