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Back to Subjects - Social Issues

gambling

gambling Long before the United States ever existed, the British and Dutch had already brought gambling to North America, in the form of cards and dice. By the end of the 17th century, just about every country seat in colonial America had a lottery wheel. Cockfighting flourished thought the countries, especially in the South. Bear Baiting was also a popular sport, although it was banned by the Puritans. (Ortiz, Darwin. Gambling Scams. New York: Dodd, Mead + Company, 1984.) Nearly one hundred years later, the early church leaders struck down all forms of gambling which resulted in near death of gambling in the east. However the in the West, which was far from both government controls and the moral interference of reform groups in the East, gambling became so popular that Monte tables were often setup in the middle of the town. (Donovan, Hedley. The Gamblers. Alexandria: Time- Life Books, 1978.) During the Prohibition Era, illegal gambling was organized into an authoritarian regional and national system. Responsibility for the syndication of gambling is usually attributed to Arnold Rothstein, who invented the inner-city layoff. He is also known for master minding the "Black Sox" scandal in which the White Sox threw the 1919 World Series to the Cincinnati Reds in order to assure gambling profits. Since the 1970s, the United States has completely changed in its attitude toward gambling. Three hundred years ago, the "sport", mostly in the form of lottery, was seen as a perfectly acceptable way to raise money for public purposes. (Savage, Jeff. A Sure Thing?. Minnesota: Lerner Publications Company, 1997.) Over the past several years, slow economic growth, cuts in federal funding to states, and growing public needs have forced many desperate state and even local governments to seek additional sources of revenue. Most states have turned to lotteries, horse and dog racing, and, most recently, a growing number of states have resorted to casino gambling as a way to raise money and keep taxes low. (James, Rich. "All five casinos show January revenue drop." Bakersfield Californian 23 Feb. 1999: B5+) During the late 1980s, and early 1990s, several states have tried to introduce sports betting, either as part of lottery, as a sports pool, or as sports bookmaking. The leaders of the nation’s sports integrity, including the National Basketball Association (NBA), the National Football League (NFL), and Major League Baseball (MLB), was concerned that the states, in their desperation to raise money, might begin to tie in sports betting with the lottery. Then the three sports teamed up to try to put a stop to this. They reacted to this by putting strong pressure on state legislature not to induce sports betting. They also started lobbying Congress, and as a result, several bills have been introduced in the U.S. Congress to limit the growth of sports wagering, either as part of the lottery or as sports bookmaking. (Savage, 18) However gambling, for the most part, is generally a well-regulated business. Virtually every state that permits casino gambling or pari-mutuel betting has a state racing or gambling commission to monitor gambling activities. And although today’s gambling industry is a big business run by huge corporations, virtually every state regulated commission feels it must show it is making sure that no underworld or syndicate figures play a role in its state gambling activities. (Ortiz, 50) The commissions also controlled other activities such as how late casinos may stay open and whether there will be limits on betting. Since these regulations are usually determined by state legislatures, it is only natural that gambling companies try to influence their decisions through lobbyists and political donations. (Siebel, Mark A, Nancy Jaids, and Alison Lanes. Gambling Crime or Recreation. Texas: Information Plus, 1996.) Currently, some form of gambling is legal in all states except Hawaii and Utah. While success is never assured, revenue-hungry state governments are virtually always willing to give gambling interests a hearing. In April 1994, casino interest spent $4.2 million to convince Missouri voters they should permit slot machines in their state. The vote failed by 1/10 of 1%, but after the gambling interest spent another $11.5 million for a similar referendum in November, which passed. In Connecticut, gambling corporations spent $4.9 billion in a four-year-long failed effort to get the state to permit the building of a casino in economically distressed Bridgeport. (Goddu, Jenn. "Blue Chip lives up too most of its goals." Bakersfield Californian 24 Feb. 1999: E1+) The rapid expansion of gambling across the United States has not been well received by all Americans. The failure of many gambling initiatives over the past few years indicates an opposition powerful enough to either influence state legislation allowing various forms of gambling in their state or to govern enough votes to defeat initiatives which would do the same thing. (Siebel, 27) Many who oppose gambling consider it morally or theologically wrong. The domestic violence and crime that might result from compulsive gambling could lead to the breakdown of the family and divorce. Gambling, especially the lotteries, contribute to the attitude that a person can get something for nothing, a belief many people consider particularly harmful to the nation’s morality. The states, by administering the lotteries, have become party to this. By sanctioning gambling, government authorities have contributed to making gambling publicly acceptable. Many opponents believe that government and community leaders have had a choice between money and morality and, in all too many cases, have chosen money. Not only have they degraded their own integrity, but they have also debased the values of their communities. (Donovon, 45) Recently the gambling industry has been studying how to develop ways to allow Americans to wager using the Internet or cable television. Currently, it is illegal to gamble on the Internet because it violates the Interstate Wire Act. (Goddu, B5) Americans generally agree with the arguments supporting gambling, many of which are economic. Most Americans agreed that gambling "creates jobs and helps stimulate the local economy". "About 3 out of 5 will gamble anyway so we might as well make it legal and collect the money." said one California mayor. (Siebel, 69) In spite of this a majority opposed gambling. Over half the population agreed that gambling "encourages people who can least afford it to squander their money." Sixty two percent believed it "opened the door for organized crime." Well over half thought gambling "can make compulsive gamblers out of people who would never participate in illegal gambling." (Siebel, 70) This moral argument, however, held little sway since barely one-third would go as far as to say that they believed gambling was immoral. Protestants were more than twice as likely as Catholics to believe gambling was immoral. Among the various Protestant denominations, Southern Baptists were far more likely to believe gambling was immoral than were the other Protestant denominations. (Siebel, 71) An estimated .7% of Americans are addicted to gambling. Observers estimate that with the increased opportunities to gamble, the proportion of compulsive gamblers has increased 2% to 5% of those who gamble. (Siebel, 35) "Almost half of those surveyed by the Gallupp Poll thought betting on professional sports should be banned altogether." (Ortiz, 90) About 12 percent of those interviewed had bet on professional sports at least once in the last year. Men, young people, people living in the city, and those who bet at casinos, and at racetracks were most likely have placed a sports bet in the last year. (Siegel, 96) When asked if they knew anyone who now had, or did have, a gambling problem, three-quarters did not know anyone. Fourteen percent knew a friend and 13 percent knew a relative. The father of 3 percent and the spouse of 2 percent had a problem. About 4 percent said that gambling, by either respondent or a member of the family, had made his or her home life unhappy. When asked whether they knew anyone who gambled too much (but did not necessarily have a gambling "problem"), 28 percent said they knew someone that fit such a description. (Savage, 40) Most people located in New Jersey believed that the state and the legal gambling companies should contribute to educate state residents about gambling and help treat compulsive gamblers. A large majority thought the state should provide education programs to students. A smaller majority believed the state should provide funding for treatment of compulsive gamblers. Almost three-fourths agreed that gambling companies should provide financial support for gambling programs. (Savage, 46) The New Jersey study found that while most residents did not think gambling should be illegal most did believe that gambling entailed risks to society. Only 22 Percent of those interviewed believed that gambling was immoral. Those over age 65 and those earning less than $25,000 were most likely to believe gambling was immoral. (Donovon, 70) However, 66 percent thought gambling "encouraged people who can least afford it to spend money gambling," and 59 percent thought that "gambling can erode young people’s work ethics." The respondents were evenly split on whether "gambling teaches children that one can get something for nothing" with 49 percent agreeing and 48 percent disagreeing. (Siebel, 82) Whether gambing is right or wrong is really a philosophical question with no right answer. The Bible has many things to say about gambling effects but many believe that it is not referring to recreational gambling. The consequences are obviously bad for many which brings me to the conclusion that it is certainly not entirely good. As to whether it is morally right under certain circumstances is up to each individual. Bibliography: Donovan, Hedley. The Gamblers. Alexandria: Time-Life Books, 1978. Goddu, Jenn. "Blue Chip lives up too most of its goals." Bakersfield Californian 24 Feb. 1999: E1+ James, Rich. "All five casinos show January revenue drop." Bakersfield Californian 23 Feb. 1999: B5+ Ortiz, Darwin. Gambling Scams. New York: Dodd, Mead + Company, 1984. Savage, Jeff. A Sure Thing?. Minnesota: Lerner Publications Company, 1997. Siebel, Mark A, Nancy Jaids, and Alison Lanes. Gambling Crime or Recreation. Texas: Information Plus, 1996.

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