Since 2005, the gambling industry has spent at least $9.5 million on lobbying and $1.5 million in campaign contributions per election cycle in New York. Compare this to the banking and financial service sector, which spent $16 million on lobbying each election cycle, and the energy sector, which spent $1.4 million in campaign contributions in 2010 alone. What’s shocking about this spending, as highlighted in a new report from Common Cause/NY, is that the banking and energy sectors are hundreds of times larger.
Resorts World Casino in Queens, NY.
So why is Big Gambling paying-to-play in Albany at levels on par with Big Business? Because a handful of policymakers will decide where billions of dollars will flow should a plan to amend the state constitution and allow the creation of seven new Vegas-style casinos to move forward.
In the first half of this election cycle, in 2012, the gaming industry has spent $4 million on lobbying and more than $700,000 in campaign contributions. Whatever you think about casinos, this kind of spending underscores the broader issue of dominance of money in politics and suggests a specific remedy: public financing of elections. Without significant reform, how could policymakers put the public interest first in the face of all that dough? How could gambling opposition even get a seat at the table when the plate costs so much?
Governor Cuomo has expressed support for campaign finance reform in New York and sees an opportunity in the near-term:
