Lawmaker seeks more aid for problem gamblers

Rep. Lim wants the state to double its treatment spending

PETER WONG
Statesman Journal

A lawmaker who is a longtime critic of state-sponsored gambling says Oregon should do more for problem gamblers and slow the expansion of gambling.

Rep. John Lim, R-Gresham, made the comments Wednesday after hearing from both sides during a meeting of the House Trade and Economic Development Committee that he leads.

As a senator from 1993 to 2001, Lim raised questions about state-sponsored gambling, although he said, "I'm not totally against gambling." The Senate rejected his attempt in 1999 to bar most advertising by the Oregon Lottery.

Lim wants the Legislature to double state spending on gambling-addiction treatment from 1 percent to 2 percent of lottery net proceeds, the amount the state gets after prizes, advertising and operational expenses. The current amount is about $2.8 million.

Last month, the Lottery Commission set the stage for electronic slots, known as "line games," to be added to video poker machines starting in July."A lot of people in this state now are problem gamblers, and this is going to get deeper and deeper," Lim said. "This is a mental disease, and we need to find out the answers. We are creating doctors and patients at the same time, and we need to treat them."

He also is sponsoring a bill to require approval of the Legislature, not just the governor and U.S. interior secretary, when a federally recognized tribe builds a casino outside of a reservation. House Bill 2399 is aimed at situations such as the proposed casino by the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs at Cascade Locks.

"I believe the Legislature should be involved, that the governor cannot decide the issue alone," Lim said.

Tribal casinos are not subject to the state constitutional ban on casinos.

Lim's committee heard from critics and supporters of state-sponsored gambling.

Ronda Hatefi of Eugene talked about the addiction to video poker that resulted in her brother's suicide a decade ago.

"We noticed when he started to ask to borrow money from people who made a lot less than he did," said Hatefi, founder of Oregonians for Gambling Awareness.

"But everywhere he turned, the help was not there for him."

Phillip Kennedy-Wong, public-policy director for Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon, said his organization opposes state-sponsored gambling because it creates a dependence on the income it generates.

"It also encourages the false notion that you can get a lot for just a little work," he said.

But Mike McCallum, president of the Oregon Restaurant Association, said that members who generate that money help state coffers when they help their own establishments.

"We have become sensitive to some of these issues about societal effects," he said.

Linn County Commissioner Roger Nyquist, himself a retailer, said the problem had been worse before the Oregon Lottery became the sole operator of video-poker machines in 1992.

"Folks have had gambling problems before the lottery, and folks have had problems since," he said.

The current two-year state budget is expected to receive $780 million in lottery proceeds, about 7 percent of the general fund and lottery accounts.

"The problem is not just the individuals playing," Lim said. "It is the state government that also is addicted."

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