StopPredatoryGambling.org in Maryland

Maryland is ground zero in the national fight to protect our communities from the dangers of predatory gambling. That's why StopPredatoryGambling.org has chosen the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in Prince George's County as the site for this year's Stop Predatory Gambling National Convention.

The conference is scheduled from September 26-27 and you're encouraged to attend. Discounted registration is available until tomorrow, August 27th.

REGISTER FOR THE STOP PREDATORY GAMBLING NATIONAL CONFERENCE!

This conference is an important opportunity to highlight the negative effects of slot machine gambling on communities all across our nation. More gambling addiction, more bankrupt families and higher crime rates are all results of slot machine gambling. The consequences are real. Broken homes, ruined lives and a burden on our state and local governments that have to foot the bill to rehabilitate addicts and assist their family members.

Get the facts about predatory gambling by attending this important conference. And, help us make sure that Marylanders understand the high cost of gambling addiction. Please, join us in Prince George's County on September 26-27.

REGISTER FOR THE STOP PREDATORY GAMBLING NATIONAL CONFERENCE!

Below is an official invitation from Les Bernal, Executive Director of StopPredatoryGambling.org.

Dear Friend,

StopPredatoryGambling.org, a national grassroots citizens movement to stop predatory gambling, will formally kickoff on Fri. Sept 26th - Sat. Sept. 27th at the Gaylord National Resort in National Harbor, MD just outside of Washington, DC. Attached is a conference registration flyer. If you register by Aug. 27th you'll save more than 40%. Here is a link with more details http://www.ncalg.org/2008%20NCALG%20Conference.htm

At issue is not whether people can gamble. It is not about people playing poker on Friday nights with the guys from the neighborhood or buying a square in the Super Bowl office pool. It is the practice of using gambling to prey on human weakness for profit: predatory gambling.

States from coast-to-coast now receive billions of profits from nearly 800,000 electronic gambling machines -one machine for every 395 Americans. Instant scratch-off tickets costing as high as $50 are marketed and sold on practically every street corner across the country.

Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Taylor Branch understands the stakes. He will deliver the conference's keynote address. Branch, author of Parting the Waters, the definitive history of Martin Luther King, Jr. and the civil rights movement, will highlight how predatory gambling violates the core democratic principles of America - equal citizenship, public trust and accountability.

There are two ways to register for the conference: 1) Print out this flyer, fill it out, and then you either can fax it, mail it or scan it into email and send it on to us. If you're staying overnight, make sure you also click the online link to the Gaylord National to make your hotel reservation. The event starts Fri. at 1:30pm. 2) If you wish to register using a credit card, please call David & Helen at 800-664-2680 and you can register by phone.

If you can't attend the conference but support our efforts and would like to contribute financially, you can either send a check to: StopPredatoryGambling.org (it's tax-deductible), 100 Maryland Avenue NE, Room 311, Washington, DC, 20002 or contribute by credit card by calling David & Helen at 800-664-2680.

Hope to see you there.

Les Bernal