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Is New York State Gambling With Our Lives?

February 6, 2021 by Jeffrey Reynolds Leave a Comment

Faced with a $15 billion budget gap, New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo has proposed the legalization of mobile sports gambling in his 2021/22 budget proposals, an idea budget officials estimate could bring in $500 million in annual tax revenues.

“The question is really not whether or not we do mobile sports betting,” Cuomo declared at one point of his week-long budget address. “The question is more, ‘How?’

One issue is whether wagers go through the state-run lottery system or through one or more private operators, which include casinos and online sportsbooks. Bills in both houses of the State Legislature would license multiple operators, such as the publicly traded DraftKings, and expand retail outlets beyond the four upstate commercial casinos to include betting kiosks at sports stadiums and Off-Track Betting sites.

But “this is not a money-maker for private interests to collect just more tax revenue,” Cuomo says. “We want the actual revenue from sports betting.”

Faced with a record-setting budget crisis, state lawmakers are eyeing a jackpot. Look no further than our neighbor to the south: New Jersey’s legal sports bets hit $6 billion in 2020, exceeding wagers placed in Nevada and every other state. And a February 2020 report by gaming research firm Eilers & Krejcik estimated that New Yorkers placed a whopping $837 million in bets in the Garden State in 2019, accounting for roughly 19 percent of that state’s betting handle

Sports betting started in Pennsylvania last July – since then, the state has collected over $2.5 billion in total wagers, yielding about $48 million in tax revenues.

Easy money, right

Not entirely. Like New York, virtually every state in the nation – financially devastated by COVID-19 – is looking to expand gambling opportunities and legalize recreational marijuana, the same way they filled budget holes a decade ago by championing taxes on cigarettes, booze, bullets and sugary soft drinks.

While politically convenient, these revenues are often inconsequential to large municipal budgets – and a 2018 study by the Pew Charitable Trusts called sin taxes a “tempting but unreliable source of revenue.”

It turns out that chasing losses in search of a big payday can get both governments and individuals in trouble.

In a given year, according to the National Council on Problem Gambling, 2 million U.S. adults – about 1 percent of the population – meet the clinical criteria for severe gambling problems. Another 4 million to 6 million (about 2 to 3 percent) have mild or moderate gambling problems, meeting one or more of the criteria and experiencing related problemsincluding family strife, job loss, anxiety, depression and even stress-related medical conditions such as hypertension, cardiovascular disease and peptic ulcers.

The NCPG pegs the annual national social cost of problem gambling at $7 billion, including healthcare and criminal-justice expenses, while also factoring in job loss, bankruptcy and other financial consequences.

Males, younger people, African Americans and those in lower income brackets appear to be highest risk populations for problem gambling, along with those struggling with depression. There’s also evidence that online and compulsive gambling have become more pervasive during the pandemic.

As for the number of problem gamblers in New York, well, that’s a good question. A February 2019 audit by State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli noted that New York “has not conducted a comprehensive needs assessment or social impact study to identify the number or location of individuals in need of problem gambling treatment services since 2006,” and that’s with four commercial casinos opening upstate in 2013.

A better estimate of statewide needs is due out by Dec. 1, 2023, but in the meantime, investigators at the University at Buffalo’s Research Institute on Addictions have found the rate of problem gambling doubles in populations living within 10 miles of a gaming establishment. Now imagine a casino in your pocket or on your nightstand, flashing and beeping for your attention all day long.

New York already collects about $3.7 billion a year from its traditional New York Lottery games, video lottery terminals, racetrack wagering, casinos – including Long Island’s own Jake’s 58 – and on-premise sports betting. Another state comptroller report, this one released in November, noted that New York spends and authorizes more than $272 million annually promoting gambling – but in the 2019-20 fiscal year, spent only $5.7 million on prevention, treatment and recovery services related to problem gambling.

Lawmakers will almost certainly approve mobile gambling in New York State. But they shouldn’t do so without considering – and actively mitigating – the social and economic impact of continuously expanding gaming opportunities.

They should work with app developers to implement secure ID verification, daily spend limits and other protections. They should accelerate the planned 2023 impact study and find a paltry $5 million to launch a public education campaign – heavily focused on social media and sports websites – to reach young male sports fans, who are most at risk. And they should double the state’s investment in problem-gambling treatment programs, including those based on Long Island, and ensure that a higher percentage of net revenues going forward is dedicated to remediating gambling-related harms.

That’s how we keep games fun – and hedge our societal bets.

Today – January 19th – is Quitter’s Day!

January 19, 2021 by Jeffrey Reynolds Leave a Comment

What’s Quitter’s Day?

It’s the day, according to the folks who run the fitness app Strava, that people are most likely to ditch their New Year’s resolutions.

To pinpoint January 19th as Quitter’s Day, Strava analyzed data from 98.3 million uploaded running, cycling and other exercise activities. Today is the day exercise drops off, gyms begin to empty and it’s easy to imagine that our other resolutions begin to falter.

How are you doing with your resolutions?

If you’re not sure, that’s part of the problem.

Did you write them down?
Writing down your resolutions with a note about why change is important commits you and will increase your likelihood of success.

Are your resolutions quantifiable
Simply saying you want to lose weight isn’t the same as committing to a number – either losing a pound per week or hitting a particular goal weight.

Are your resolutions measurable?
If you are striving to save more money, pick a reasonable goal – say $5,000 this year – and then ensure that you are making weekly/monthly progress.

Most importantly, do you remember why you made your resolutions?
You aren’t seeking better health or more money or a better work/life balance for the hell of it. There’s a reason you want those things. That reason has to remain front and center and drive your actions.

Your resolutions need to be built into your everyday life in order to stick. If you are trying to save money, then make a note each day about expenses you avoided, things you didn’t buy or steps you took to bring in additional income. If you are trying to lose weight, then count your calories or track your exercise. If you want to get a new job, start by polishing your resume, networking with three people who could be helpful or scanning the help wanted ads. Daily progress, consistent action and daily reminders create new habits and foster success.

If you’re off track, it’s only January 19th and with 346 days left in 2021, there’s still plenty of time to achieve your dreams. Besides, didn’t you say that 2021 was going to be a be a better year?

What Can You Remove From Your To-Do List?

January 18, 2021 by Jeffrey Reynolds Leave a Comment

I make lists, mostly for short-term daily goals, but also for long term goals. For most of us, lifetime goals are organized into a “bucket list,” while annual goals mapped out on January 1st and updated quarterly are sometimes labeled “resolutions.” My daily to-do list includes key tasks, phone calls, emails, exercise and one or two reminders about emotional wellness. I try to chunk tasks together for optimal efficiency and love to create “found time” by listening to educational podcasts while running, responding to emails while waiting for Zoom meetings to start and cleaning up my call-back list while driving (using a hands-free device). There’s a great feeling of accomplishment when you cross-off that last task, email or phone call and finish the day.

But how many of those things never should have made it onto the list in the first place?

How many Zoom meetings are twice as long as they need to be, include the wrong people or are wholly unnecessary? How many could have been an email? How many end without a concrete follow-up plan or next steps?

As we spend hours pursuing “in-box zero,” and checking social media feeds, it makes sense to wonder whether we really need to send all of those texts, emails and Facebook messages? Do we need really need take that last look at Instagram or TikTok?

Is everything on your to-do list really that important or meaningful? Will it make a difference tomorrow, next week or next year? Do the things on today’s list relate to your goals for the year or are you rushing through those tasks, hoping to have time to do the really important stuff?

Before adding things to your to-do list, carefully consider the impact and importance of each item. Doing a bunch of meaningless stuff fast isn’t productive. Working hard is easy; working smarter takes some strategic thinking and tough decisions.

For every new thing you add to your list today, take something off. The important stuff will rise to the top.

Here’s What You Should Know About Alcohol and the COVID Vaccine

January 9, 2021 by Jeffrey Reynolds Leave a Comment

If you’re planning to get vaccinated for COVID-19, it might be a good idea to lay off the booze for a few days before or after each shot. That’s the advice coming from experts worldwide who, like the World Health Organization, have noted that alcohol, especially in large amounts can negatively impact the immune system.

While there’s no evidence that alcohol in any amount directly impacts COVID-19 vaccine efficacy, chronic and heavy alcohol use (defined by the CDC as more than 8 drinks per week for women and 15 drinks per week for men) can damage the immune cells that line the intestines, which serve as the first line of defense against viruses and bacteria.

A 2015 study by University of Maryland researchers found that a single episode of binge drinking – 4 drinks or more in a sitting – depletes the infection-fighting abilities of certain white blood cells in the hours after intoxication.

Another UK study – highlighted in a recent BBC documentary, found that three glasses of Prosecco demolished half the body’s white blood cells, including lymphocytes which help attack viruses with antibodies.

Despite skyrocketing alcohol sales during the COVID-19 pandemic, protecting yourself means making sure that your immune system is in optimal shape. That means eating right, getting enough sleep, exercising, and yes, limiting your alcohol intake.

But does that mean you can’t have a glass of wine or two before or after getting the vaccine? It’s a question that’s being debated worldwide.

Russian health official Anna Popova drew ire last month after she recommended that those getting the Sputnik V COVID vaccine in that country avoid alcohol altogether for two weeks prior to getting the first vaccine and for six weeks thereafter to ensure optimal efficacy of the two Sputnik vaccines, which are to be administered 21 days apart. The vaccine’s developer, Alexander Gintsburg pushed back on Twitter suggesting that “One glass of champagne won’t hurt anyone, not even your immune system.” He did go on to say, though, in a subsequent tweet, that reducing your alcohol use can boost immunity and refraining from alcohol for three days before and after each vaccine makes perfect sense, regardless of where you live or which COVID vaccine you’ll be getting.

Closer to home, William Moss, executive director of the International Vaccine Access Center at Johns Hopkins University says, “There’s no evidence that, if you have one beer or a glass of wine a couple days after you get your vaccine, that’s going to interfere with your immune response or protection following the vaccine.”

Ok, but if you’re lucky enough to get the vaccine, going a few days without booze doesn’t seem like a huge sacrifice. If it is, maybe that’s a different conversation.

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