Many are people who had never previously broken the law, but who turned to robbery, forgery and embezzlement to support their habits. Thousands have ruined themselves financially, and a handful have killed themselves. Minn. He returned home that second night, kicked down the door to his apartment, put the barrel of a shotgun to his head and killed himself. They are people such as Lam Ha of Blaine, a father of two and waiter at a restaurant. And it will cost taxpayers millions of dollars more for crimes committed by gamblers throughout the state, especially in counties that are home to or near casinos, where crime has increased far faster than elsewhere in Minnesota, according to a statistical analysis by the Star Tribune.
Crime is just a small part of the total cost to Minnesota.
Today, gambling is as socially acceptable in Minnesota as a night at the movies and as commonplace as Little League baseball. And while most Minnesotans gamble for recreation and suffer no ill effects, the number of problem gamblers has multiplied as the industry has flourished. Ten years ago, there was one Gamblers Anonymous group meeting in the state. Today, there are 49. The estimated number of people who have experienced significant problems because of gambling doubled from 1990 to 1994 and now exceeds 100,000, according to two independent surveys conducted last year.