Tuesday, May 06, 2003
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Former drug czar to quit gambling

Reports claim former Cabinet member lost millions in casinos over past decade

William Bennett Conservative former education secretary to give up gambling to set example

Conservative cultural crusader William Bennett admitted Monday he has "done too much gambling" and said he is quitting because "this is not an example I wish to set."

Bennett, former Cabinet secretary and "Book of Virtues" author, was outed Friday in an article by Joshua Green of The Washington Monthly and Jonathan Alter of Newsweek as a gambler who has wagered -- and lost -- millions in Las Vegas and Atlantic City casinos over the past decade.

In a statement released Monday, Bennett admitted he had "engaged in high-stakes gambling over the past decade."

"It is true I have gambled large sums of money. I have also complied with all laws on reporting wins and losses," he said.

Still, Bennett said, to set the kind of example that he wants, "my gambling days are over."

Some of Bennett's losses were described as "substantial" and, according to internal casino documents obtained by the Washington Monthly, Bennett has lost more than $8 million over the past decade.

Andrew Porter, a spokesman for Bennett, said the former education secretary and "drug czar" in the Reagan and first Bush administrations was not available for interviews Monday.

Bennett's wife, however, told USA Today she wanted her husband to tell his side of the story and denied he is addicted to gambling.

Valerie Lorenz, director of the Compulsive Gambling Center in Baltimore, said a face-to-face evaluation would have to be conducted before she could determine if Bennett is a compulsive gambler.

However, she said he "clearly knows about drug addiction, but that does not mean he is capable of diagnosing or treating himself."

Lorenz is a nationally recognized, 30-year specialist in the treatment of gambling addictions who is best known for treating former Ohio State quarterback Art Schlichter.

Another treatment professional said elements of Bennett's behavior, particularly isolating himself from recognition in casinos and betting large sums on slots and video poker machines, may suggest addictive behavior of which he is not aware. All treatment specialists, however, said evaluations would be necessary for diagnoses.

Treatment specialists also said self-treatment is possible and there are examples of situations in which it has worked, but the success rates of treatment in even the most respected programs are "grim."

Tom Grey, executive director of the National Coalition Against Legalized Gambling, said he hopes Bennett can give up his gambling habits.

"It's a matter of appetite. If he can turn it off, I'll be the first to congratulate him," Grey said. "For his sake, his family's and the people for whom he has been an example, I certainly hope he can do it."

He also added that treatment professionals report that the success in self-treatment, especially for electronic gambling, is very low.

Other commentators, however, reveled in Bennett's difficulties.

Kinsley, for example, wrote in the Post Monday: "Sinners have long cherished the fantasy that William Bennett, the virtue magnate, might be among our number. The news over the weekend -- that Bennett's $50,000 sermons and bestselling moral instruction manuals have financed a multimillion-dollar gambling habit -- has lit a lamp of happiness in even the darkest hearts."

"As the joyous word spread, crack flowed like water through inner-city streets, family court judges began handing out free divorces, and children lit bonfires of `The Book of Virtues,' `More Virtuous Virtues,' `Who Cheesed My Virtue?' `Moral Tails: Virtue for Dogs.' And cynics everywhere thought, for just a moment: Maybe there is a God after all."

Today, Bennett is a director of Empower America, together with former vice presidential nominee Jack Kemp and former U.N. Ambassador Jeanne Kirkpatrick.

Empower America opposes the proliferation of casino gambling, and its co-chairman, Kemp, has lambasted lawmakers who "pollute our society with a slot machine on every corner."