Today’s report from a panel evenly divided between friends and foes ofgambling recommends more restrictions on the industry. The National GamblingImpact Study Commission is calling for an end to state lottery ads thattarget the poor, which one Iowa gambling expert says will be hard to doScott Wood is a Drake University psychology professor and is a member of theadvisory board to the Iowa Gambling Treatment Program. The commission’sreport is also calling for tighter supervision of Native American casinos,which Wood says is always a “prickly” issue.The commission also wants more gambling facilities to devote more revenue tohelping problem gamblers. Wood says that’s where Iowa is ahead of the game.Facilities in this state are already required to put a small percentage oftheir profits toward helping pathological bettors.The commission released the report at midday today at the National PressClub in Washington D-C. Wood says the impact of this study may be limited asmost gambling laws are written at the state, not federal, level.
