Gambling with the Good Life

Statement of Solidarity Against Expanded Gambling in Nebraska

We stand together with "Gambling with the Good Life," Nebraska's grass-roots anti-gambling organization since 1995, in opposition to a petition proposal which would allow 30,000 video slot machines spread across every town and neighborhood in Nebraska-and allow over 100 video slot machine casinos with an essentially unlimited number of machines in our border communities. In addition, Indian gambling casinos would be allowed.

The National Gambling Impact Study Commission, after an exhaustive two-year study, unanimously recommended to Congress in 1999 that "states should not authorize any further convenience gambling operations and should cease and roll back existing operations."

Why? Video slots (the crack cocaine of gambling) prey on the weak and create gambling addicts. These highly addictive gambling machines rapidly destroy bank accounts, assets, and lives. Like a cancer they destroy individuals, families and businesses, gradually eating away at Nebraska's good life.

We oppose this gambling expansion in Nebraska because:

It gives Keno parlors, bars, restaurants and other establishments that serve liquor a monopoly that guarantees them 50% of the proceeds with little accountability to any existing regulatory entities.
It would bring more than twice as many slot machines to Nebraska as there are in any of our neighboring states.
Research shows that it will actually cost the state and its citizens up to $3 in social costs for every $1 it promises in tax revenue.

The video slot proposal would cement expanded gambling into Nebraska's Constitution, undermining the "Good Life" as we now know it and affecting the future well being of our state for generations to come.

Partial list of the coalition uniting to oppose the expansion of gambling in Nebraska:

Larry Adams	Manager,Nebraska Truck Center	Grand Island
Bill Alford	President, Alford Tires and VIP Car Washes	Omaha
Chip Anderson	Executive Director, Christ City International	Omaha
Marilyn Arnold	Sales Manager, New York Life Insurance	Omaha
Rev. Tom Beatty	Director, Norfolk Rescue Mission	Norfolk
Rev. Les Beauchamp	Trinity Interdenominational Church	Omaha
Rose Beck	President, Main Events	Lincoln
Klaus Becker	We the People / Nebraska	Omaha
Warren Bennett	Editor, Nebraska Civic Digest	Norfolk
Rev. Bobby Betzold	Douglas County Youth Center	Omaha
Ron & RosaLee Bishop	Vice President, Diamond Plastics	Grand Island
Linda Black	Northstar Nebraska Region IV	West Point
Dick Boettcher	President, Modern Litho	Omaha
Mark Bonkiewicz	President, Dynamic Consulting Inc.	Omaha
Helen Boosalis	Former Mayor of Lincoln	Lincoln
Rhoda Bredow	Vice President, Cattle National Bank	Seward
Ron Brown	UNL Football Coach; Founder, Mission Nebraska	Lincoln
Jon Bruning	Nebraska State Senator	Lincoln
Ron Buchinski	Director, People City Mission	Lincoln
Dale Burkland	Owner, Walker Tire Company	Omaha
Sen. Carroll Burling	Nebraska State Senator	Kenesaw
John Burpee	Gates of Praise, Assembly of God Church	Lincoln
Dave Busskohl	Treasurer, Arrow Stage Lines	Norfolk
Hon. Loralee Byrd	Nebraska State Treasurer	Arlington
Greg Carlson	President, Carlson Projects	Lincoln
Rev. Mark Carlton	Ogallala Berean Church	Ogallala
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints		Nebraska
Al Cohoon	President, Remco MFG	Omaha
Terry Coit	Retired Air Force, Business owner	Omaha
Rev. Don Coleman	President, MAD DADS	Lincoln
Rev. John Cotton	St. Peter’s Lutheran Church	Davenport
Elden Francis Curtiss	Archbishop of Omaha	Omaha
Hal Daub	Former Mayor of Omaha	Omaha
Cap Dierks	Nebraska State Senator	Ewing
Chip Doolittle	President, Arbor Systems, LLC	Omaha
Tim Dunning	Douglas County Sheriff	Omaha
Dr. Jim Eckman	President, Grace University	Omaha
Dave Ehresman	President, Diamond Die Company	Omaha
Rev. Lauren Ekdahl	United Methodist Church	Lincoln
Sen. Philip Erdman	Nebraska State Senator	Bayard
John Evans	Chairman, Douglas County Republican Party	Omaha
Darrell Fager	President, Fager Excavating Company	Omaha
Lori Fairchild	Economics Professor, Nebraska Wesleyan University	Lincoln
Family First	Nebraska Center for Family Policy	Lincoln
Bill & Mary Fear	Overcomers in Christ Ministry	Omaha
Sen. Mike Foley	Nebraska State Senator	Lincoln
Jeff Fortenberry	Former Lincoln City Councilman	Lincoln
Barbara Fox	Director, Partners in Recovery	Lincoln
Duane Fuller	Business Owner	Grand Island
Rev. Bryan Galloway	Harvey Oaks Baptist Church	Omaha
David Gehrls	Embrace Omaha	Omaha
Blake Gipson	President, Seeds of Life, Inc.	Lincoln
Dr. Herman Glaess	Professor Emeritus, Concordia University	Seward
Rod Gnuse	Attorney at Law	Omaha
Steve Grasz	Former Nebraska Deputy Attorney General	Elkhorn
Rev. Mike Green	Living Hope Assembly of God Church	Cozad
Candace Gregory	Director, Open Door Mission	Omaha
Van Hall	President, Van Allan Classic Portraits	Norfolk
Dr. Robert Haller	Professor of English	Lincoln
Don Hansen	President, NuTrend Homes	Omaha
Rev. Steven Harris	North Heights Baptist Church	Norfolk
Denny Hartford	Director, Vital Signs Ministry	Omaha
Rev. Jackie Hartman	Living Word of Faith Church	Fremont
Dan Hazuka	Treasurer, Gambling with the Good Life	Omaha
Rev. Brian Heinen	Central Alliance Church	Lincoln
Rev. David Heintzleman	First Baptist Church	North Platte
Rev. Jim Henry	Cozad Christian Church	Cozad
Randy Hensel	President, Trade Bindery	Omaha
Kirk Hicks	Certified Public Accountant	Omaha
Rev. Paul Hirsch	Redeemer Lutheran Church	Hastings
Chris Holtberg	E Z Money Jewelry & Loan	Omaha
Howard Huffman	President, Huffman Engineering, Inc.	Lincoln
Rev. Morris Jackson	Douglas County Jail Chaplain	Omaha
Ed Jaksha	Concerned Citizen	Omaha
Lyle Japp	Secretary, Gambling with the Good Life	Omaha
Sen. Jim Jensen	Nebraska State Senator	Omaha
Stephani Johanns	First Lady of Nebraska	Lincoln
Rev. Daniel Jorger	Victory Baptist Church	Lincoln
Rev. Cynthia Karges	Beatrice Centenary United Methodist Church	Beatrice
Don Kohls	Omaha for Decency	Omaha
Ken Korkow	Director, Christian Business Mens Committee	Omaha
Peter Kotsiopulos	Mayor Kearney Nebraska	Kearney
Jonathan Krutz	Director, Nebraska Hospice Associatoin	Eagle
Charles Krutz	Emeritas Professor, Concordia University	Seward
Dr. Mel Krutz	Retired Professor of English	Seward
David Kubicek	Journalist	Lincoln
Cheryl Kubicek	Customer Service Manager	Lincoln
Brad Kuiper	President, Rainbow Building Services Inc.	Gretna
Rod Laible	President, R D Industries, Inc.	Fort Calhoun
Dr. Charles Lamphear	Director, Bureau of Business Research- UNL	Lincoln
Sen. Dave Landis	Nebraska State Senator	Lincoln
Pat Loontjer	Director, Gambling with the Good Life	Omaha
Linda Lovgren	President, Lovgren Marketing Group	Omaha
Paul Ludacka	Financial Planner, Northwestern Mutual Insurance	Omaha
Dean Magee	President, Little Caesar's Pizza	Omaha
Ray Mahew	Cel Net	Lincoln
Dale Marples	President, Business & Financial Management	Omaha
Dorris Marxhausen	Community Planning	Seward
Mac Mc Mrutry	United States Air Force, Retired	Oakland
Kathleen McCallister	Douglas County Board	Omaha
Rev. Rex McDowell	Mullen Assembly of God Church	Mullen
Patrick McPherson	Former, 2nd Dist. Republican Chairman	Omaha
Kurt Meisinger	Attorney at Law	Omaha
Rev. Jerry Mercer	Garden County United Methodist Church	Oshkosh
Ron Meredith	President, Chubb’s Finer Foods	Omaha
Evelyn Miller	St. Paul Lutheran Church	Potter
Chris Monzu	President, Omaha Refinishing Co.	LaVista
Rev. Vennitree Moore	Christian Church	Lincoln
Dr. Robert Muelleman	Director Emergency Services N.H.S.	Omaha
Milo Mumgaard	Public Interest Attorney	Lincoln
Ron Murray	Accountant	Broken Bow
Jim Nichols	President, T.E.K.. Industries	Omaha
Larry & Kitty Oetting	Owner, Varsity Detasseling	Seward
Hon. Kay Orr	Former Govenor of Nebraska	Lincoln
Mike Osborne	Owner, Osborne Family Enterprises	Lincoln
Rev. Lisa J. Ourtuct	Church of the Plains	Edgar
Doug Patton	Nebraska Editor, www.GOPusa.com	Omaha
Steve Pennella	Millennium Marketing Group	Omaha
Carol Pirsch	Douglas County Commissioner	Omaha
Rev. Bob Potter	Douglas County Jail Chaplain	Omaha
Bill Protexter	Blackwell, Sanders, Peper Martin	Omaha
Pam Redfield	Nebraska State Senator	Omaha
Deo Reloj	C.E.O., Energy Security Initiatives, Inc.	Omaha
Robert Rensing	Robert Rensing Insurance Agency Inc.	Omaha
Al Riskowski	Nebraska Family Council	Lincoln
Mike Rolf	President, Mortgage Group	Omaha
Dr.Roger Sand	President, Lincoln Orthopedic	Lincoln
Bill Sapp	President, Sapp Bros. Petroleum	Gretna
Chuck Sigerson	President, Omaha City Council	Omaha
Dr. Roger Simpson	Physician	North Platte
Sen. Adrian Smith	Nebraska State Senator	Gering
Dr. Charles Spence	Nebraska Conference Board, Christian Witness	Broken Bow
Rev. Kim Stalf	Trinity Lutheran Church	Hildreth
Frank Stiner	President, Air Balance of Omaha	Omaha
Dr.Peter Suzuki	Urban Studies Professor, U.N.O.	Elkhorn
Lee Terry	Former Election Commissioner / News Caster	Omaha
Rev. Bob Thune	Christ Community Church	Omaha
Rev. Steven Todd	Horizons Community Church	Lincoln
Bob & Shawna Valentine	Home Real Estate	Lincoln
Floyd Vrtiska	Nebraska State Senator	Table Rock
Troy Walling	Political Consultant	Omaha
Dan Ward	President, American Electronics	Omaha
Rev.Ben Watson	Source of Light Ministry	Omaha
Rev. Dobie Weasel	Glad Tidings Assembly of God	Omaha
Rev. Ray Weinerman	Bethel United Methodist Church	Falls City
Richard & Miriam Whitaker	Vice President, Mid-Plains Behaviorial Services	Grand Island
Jeanne Williams	Accountant	Grand Island
Doug Wilshusen	President, Pre Well Manufacturing	Omaha
Harold Wimmer	President, Wimmer Meats	West Point
Hon. Kate Witek	Nebraska State Auditor	Omaha

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