Three cherries appear on the digital LCD screen. The haggard looking 60-year-old woman has been sitting at that slot machine for the last six hours. Two empty bottles of imported beer sit beside her. She's spent a total of 500 dollars and only won fifty. At the end of the night she cashes in her coins and embarks on her journey home, content but still unsatisfied with life.
This woman is a one of many Americans caught in the downward spiral of legalized gambling. Legalized gambling should be prohibited nationwide. Legalized gambling decreases the wholesome and financial atmosphere of a community and increases the likelihood of bankruptcy, crime, and suicide to those who become addicted.
Before I expound upon the statistical research I would like to narrow the view of legalized gambling to what I feel is the most detrimental type of gambling. I deem legalized gambling to be privately owned casinos, slot machines, and tables. Furthermore, this article is directed to casinos that are not built on Native American reservations. This article is also not directed towards national gambling such as Powerball or state lottery's. The research and claims of this article are centralized versus the more general topic of gambling as a whole.
Local Economy
One of the biggest farces about legalized gambling is the belief that it will help the local economy. According to New York State Senator Frank Padavan, "New York, which made $4.75 billion in lottery sales in [2001-2002], targeted just $1.7 million for treatment and education" (1). The state committees and lobbyists will reel you in with promises of better schooling if casinos flourish in your area. They promise that your money will go to helping a better cause than just allowing people to play slots. This illusion has coerced many hardworking Americans into believing that their vote will lead to a more prosperous local economy. Unfortunately, much of that money is never sent to your son or daughters high school for that brand new track they were hoping to run on. In addition to the scattered funds, there is a loss of consumers from local businesses. Senator Padavan also writes "The experience in other states that have legalized gambling has been that casino owners are from out-of-state, typically from Nevada. Meanwhile, local businesses, including for example restaurants, find themselves in direct competition with the casinos" (1) While you might argue that casinos bring new jobs, they also cause a loss in already established employment in the community. When faced with a cheaper alternative for dinner, a family in a struggling economy will often choose price over quality.
Bankruptcy
There are many people who gamble merely for social reasons and play an occasional game for fun. However, like any addiction there are strong ramifications when a little fun turns into frivolous spending. According to Ernie Goss, author of "The Impact of Casino Gambling", "By 2002 the estimated bankruptcies per 1,000 population are 7.82 for counties that added casinos in 1990 compared to 6.39 for non-casino counties. For the period of time covered by this analysis, this amounts to a compound annual growth rate of 2.0 percent higher bankruptcy rate for the county that added a casino in 1990 than for an equivalent non-casino county" (2) In lemans terms, the more casinosthe higher the bankruptcy rate in the county. The word bankruptcy is a touchy subject for many consumers this year. With more and more companies asking for financial government bailouts, bankruptcy is looking to become more commonplace. However, even though consumers see the financial frailty of the U.S. economy they still continue to gamble. Senator Padavan also found that "Americans now spend more on gambling than on movies, videos, DVD's, music, and books combined; and with an annual growth rate of about 9 percent since 1991" (1) This growing trend is great for the owners of casinos but could amount to a bad Christmas for the families of parents who gamble. If the majority of their income is put in with no return on the investment, 2009 might be even more dismal.
Crime
It's one thing for gambling to affect the person who's doing it, but what about those who are merely victims and have never gambled themselves. Earl Grinols, an economist at Urbana-Champaign said, "about six years after a casino is built in a county, violent crime rates are 10 percent higher than in counties without casinos, while property crimes tend to be 8 percent higher" (1). Though you might not gamble yourself, a community will still feel the tumult that comes with an increase in the need for money. Senator Padavan also said "The number of purse-snatchings, assaults, rapes, robberies and murders skyrocketed after the casinos opened. FBI statistics show the crime rate per 1,000 residents went from 134.3 in 1978 to a peak of 450.3 in 1988" (1). The crime statistics alone seem to outweigh the notions of a better local economy. Other serious crimes occur underground and are often overlooked. The New York Times reported "federal authorities in New Jersey had broken up an international prostitution ring operated by at least six employees of Atlantic City casinos, including two casino executive directors. The ring was "designed to procure women for high-rolling gamblers at several Atlantic City casinos [and] recruited more than 20 women to travel to the United States from Asia" (1). It isn't enough that legalized gambling brings crime into the community. The casinos are also bringing crime into their own buildings. They are literally funding, fostering, and financing criminal activity anywhere they can find a flat surface to bolt a slot machine and a couple of poker tables.
Suicide
Crime is a horrible ramification to the addition to gambling but perhaps even worse is when those addicts hit rock bottom. This lowly point of despair often brings that addict to the point of suicide. According to the New York Times, "Las Vegas has the highest suicide rate in the nation for most cities nationwide, 1 in l00 ''visitor deaths'' on average is recorded as a suicide. A visitor death means that someone from another state dies while visiting the city in question. In Las Vegas, 1 in 25 visitor deaths on average is a suicide, four times the national average" (3). There are other cities that also show a higher suicide rate based upon whether they have casinos located in their state. Obviously you won't find out what was running through someone's head before they commit suicide, however, there are major addiction hotlines that report a trend they're seeing with some of their callers. They simply don't have enough money. They've often spent their life savings and are too ashamed to face their family after they have squandered the remaining money they have left. These people will usually turn to suicide as their way out of the pain that is associated with gambling away everything owned (2).
Get Help
As mentioned, there are hotlines in which an addict can call to speak to someone over the phone, but sometimes addicts need to take more extreme measures. For addicts in Illinois it's as easy as putting their name of a list. But this list isn't your average Christmas wish list. This list says that you're not allowed to gamble. Furthermore, if you're caught gambling you will be arrested and put in jail. In order for this to happen you have to put yourself on this list. It's a way of protecting yourself in the future when you aren't in your right mind (4). There used to be a problem with knowing whether or not someone was on this list. The state government devised a digital list that casino owners can access at each casino. This list will alert them if criminal action needs to be taken against the customer to protect them. This list is also somewhat like the Illinois sex offender registry but for gambling.
Inevitably, there are many plagues that a small town can fight against. We know the usual, crime and poverty. But the worst is the plague that causes all the other problems. The worst is the addiction to gambling. The problem isn't small. the New York Council on Problem Gambling found "7.3% of New Yorkers are lifetime problem gamblers or potential problem gamblers" (1). Do we really need a society full of gamblers during a recession? Will a trend create more scared, poor Americans, seeking an easy fix at the slot machines? The economy might create an influx of gamblers, or, it might decline a bit. But the sad and true understanding is that gambling doesn't bring anything good to your community. Legalized gambling decreases the wholesome and financial atmosphere of a community and increases the likelihood of bankruptcy, crime, and suicide to those who become addicted. Legalized gambling won't solve your problems with the local economy. Just as that haggard woman thought she would make good winnings at the casino, politicians and the public think legalized gambling will bring a positive impact on their county. Don't fall victim. If your parents raised you to understand that money didn't grow on trees than chances are they were right. Be the real winner and be wise with your money. Invest it and watch it grow instead of gambling. Tell your lawmakers that you don't want to ruin your strong tight knit community. Believe in something better in America and believe in an addict free lifestyle.
Resources
Frank, Padavan. "The Gambling All Time". No Casino Erie. 12/12/08/NoCasinoErie.org/other/AllGamblingAllTheTim e.pdf>.
Ernie, Goss . "The Impact of Casino Gambling ". USPACT. 12/12/08 /www.uspact.org/GossMorse-Bankruptcy-2005.pdf>. Sandra, Blakeslee . "Suicide Rate Higher in 3 Gambling Cities, Study Says". The New York Times. 12/12/08 /query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?sec=health&res=940CE5DB153FF935A25751C1A961958260>.
"Police Admit ID Checks in Casinos Turn Up More Than Problem Gamblers". Sex Offender Issues. 12/12/08 /sexualoffenderissues.wordpress.com/2008/01/03/il-po lice-admit-id-checks-in-casinos-turn-up-more-than-pr oblem-gamblers/>.