In April of last year, the Institute for Accountability and Government Efficiency at Auburn University at Montgomery released a report on gambling that has been, and continues to be, widely cited and publicized. The AUM report—with its dubious predictions implying that gambling would be an unmitigated goldmine for Alabama—has largely escaped criticism from the academy. Until now.
In a 21-page review for the Alabama Policy Institute, Dr. Keith D. Malone, a professor of economics at the University of North Alabama, concludes:
“The findings of the AUM report are scientifically unsound and incapable of intelligently informing policymakers or the public as to the implications of legalizing gambling or adopting a lottery in the state of Alabama. . . . Making sound, reliable policy decisions requires comprehensively and rigorously considering the implications of those policy decisions. To that end, the AUM report is of essentially no value to Alabama policymakers.”