Legalizing online gambling is not a joke — it’s a mistake that will hurt Vermont. You can see the signs in the ads.
I work in marketing, and I can tell you that based on the promotions DraftKings, FanDuel, and Fanatics Sportsbook are offering (up to $1250 in bonus bets as of Jan. 12), one of two things is true:
1. They’re engaged in a cutthroat, who-can-lose-most-to-grow fight for customers.
2. They expect to make obscene amounts of money off the customers they keep.
We can pray for the first, but given the addictive nature of gambling, we should expect the second. This is not the marketing of an industry that expects low revenue per user.
A childhood friend’s mother used to steal from her bedroom at night to feed a gambling addiction. Her father quietly followed behind, putting the money back. It hurt.
Our kids will hear and tell more stories like these, thanks to the legislature chasing $7 million in revenue in return for Vermonters shipping a multiple of that to out-of-state companies that couldn’t care less whose lives they ruin getting rich.
If we need to raise $7 million, there are better, more direct ways that cause a whole lot less harm.
This law should be repealed as soon as possible.
Jeff Seymour
Montpelier
