High Stakes

Presently, America is experiencing a gambling boom. Everywhere you look there s at least one advertisement involving gambling. Whether it s a new Las Vegas hotel or a one-dollar scratcher, it seems to catch people s eyes. Although it may look like a lot of glam and hype, there s a dark side to the gambling industry, one people overlook the harsh consequences of.

The gambling industry grasps a hold of everyone s attention. Lotteries appeal to the low economic levels of society as a way to change their lives forever. One pull of the lever on a slot machine can make you an instant millionaire. On the flip side, there are those who gamble for excitement and entertainment reasons. They create a lifestyle of risk taking and chance, often ending up with making the wrong decisions. Most People like the thrill of sitting down in front of a slot machine and pulling the lever in hopes of winning a bundle. The opportunities are endless. So, what does the gambling tell us? A dollar and a dream, that s all it takes. The gambling industry has grabbed a hold on our society.

Roughly three quarters of all Americans gamble. Presently, 48 out of 50 states allow one or more forms of legalized gambling. Sure, the government is going to support gambling, but not without getting a healthy share of the profits. They use political smoke screening.

What most Americans don t know is that promotions and advertisements are producing such small amounts of proceeds that it yields very little funding to public projects. Politicians say that by legalizing gambling, we reduce illegal gambling and organized crime. What its actually doing is enlarging the pool of bettors.

Even though casinos have created a number of jobs, the cost to society is greater than the benefits. People are arguing that the jobs created by casinos are low paying and offer little opportunity for the worker in progress. Furthermore, the creation of these casino jobs has taken away jobs from other areas of the economy. Restaurants near casinos are being forced out of business by the cheap buffets that casinos offer, to draw people in. Many also argue that wherever casinos are being built, organized crime is rising. Wherever there is a large sum of money and alcohol, there is going to be crime. When the casino moves in so do the criminals.

Gambling can lead to an array of heavy consequences from compulsiveness, theft, fraud, prostitution, and even suicide. Many people s lives are highly affected by the miss use of gambling. If the government doesn t take control of the gambling industry, our societies ethics will be slowly erode.