CURRAN TO TESTIFY BEFORE HOUSE COMMITTEE ON SLOTS
University of Illinois Economist will Also Testify on Thursday

Attorney General J. Joseph Curran, Jr., will testify before the House Ways and Means Committee on Thursday, November 13 at 10:00 a.m. Curran will present the Committee with updated research in support of his 1995 study on the impact of casino gaming on crime. The report, The House Never Loses and Maryland Cannot Win, was commissioned by the Joint Executive-Legislative Task Force and submits that casinos would bring a substantial increase in crime to Maryland. Since his study eight years ago, Curran has paid close attention to independent academic research, such as the work of Dr. Earl Grinols.

A University of Illinois Economist, Dr. Grinols has studied the impact of casino gambling extensively and will join Curran in testifying before the Committee. Grinols is a former Senior economist on the Council of Economic Advisers to President Reagan and has testified in several states and written numerous publications comparing the costs and benefits of casino gaming. Included in his research has been estimating the proximity benefits to consumers of casinos and using data from all counties in the U.S. to estimate the impact of casinos on county crime rates.

Curran and Grinols will be available for interviews immediately following their testimony.

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