The impact of gambling in America Essay Example for Free

The impact of romp in the States EssayThe impact of bid on the United States carries both positive and negative magnetic cores into our fellowship and communities. caper is a leisure activity that usually provides excitement and fun for its fakers. fun also brings horrifying amounts of money into the economy and provides employment. American cities such as Las Vegas and Atlantic City thrive off of the free rein industry. Sure, gambol can be fun and exciting, but at what point does that fun activity fetch into a pathologicalal line? I will contend that the harmful side- do of manoeuvre furthest outweigh any positive aspects. Pathological frolic can destroy families, c atomic number 18ers, and lives. The fence why casinos ar so succeederful is because their customers lose money while playing their games. Gambling is a broad right smart out in definition and is also known as betting. It is defined as any demeanour involving risking money or property on the out come of a game, contest, or separate reddent in which the outcome of that activity depends relegateially or totally upon chance or ones power to do something (wikipedia. org). In reality, someone could bet or gamble on just about anything.For example, I recently stumbled upon an online gambling site (www.bodog. com), which features a section where you can wager on who will grow the reality shows on television. Gambling is most prevalent in card games, slot machines, dice games, sports, and horse racing. Gambling and the sport industry in the United States have come a long way since their early beginnings. fit to historical records and archeological evidence, gambling has existed throughout the ages of most civilizations. Anthropologists agree that data collected in the twentieth century implies that gambling took place within a large portion of the greatest societies to have constantly existed.For example, gambling artifacts have been recovered from ancient China, India, Egyp t and Rome dating as far back as 2300 B. C. (GamblingPhd). Gambling has been around for centuries, but until recently, it has been restricted to back rooms, pool halls, hard to reach casinos, and Indian reservations. geographical barriers, state regulation, and local ordinances effectively restricted the industrys growth (gsu. edu). Perhaps the most important reason why gambling is most prevalent today is because it is convenient.Large market companies, casinos, and the rise of the internet have paved the way for the industry to tar prepare potential gamers. I was on my way to Keeneland to watch the horse races this ancestry when I passed a sign that read Drive-through betting.. Gate 2. While others may non have noticed, I was shocked to see this simple sign. No longer do you have to pace out of your car to wager on horse races. This is just one example of the convenient way to gamble money. The unregulated and decentralized nature of the net creates the perfect environment fo r the growth of gambling.Anyone, anytime, anywhere with a computer, a connection, and a credit card is able to gamble online with thousands of websites dedicated solely to gaming (gsu. edu). Online sportsbooks and casinos get around federal laws by locating their company in a foreign nation, but cool off target the American consumers. Is online gambling legal for Americans? Often multiplication, in that respect is a grey area in the laws governing gaming products and online gambling. Internet gambling laws are also extremely difficult to enforce. The simple execute is there is an explicit law a collide withst online betting in only three states Nevada, California, and Louisiana.Even so, no American citizen has ever been arrested for betting on the internet (about. com). These convenient methods are contributing to the growing popularity of gambling among Americans. some citizenry gamble well-disposedly without ever encountering a psychological task. Often times they buy a lo ttery ticket, go to the racetrack, play a game of poker with some friends, or a wickedness of bingo. When the activity is done, they go on to other non-gambling activities. But for some people, gambling becomes a broad fork of their lives. They are unable to stop, and believe in the big win.The problem gambler believes that the big win will solve all of their financial problems. They are always waiting for it, which causes them to lose much and more money. Rather than changing their gambling habits, they pin all of their hopes on the big win (aadac. com). A problem gambler will also boast about their wins often. Re-living their wins makes them feel more comfortable when they are rattling losing. Legalized gambling brings both positive and negative economic effects to our society. It affects American communities in various ways.Gambling is helpful in our economy in two major ways. First, the gambling industry has provided an incr comfort in employment opportunities. The NGIC re ported that in 1996, the legalized gambling industry employed more than a half meg people that earned more than $15 billion in salaries (gao. gov). Casinos have also created economic maturation by bringing in money from tourism, and increasing tax revenue and investment for communities. Charitable gambling benefits many withdrawy causes in local communities. Native American tribes have also benefited enormously from legalized gambling.Casinos hardened on Indian reservations have allowed these tribes to grow financially and work their way into the U. S. economy. The negative economic effect that gambling has on communities is the increase in soulal bankruptcy. In communities where casinos were introduced, there is usually a handle increase in personal bankruptcy. For example, in 1998 the bankruptcy place in Atlantic City, New jersey per 100,000 people was 1,019 while the rate of the state of New Jersey was only 555 (gao. gov). In 2003, there was a proposal to add casinos into the mix of Kentuckys gambling options.Dr.John Kindt, a professor of commerce at the University of Illinois express that bringing casinos to Kentucky would be bad economics and bad social policy. Studies show that within the 35-mile tributary market around a casino, gamblers will spend 10 percent less on food, 25 percent less on clothing and that 37 percent will dip into their savings to sacrifice for gambling. For every three (video slot) machines, youll be losing two jobs from the feeder market economy, Kindt give tongue to. This occurs because each machine can be expected to bring in $100,000 per year that will not be used elsewhere in the economy (kybaptist.org).This is a serious issue that occurs when business owners do not think about how their actions will affect others in the future. Not only does gambling affect the economy of our communities, but it also has social effects. There are many negative consequences of gambling, while there are minimal positive outcomes. st emma with the positive side, gambling is a recreation, a break from the everyday pressures of life and a relief from stress. the great unwashed feel good about themselves when they do hit a jackpot or win big.Without gambling, certain sports such as horse racing and boxing would not be nearly as successful. exsertly, casinos do occasionally give back to the community and fund local and national charities. Socially, gambling has a greater affect on communities in a negative way. Three primary problems that occur are an increase in crime, suicides, and family problems. Individuals who suffer from problem or pathological gambling engage in soul-destroying family behavior, such as domestic violence, divorce, and homelessness (gao. gov). Children of these individuals are often prone to suffer from abuse and neglect.In 1998, the NORC (National aspect Research Center) estimated that the annual average cost to society for a problem gambler for job loss, unemployment and well-being benef its, poor physical and mental health, and gambling disorder treatments were approximately $1,200 dollars (gao. gov). The time that some of these gamblers spend at a casino is detrimental to their marriage, their children, and their job. Pathological gambling has been linked directly to increases in crimes committed. Whether it is robbery or insurance fraud, these types of gamblers are usually desperate for money to fuel their gambling call for.The counselor for the Department of corrections in Wisconsin, Bill Schaff stated, In the most desperate phase of compulsive gambling, they will do anything to gamble. They diverge stealing money from their spouses family . . . theyll get money anyhow, anywhere. Theyll do forgeries, embezzlements and thefts. Its mostly white-collar crime (family. org). Lastly, the suicide rate among pathological gamblers is higher than for any other addictive disorder (gao. gov). With most businesses, their customers are as secures and are catered to and car ed for.In order for a business to succeed, they need their customers to return to them and remain loyal. Their customers are, in essence, cultivated. With casinos, their customers are not there for a service. They let the machines and games do the work, eespecial(a)ly if they are the only casino in the area. What happens to their customers is not their concern. It is in the casinos benefit for the customers to become addicted. To casinos, they are resources that are strip-mined. There are four stages of gambling a person can go through while becoming a pathological gambler.The first stage is the reason why someone is gambling. They either gamble for the action or for escape. Gambling for the action begins when someone has success and thinks they are good at it. The excitement boosts their self-esteem and they continue in search of more money. Gambling for escape begins when someone is lonely or depressed. It becomes an outlet for them to escape from reality and their problems. The s econd stage is the gamblers reaction to losing. Pathological gamblers chase after their losses. They find losing intolerable and focus on acquire their money back.Chasing is easily avoided by setting a reasonable limit of money to spend in a day. The third is the desperation phase. In this stage, their losses become significant and their jobs and family come into jeopardy. The obsession with getting out of trouble overtakes the excitement of gambling. Crime and illegal activities occur in order to gain limited money. Serious bouts with depression and suicide attempts take place. They continue to escape from their lives by gambling, but find no relief. The final stage would be the hopeless stage where getting even financially would not be possible.The gambler knows they will lose and no longer cares. There are numerous organizations that focus on gambling behavior modification. They help pathological gamblers acknowledge their problem and overcome irrational thoughts and impulsive behavior. Gamblers Anonymous, Gam-Anon, and NCPG (National Council on Problem Gambling) all contribute to assisting problem gamblers and their families. In rehabilitation, gambling is treated the same as alcoholism, do do drugss abuse, and sex addiction. Gambling is just one of the addictions that provide the users with a temporary, illusional escape from reality.The overall relegating of all of these groups is to increase public awareness of pathological gambling, ensure the widespread availability of treatment for problem gamblers and their families, and to encourage research and programs for prevention and education (ncpgambling. org). Gambling addiction often leads to alcoholism and depression. It is important for family physicians to range and treat this condition as a psychiatric disorder. The personal costs of gambling rarely gain public attention, but one prominent example is that of Pete Rose, who was denied induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame as a result of sports gambling.Rose, a pathological gambler, had bet thousands of dollars on baseball games while he was a player and manager of the Cincinnati Reds. He admitted that he did have some problems in his life, but said he did not bet on baseball. This is a prime example of a pathological gambler who repeatedly be and ruined his life over gambling. One of the criteria for a gambling disorder is repetitive lying to obscure the extent of ones involvement in gambling, much the same way an alcoholic, or drug addict tries to conceal their behaviors (about. com). Teen gambling is on the rise across the country, due to a pas de deux of factors.One is the glitzy, celebrity-filled, high-stakes poker games that fill the cable TV channels. The popularity of Texas Holdem poker was booming this year. The other is the cultural attitude that says gambling is fun, glamorous and possibly the source of vast wealth (about. com). Unfortunately, many parents envision games as friendly, social events. They know where their kids are and assume their child wont develop a problem. Last Christmas, you could find poker sets targeting teens in almost every store. The fact is, that the risk of developing a gambling problem is the same for everyone, and possibly higher among teens.Teenagers are unable to make the same financial decisions as adults are, yet gambling companies continue to target the teenage consumers. The consequences of becoming a gambling addict are just as harsh for a teenager as they are for an adult. Once again, the internet and the ease of gambling are contributing to this problem. In an online environment of anonymous identity, the ease with which teenagers and children can access Internet gambling, coupled with their interest in gambling and poker, will only add to this worrisome trend.The sad part about the gambling industry and large market casinos is that they also target the elderly. Their propaganda reaches out and brings in the people who are unable to gamble responsib ly. Casinos provide cheap buffets, coupons, drug discounts, and cater to elderly handicaps. They provide shuttles and buses from nurse homes and retirement centers. I have seen first hand how the senior citizens flock to slot machines and casinos. Often times they sit there for hours at a time with walkers, canes, wheelchairs, and even oxygen tanks.I have even heard stories of elderly gambling addicts committing suicide because they were so far in debt. The gambling industry is not a modern day Robin Hood that takes from the rich and gives to the poor. It takes from the elderly and the poor and gives it to the rich, said Dr. Jimmy Porter, of the Mississippi Baptist Christian Action (kybaptist. org). Many of these people do not have the ability to control their gambling habits and do not realize how much money they are losing. An article in The Call, a Rhode Island newspaper is titled A helping hand for seniors addicted to gambling.It reads, school term in her own urine, the elderl y woman continued to play the game. Observers concluded she had some sort of vesica disorder, but the real problem was actually staring the woman in the face the slot machine. Her gambling addiction had reached the point where she ignored everything even her own bodily functions simply so she could keep on playing (The Call). Americans seem to clamor for seats at the blackjack table a lot more often than they do for seats in the ballpark. Now more people gamble at casinos than dish professional baseball games each year (aadac.com).This is a major statement about the changing determine of American society. Located in twenty-three states, casinos gross more revenue than all sporting events, movies, plays, and concerts feature (aadac. com). In conclusion, the negative effects of gambling far outweigh the positive outcomes. The continued growth and public lavatory of the gambling industry raises concerns about a possible increase in the prevalence of problem and pathologic gamblin g. With the industry on the rise, the only solution to problem gambling will be to gamble responsibly.We need to ensure that all Americans have the information, skills and encouragement to reduce the risk that they develop a gambling problem, with special attention to those at increased risk. We must promote safe gambling practices and encourage people to set a limit. If we do not take action immediately, we are going to see the negative effects of gambling unveil themselves like never before. Pathological gambling is a serious psychological problem, and needs to be addressed just as drugs and alcohol are.Works Cited Baldwin, John. Ungar, Bernard. Impact of Gambling. April 2000.http//www. gao. gov/new. items/gg00078. pdf Bell, R. J. Online Sports Gambling The Law and You. 10 Nov 2005. About. http//www. sportsgambling. about. com/od/legalfacts/a/betting_laws. htm Eadington, William. Current Trends in Gambling. 15 Sept. 2005. University of Nevada. http//www. unr. edu/gambling/eadin gton_papers Haynes, Jeff. A Helping Hand for Citizens accustom to Gambling. 3 June 2003. The Woonsocket Call. http//www. zwire. com/site/news McMurry, Kevin. Gambling on the Internet. December 1999. http//gsulaw. gsu. edu/lawand/papers/fa99/mcmurry_thomas/.Problem Gambling The rudiments. 10 November 2005. AADAC. http//www. corp. aadac. com/gambling/the_basics_about_gambling. asp Reeves, Robert. Expanded Gambling Bad For Economy. Kentucky Baptist Convention. http//www. kybaptist. org/kbc/welcome. nsf/pages Reno, Ron. Gambling and Crime. 11 Dec 2003. CitizenLink. http//www. family. org/cforum/fosi/gambling/facts/a0029358. cfm The History of Gambling. 10 November 2005. Gambling Phd. http//www. gamblingphd. com/gambling-history. htm The NCPG Mission. 21 Nov 2005. National Council on Problem Gambling. http//www. ncpgambling. org/.