Gambling
One of the most disastrous policy failures of recent years is the drastic, reckless expansion of the gambling industry, a predatory business that exists only to profit from the economic anxieties of people in dire straits. This is, of course, one of the industries in which Donald Trump made his fortune and paved his route to celebrity and power. We will never be able to completely ban gambling, but we can take commonsense, pragmatic steps to limit its reach. Gambling addiction is a public health crisis and must be treated as such.
As your State Representative, I will fight to:
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In 2014, Rep. Ajello voted for a law that allowed people to go up to $50,000 in debt to the Twin River Casino; in 2024, she voted to double the limit to $100,000. For comparison, a 2023 study from found that the median Rhode Islander with student loans owed roughly $17,500. Allowing people to take on almost six times that much debt—and receive absolutely nothing in exchange instead of the countless benefits of higher education—is a conscious policy decision to turn the desperation of struggling people into a cash cow.
I will push to repeal that law and ban casinos from extending credit. No one should be able to bet more than they can afford to lose.
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“Prediction markets,” which allow people to bet on current events, have recently exploded in popularity. Their promoters will insist that risking money on predicting an uncertain outcome isn’t gambling! As a result, they operate without the necessary gambling licenses and are not subject to the same restrictions as traditional gambling operators.
Beyond the obvious concerns about morality—in my view, it is wholly inappropriate to wager on topics such as the invasion of Venezuela, which earned one gambler over $400,000—these markets are highly susceptible to insider trading. Moreover, since news outlets like CNN have begun giving prediction market data the same level of credibility as rigorous, academically-vetted polls, there is a real risk of manipulation. A wealthy donor eager to create a sense of momentum around their preferred candidate can place a large bet on them, moving the odds in their favor and generating press coverage around their perceived surge.
We must update our gambling laws to clarify that prediction markets are gambling and should be subject to the same licensing requirements and tax structures as other forms of betting. Gambling on elections is already illegal in Rhode Island; we just have to clarify that prediction markets are included in that prohibition.
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The gambling industry is just as eager to exploit its employees as it is its customers.
In 2016, the casinos asked the General Assembly for an exemption from the requirement to pay workers time-and-a-half on Sundays and holidays. Rep. Ajello voted for the exemption, and the bill passed into law.
Last year, Rep. Ajello voted against a law that bans smoking at casinos, except at the designated smoking bar at Twin River. It was reasonable to criticize that measure for not going far enough—indoor smoking should be banned in all public places—but I disagree with Rep. Ajello’s decision to let the perfect be the enemy of the good and oppose a measure that will meaningfully improve worker safety once it goes into effect in 2027 because it did not fully solve the problem in and of itself.