Fox guarding the chicken coup: "helping" gambling addicts

Unfortunately, my camera broke during a recent trip. Nothing happened to it; it just gave up the ghost after six years. Can't blame it. It survived two years in high, dry, dusty mountain environs on pure adrenaline born of thrilling ethnographic photography. Then had to come home and take endless boring snapshots of yet another baby doing normal baby s**t. I think I'd give up too, if I were a camera.

Anyway, it's too bad, because I saw the weirdest thing today. It was an ad on a bus for a casino within driving distance of Chicago -- very flashy, with attractive people surrounded by coins and tickets and other symbols of winning it big. On the bottom, in small print, was written, "Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-9WITHIT."

Now, plugging this number into a search engine, this phone number comes up in the same context associated with a number of casinos and other gambling venues. So at first I thought that maybe it was a legal requirement to include it, just like we "need" to remind smokers that smoking is bad for them. This surely was a national help hotline. Or some other organization dedicated to helping addict gamblers.

But no. This number actually listed as an alternative number FOR A CASINO. The Horseshoe Casino in Hammond (Indiana), to be specific. Because they (and Harrah's, their owner) care about "responsible gaming."

Now, isn't this asking the fox to watch the chicken coup? Should we really trust casinos to "help" people stop gambling, seeing how, you know, that's how they make their money?