California Welfare Recipients Withdrew $1.8M At Casino ATMs Over Eight Months

Glad to see the taxpayer funded welfare program is being used so wisely by the recipients in Kalifornia.

California welfare recipients withdrew $1.8 million at casino ATMs over eight months

California welfare recipients using state-issued debit cards withdrew more than $1.8 million in taxpayer cash on casino floors between October 2009 and last month, state officials said Thursday.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger issued an executive order requiring welfare recipients to promise they will use cash benefits only to "meet the basic subsistence needs" of their families. The order also gave the state Department of Social Services seven days to produce a plan to reduce other types of "waste, fraud and abuse" in the welfare program.

The moves came after The Times reported Wednesday that officials at the department failed to notice for years that welfare recipients could use the state-issued cards to withdraw taxpayer cash at more than half of the tribal casinos and state-licensed poker rooms in California. The state initiated the debit card program in 2002.

reply to post by Ferris.Bueller.II


That's brutal.

Wow, what kind of half ass system did Cali set up for social assistance? We would never dream of having something like that in Canada.

At least I've never heard of it.

And Arnold wonders why the state is hemorrhaging money left, right and center.

~Keeper

Similar discussion...

California welfare cards can be used in many casino ATMs

reply to post by Ferris.Bueller.II


Not noted in the article is that the State of California posts or did post on its CA.gov website where ATm's are located to get cash, including the casino locations.

Here's an article and video from San Diego confirming that:

www.nbcsandiego.com...



[edit on 27-6-2010 by manta78]

Does this really surprise anybody?

I mean its free money... of course they are going to blow it at the casino! They didn't earn it, it was handed to them. If they were responsible with their money... they wouldn't be getting welfare.

reply to post by manta78


So Kalifornia was even advertising on their website that you could use the welfare cards at the casinos. So the concern and quick legislation to stop the practice is all fake. They knew and condoned this from the beginning. This along with the government sanctioned free flow of illegal immigration, there's no wonder Kalifornia's economy is crashing! Too bad they can't just spin up the money printing presses like Obama's done with the U.S. economy.

This could be skewed by the fact that casinos cash checks for free. I knew plenty of people while living in Vegas that didn't even have a bank account, they'd just go to a casino to cash their paycheck.

Not arguing either way on this one just pointing out that cashing a check in a casino doesn't necessarily mean spending the money in a casino.

"Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger issues an executive order requiring recipients to promise they will use cash benefits only to meet basic subsistence needs"
HILARIOUS.!

Wonder what it cost to figure all this out?
Who is checking where money is being withdrawn and why is it their business?
Does it show up somewhere automaticly with the amounts shown?
Creepy and Intrusive.
Maybe special welfare dollars are needed
so exactly who is buying what can be tracked as well!

Not to say that Many many welfare recipients aren't scammers, it just creeps me out at the 'tabs' kept!

Wonder if 'they' know how many of these humans are illegal immigrants (as if they cared)?
No, I am not on welfare and do not gamble plus I doubt All the welfare atm-ers gamble either.

Everyones missing the point,
Its forgotten who lost all the money they are the bankers the fin elite started all this being bent

[edit on 27/6/10 by impyroo]

Originally posted by tothetenthpower
reply to post by Ferris.Bueller.II

 

That's brutal.

Wow, what kind of half ass system did Cali set up for social assistance? We would never dream of having something like that in Canada.
At least I've never heard of it.
And Arnold wonders why the state is hemorrhaging money left, right and center.
~Keeper

In Canada, the provinces issue a welfare cheque at the end of each month. From the cab drivers to the Casino's everyone is familiar with "Welfare week". It is true the welfare recipients aren't issues debit cards, but they are easy enough to get from a bank.

Whole families are raised on welfare, with little accountability to the public. In many cases its far more profitable for a woman to keep cranking out babies than it is to actually find a job and create a life for herself.

I'm only illustrating that Canada has it's own issues with the people addicted to the social programs. Welfare should be there for a short time, but it should not be allowed to become a way of life.

..Ex

reply to post by Thermo Klein


I wouldn't be terribly suprised if these casino's offered ATM's with no fees either. Still though, $1.8 million withdrawn in casino's does make you wonder what people are spending their money on.

Is it possible that the workers are all on welfare? Or that there's some correlation between casino's and low-income neighborhoods?

If we use the numbers from the article we find that $1.8 million/$700 per debit card equates to about 2,571 people who withdrew money at these casinos.

But that's $1.8 million over the course of eight months, using that we can find that it's $225,000 per month and about 321 people or as the article states (emphasis mine):

Casino withdrawals, which represented far less than 1% of total welfare spending during the eight months for which the department released data, averaged just over $227,392 a month.

I'm not trying to defend the people who did this, I'm just trying to defend the system. People are imperfect so we need a more perfect system, smarter government, not smaller.

or....look at the millions spent on Fast Food, that not only was wasted money, but ended up harming their health costing everyone more money.

Gambling.... actually tame in comparison, who knew?

or....look at the millions spent on Fast Food, that not only was wasted money, but ended up harming their health costing everyone more money.

Gambling.... actually tame in comparison, who knew?

lol, fast food harming their health just makes me laugh. People have no clue sometimes.

But...look at the number of recipients who drive nicer cars than a person with a full time job.

On Welfare? Driving a Cadillac SUV? Yeah. Something's Wrong.

But hey - thats how you buy votes and play 'my team' politics.

Republicans used to do it with big business....until big business got too big and now runs the show.

If only somehow the little guy could get too little and accomplish the same thing.

[edit on 28-6-2010 by Snarf]

Just saw a thread talking about silly putty chicken McNuggets, with all the chemicals its no wonder people are sick.

But if they have fun gambling it's no different than renting a movie...



[edit on 29-6-2010 by ghaleon12]

Those cards should not be able to run on any ATM. They should only be able to be ran at the checkout counter. And not at gas pumps either. Those cards are ment for FOOD ONLY. ANd no cash back on those cards either.

[edit on 6/29/2010 by fixer1967]

Originally posted by fixer1967
Those cards should not be able to run on any ATM. They should only be able to be ran at the checkout counter. And not at gas pumps either. Those cards are ment for FOOD ONLY. ANd no cash back on those cards either.

[edit on 6/29/2010 by fixer1967]

No they aren't.

Cash aid and food stamps are 2 different things. You get the cash aid to pay for things like gas or whatever necessity you might have throughout the month. Its meant to supplement your income and "pick up the slack" so to speak.

Originally posted by ThaLoccster

Originally posted by fixer1967
Those cards should not be able to run on any ATM. They should only be able to be ran at the checkout counter. And not at gas pumps either. Those cards are ment for FOOD ONLY. ANd no cash back on those cards either.

[edit on 6/29/2010 by fixer1967]

No they aren't.

Cash aid and food stamps are 2 different things. You get the cash aid to pay for things like gas or whatever necessity you might have throughout the month. Its meant to supplement your income and "pick up the slack" so to speak.

Well I do know for a FACT that the FOOD STAMP CARD(SNAP) when ran at a South Carolina Walmart you can get cash back. I seen it done and ask the cashier about it. She tells me they will use the SNAP CARD to buy a dollar item and get $20 or $50 CASH BACK then go back and use it to buy anything from make-up to power tools. She told me point blank it was fraud but there was nothing stopping it.
SNAP is meant for FOOD ONLY. I asked the people that run the local office.

Do not know about the rest of the aid program cards but just what I have heard .

reply to post by fixer1967


Sounds like someone needs to make a call to their local elected official.

I'm talking state legislature, not your congressional district rep. You can find yours here.

reply to post by fixer1967


Then your state most likely has a cash aid and a food stamp program. The state I'm currently in doesn't, only has a food stamp program. It is impossible to get cash back on one of those cards.

It seems like a glitch in the system that scans the card since this switch to "SNAP". If you run a card here you don't even get an option for cash back.

*After typing all that I did a net search. South Carolina does have a cash aid program, that is no doubt tied to the same card used for food stamps. It is impossible to get cash back on a food stamp purchase. They are assuredly using the cash benefits of the card.