Was Gambling in Oklahoma a Good Bet?

• Joe Wertz
  BioRecent Stories

  

  Joe Wertz was a reporter and managing editor for StateImpact Oklahoma from 2011-2019. He reported on energy and environment issues for national NPR audiences and other national outlets. He previously worked as a managing editor, assistant editor and staff reporter at several major Oklahoma newspapers and studied journalism at the University of Central Oklahoma.

Click here to see Stateline's state-by-state comparison of gambling promises vs. revenue returns.

Stateline has an interesting story that compares the pre-opening promises and the revenue reality of legalized gambling around the country.

In the 13 states that have legalized casinos, racinos and lotteries in the last decade, two-thirds of them haven’t kept promises “made by political and industry champions,” Ben Wieder reports.

While on the campaign trail in 2002, former Oklahoma Governor Brad Henry predicted that a lottery could bring the state $300 million a year to help education. The Democrat later revised those numbers down to $150 million, but the actual return has been more like $70 million.