State Senator Jacqueline Collins (D-Chicago) spoke to WTTW's Carol Marin this week about the vast and rapid expansion of video gaming in Illinois, even as the state has repeatedly refused to study the effect it's having on poor communities and those who struggle with addiction, even as it is now home to more gambling positions than the state of Nevada.

"I see a lot of red," Collins said, looking at a map of the 16th Illinois Senate District with dozens of markers indicating gambling sites. "I see a lot of poor people losing their livelihoods on false promises."

Collins said a statewide needs assessment to determine how the state should be responding to this increased presence of gambling was never performed. As gambling has become more and more of a cornerstone of the Illinois budget, WTTW reported that gambling addiction treatment has struggled to keep up with the increase in demand that has correlated with it.

You can view the full report by WTTW and DePaul University's Center for Journalism Excellence here.