Today, former Denver Mayor Wellington Webb, National Co-Chair of the Coalition to Stop Internet Gambling, applauded Massachusetts Attorney General and Gubernatorial candidate Martha Coakley after she came out in opposition to Internet gambling.  Coakley argues that families in Massachusetts will be the hardest hit, saying, “The potential to run up credit card debt gambling online will further weigh down many of those already struggling to keep their heads above water.”

Mayor Webb’s statement follows:

“Martha Coakley should be commended for her opposition to Internet gambling, which will hurt families in Massachusetts and other states that are considering steps toward legalization.  Americans are already drowning in debt.  In New Jersey alone, one of three states where full-scale Internet gambling is now legal, the average credit card debt per person tops $5,000.  Imagine what will happen a year, three years, five years down the road?  It will be disastrous for the American Middle Class.

“Internet gambling has also not delivered the additional income to states that proponents have promised.  Revenue in New Jersey has fallen short by nearly 80% of projections, leaving the state with a gaping hole in the budget to fill as opposed to the additional revenues it expected.  What does that portend for other cash-starved states that are considering steps toward legalization?”