Casino association, foes update websites

By Liz Benston

Tuesday, March 23, 2004 | 10:58 a.m.

The American Gaming Association is sharpening a well-used tool in its long-running battle with casino foes nationwide.

The association, which includes most of the nation's largest casino companies, last week introduced a "frequently asked questions" area of its website that aims to debunk "common misconceptions" about the gaming industry including gambling's role in crime, bankruptcy and other social ills. The information reorganizes and updates previous information on the site in a more user-friendly format, with references to newer studies and footnotes that link to the studies in question, association officials say.

"These are the questions that are always asked" about the industry since the association was founded in 1995, said Frank Fahrenkopf, the association's chief executive.

The spread of gambling legislation in the past year and a half has led to a greater need for more accessible resources for reporters, legislators and other public figures new to gambling, Fahrenkopf said.

"There's a whole new world of reporters who've never reported on this topic and public policy people who've never considered the topic," he said.

The website feature also represents a more targeted effort to counter anti-gambling forces that have mobilized at the state level and are testifying before state legislatures, he said.

"They are making these outrageous claims ... even in the face of independent studies" and a trend toward greater acceptance of gambling nationwide, he added.

"Just about the time a reporter has been working on gaming issues and they get to know the industry ... suddenly they're transferred and we end up with a new reporter and one of the first questions out of their mouth is, 'Does the Mob still run Las Vegas?"' he said.

Reporters and legislative aides have used the association's website to access industry information and research studies, he said.

The National Coalition Against Legalized Gambling, a nonprofit group that has fought the gaming association's positions over the years and lobbies against gambling in specific states, also is overhauling its website.

By the end of the month, the group expects to categorize the information on its website for easier navigation rather than simply grouping together links to gambling studies from the past decade or so, coalition board member David Robertson said.

Categories of study will include Internet gambling, tribal casinos, racetrack casinos and convenience gambling, he said. Social costs such as gambling addiction, suicide and crime also will be newly categorized, as will gambling groups such as youth and the elderly, he said.

The older studies will still be archived on the website along with about eight newer studies that will be added to the site, he said. Newsletters and other announcements will be updated on a more regular basis than in the past, he added.

"The damage that gambling does hasn't changed from 1995 to 2004," he said. "The studies that have been done back then are probably just as valid today."

Over the next month, the revamped site also will feature video clips from the coalition's 2003 annual conference in Baltimore, which drew legislators and other public officials opposed to the spread of gambling. Maryland is one of several states considering legalizing slot machines.

Information on the coalition's latest campaign -- a letter-writing initiative to the Bush administration criticizing the process of recognizing Indian tribes for casino development -- also will be posted online, Robertson said.

The coalition's website has received up to 1,400 or so hits on a busy day and about 400 to 700 hits on a slower day, he said. Some are from reporters worldwide who end up using the information, he said.

"All the time we're getting several calls a day from people to use material from our site or link to our site," he said.

Fahrenkopf said he's not troubled by the expansion of the coalition's website.

"That's their right," he said. "What we say is that if you're a decision-maker, verify the information. There's enough independent research out there."