Common Cause NY released a report today that exposes just how much money casino, racino, and other gambling interests have spent on politics over the past decade. The report, entitled “Stacking The Deck: The Gambling Industry’s Political Spending In New York State,” details the big bets that casino owners have made on elected officials, and how those bets have paid off.
In New York State alone, the gambling industry has spent over $50 million on lobbying and campaign contributions over the past seven years. This is much more than what larger and more critical sectors of the economy, such as the energy or telecommunications industry, spend on politics.