September is Responsible Gaming Education Month, an effort by the Washington, D.C.-based American Gaming Association that promotes and lobbies for the gambling industry. Though the month focuses on aiding consumers, educating industry workers, and promoting gambling responsibly, Manchester, Jamaica-born Brooklyn researcher Paulette O’Gilvie is not satisfied and very concerned about vulnerable older adults and others suffering financial woes and other downsides of the very profitable gambling industry. Shutterstock.comIn February, the Associated Press reported that American Gaming Association (AGA) said land-based “commercial casinos won [a record] $66.5 billion from gamblers in 2023,” noting that 2022 was also a “record-setting year” for earnings.In February, the Associated Press reported that American Gaming Association (AGA) said land-based “commercial casinos won [a record] $66.5 billion from gamblers in 2023,” noting that 2022 was also a “record-setting year” for earnings. In addition, the internet sports betting industry had $10.92 billion in revenue for 2023, according to the AGA. With that level of money in play, Coney Island, Midtown Manhattan and other areas have been proposed as city locations for new casinos. The coming of New York casinos is “inevitable,” said O’Gilvie, a doctoral graduate of Capella University who began studying problem gambling after witnessing a suicide at a casino. She’s the author of “The Interaction Between Casino Proximity and Year on Poverty Level Outcomes in New York City” and other research papers, as well as an advisory board member of Evive, a new digital therapeutic mobile app and virtual community that seeks to “revolutionize support for those seeking a healthier relationship with gambling.” O’Gilvie says the proposed federal Gambling Addiction, Recovery, Investment, and Treatment (GRIT) Act that would provide “grants to the States to address gambling addiction, and for other purposes,” can get needed funds to help for gambling compulsions that can be as damaging as drug addictions. To gamble responsibility, visit haveagameplan.org and for help with problem gambling, go to the state’s Office of Addiction Services and Supports at oasas.ny.gov/gambling, or call (800) GAMBLER. Remembering Michelle Despite her shy, girlish nature, 53-year-old Michele Gabriel was a fighter. But while on the verge of overcoming another major challenge, she died on Aug. 28. Obtained by Daily NewsA funeral service was held Saturday for Michele Gabriel. An immigrant from Grenada, she used her degree in early childhood education and speech pathology from New York’s St. Joseph’s College to open the innovative Little Paradise Preschool in East Flatbush. But major COVID-related economic woes and health issues shuttered the school. Suffering from kidney failure and retina issues that led to blindness, Gabriel had managed to get on the waiting list for a transplant just before her death. Fiction harms Haitians Condemnation of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s repeated, unsubstantiated claims that Haitian immigrants are eating the pets of Springfield, Ohio residents is pouring in, as more facts are unveiled to debunk the fictitious but harmful accusation. Former President Trump and his Republican running mate JD Vance continued to spread accusations that were deemed false by moderators during his recent debate with Democratic candidate Vice President Kamala Harris that was witnessed by more than 67 million viewers. Vance also called Haitian immigrants illegal while Trump called for their deportation. Meanwhile, many are legal, holding federal Temporary Protective Status. AP PhotoA parishioner walks back to his pew after taking Communion during a service in support of the Haitian community at St. Raphael Catholic church in Springfield, Ohio, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024. The accusations resulted in a flood of hateful hundreds of internet memes and bomb threats targeting Springfield city officials and institutions. The attacks have continued despite Springfield resident Erika Lee, who posted the anti-immigrant accusation on Facebook, admitting her post was unsubstantiated and false. The City University of New York’s Haitian Studies Institute and the Haitian Studies Association “forcefully condemned the racist and xenophobic narrative,” while Minna LaFortune, president of the Brooklyn-based Society for the Advancement of the Caribbean Diaspora, noted the long and rich history of Haiti and the many historic contributions Haitians and Haitian Americans have made to the establishment and betterment of America. Trump wronged singer In a recent legal victory, Guyana-born singer-songwriter Eddy Grant won a copyright infringement suit against Trump for using Grant’s 1980s hit song “Electric Avenue” in a 2020 campaign video without permission. AP PhotoBritish reggae musician Eddy Grant. “Friday’s ruling [from Judge John Koeltl of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York] means that Trump and his campaign have been held legally liable for copyright infringement, but it leaves undecided the amount he must ultimately pay Grant in damages,” reported Billboard magazine, adding compensation to Grant “will be resolved in future proceedings.”