is still rising and may never come down. This recent resurgence in gambling tried to clear its image, but problems still exist. The growth in gambling venues has greatly increased the chances for an average person to gamble legally. This growth, in turn, has exponentially increased the number of gamblers. By the year 2000, 95% of Americans will live within a 3-4 hour drive of a casino.13 Today, the only two states without any kind of legal gambling are Hawaii and Utah.14 Because of this, the amount of money gambled legally in 1993 was 2,300% higher than the amount wagered in 1974.15 From 1982-1990, Americans increased their amount of money they gambled over twice as much as their incomes increased.16 Despite the growth of this new "clean" gambling industry, the results of gambling remain frightfully dangerous. Casino owners, while no longer street hoodlums, are still mercilessly preying on the weakness of their clients. The owners of these gambling institutions have two rules: get the people to start playing and keep them playing.17 They make their casinos more enticing for the average person by making themselves look like good citizens. Casino owners make donations to local charities and schools and run lucrative adds sounding as if making money at their casino will be easy and fun.18 The industry has also stayed up with the times making betting easier, more appealing, and more exciting.19 Harrah's casino spends thousands of dollars each year to see whether fresher air, wider aisles, and back supports can ...
