Our Story
The movement against predatory gambling began in the early 1990s, led by community leaders like Rev. Tom Grey, who fought against a proposed casino in Rockford, Illinois. This grassroots effort evolved into a national campaign, culminating in the formation of the National Coalition Against Legalized Gambling in 1994. In 2008, the organization rebranded as Stop Predatory Gambling under the leadership of Les Bernal, with Dr. Taylor Branch, a Pulitzer Prize-winning historian, as the keynote speaker at its launch. Today, Stop Predatory Gambling continues to unite diverse groups across the U.S. to combat the harms of commercialized gambling.