{"id":517049,"date":"2026-01-15T03:59:10","date_gmt":"2026-01-15T03:59:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/517049\/"},"modified":"2026-01-15T03:59:10","modified_gmt":"2026-01-15T03:59:10","slug":"hochuls-gambling-addiction-plan-blasted-as-hypocrisy-as-nys-readies-for-more-casinos","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/517049\/","title":{"rendered":"Hochul’s gambling addiction plan blasted as hypocrisy as NYS readies for more casinos"},"content":{"rendered":"

Gov. Kathy Hochul<\/a> was blasted for her plan to expand gambling addiction programs while three new casinos are underway and the state rakes in a growing jackpot from legal betting.<\/p>\n

Critics called Hochul\u2019s plan hypocritical after it emerged as part of her 2026 policy agenda<\/a> that emerged alongside her Tuesday State of the State speech.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a case of \u2018we told you so,’\u201d state Conservative Party chairman Gerard Kassar said. <\/p>\n

New York\u2019s bookie-in-chief Gov. Kathy Hochul is proposing an expansion of addiction treatment programs to help compulsive gamblers hooked on state-sanctioned betting \u2014 provoking cries of hypocrisy from gambling opponents. AP<\/p>\n

\u201cState-sponsored gambling has always been about the revenue, not the human costs.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Conservative Party was among the groups that opposed the constitutional amendment approved by voters in 2013 that made casino gambling in the state.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s like opening an alcoholics anonymous center next to a bar,\u201d Kassar said of the new addiction treatment programs. <\/p>\n

\u201cHochul and New York politicians created the addiction. The state is fixing a problem it created.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hochul\u2019s plan includes limiting betting platforms\u2019 ability to use AI-powered services to exploit consumers\u2019 gambling habits through personalized promotions.<\/p>\n

New York State has approved the opening of 3 new licensed casinos in the Big Apple. Razoran \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n

She also proposed legislation that would ensure insurance covers addiction treatment. <\/p>\n

The Democrat also wants to create a Gambling Health Institute and integrate gambling treatment in 16 \u201crecovery\u201d community outreach centers across the Empire State.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs access to gambling increases, it is crucially important that New York has a comprehensive approach to safeguard New Yorkers from harms associated with problem gambling,\u201d Hochul\u2019s State of the State book states.<\/p>\n

The Big Apple generated over $26 billion in bets in 2025, which led to a record shattering $2.5 billion in revenue. AFP via Getty Images<\/p>\n

The state initially approved the opening of a network of casinos and slots parlors upstate, and are now adding three new<\/a> licensed casinos in New York City.<\/p>\n

New York also approved mobile sports betting, enormously popular with young men. <\/p>\n

The state\u2019s online sports betting market generated more than $26 billion in bets last year, including a record shattering $2.5 billion in revenue.<\/p>\n

Addiction is a a government-inflicted problem, critics contend \u2014 down to state-sponsored lottery games.<\/p>\n

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\u201cIt\u2019s really complete hypocrisy. It\u2019s the state bookie offering palliative care,\u201d said John Kaehny, executive director of the watchdog group Reinvent Albany. <\/p>\n

\u201cGambling is the extraction of money from people\u2019s pockets.\u201d<\/p>\n

The New York State Catholic Conference has serious reservations about the state\u2019s gambling expansion, but praised Hochul for at least acknowledging that compulsive gambling is a problem.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe never believed the state should be in the business of promoting addictive behavior,\u201d said Catholic Conference executive director Dennis Poust. <\/p>\n

\u201cThat being said, kudos to the governor for addressing a serious issue.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brian O\u2019Dwyer, chairman of the New York State Gaming Commission, praised Hochul\u2019s move.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Gaming Commission fully supports and applauds Governor Hochul\u2019s commitment to protect New Yorkers, including safeguards to prevent underage individuals from gambling and employing innovative tech to identify and help those who may be experiencing gambling harms,\u201d O\u2019Dwyer said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Gov. Kathy Hochul was blasted for her plan to expand gambling addiction programs while three new casinos are…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":517050,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[1556,9303,16759,210,5371,6411,517,5248,8930,67,132,68,1154],"class_list":{"0":"post-517049","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mental-health","8":"tag-addiction","9":"tag-casinos","10":"tag-gambling","11":"tag-health","12":"tag-kathy-hochul","13":"tag-lottery","14":"tag-mental-health","15":"tag-metro","16":"tag-sports-betting","17":"tag-united-states","18":"tag-unitedstates","19":"tag-us","20":"tag-us-news"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115897117211670266","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/517049","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=517049"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/517049\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/517050"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=517049"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=517049"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=517049"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}