the greed in gambling { fall 2001 }
“Gambling is foolish—no, even stronger, it is stupid.” —Tom Raabe
In the materialistic United States, people tend to look with extreme eagerness on anything new. New things create excitement, and Americans will spend money left and right trying to satisfy their desire to have fun. Art, music, books, movies, nature, good food, new haircuts, shopping, driving, roller coasters, and sports are all worthwhile means used by Americans to keep themselves entertained. Entire industries are created and fueled by the need everyone has to be busy, stimulated, and content. It is right to seek and find pleasure in the world; such things make life enjoyable. However, though enjoying life is necessary and good, excessive preoccupation with experiencing greater and greater thrills can be detrimental to one’s financial status as well as to one’s ultimate happiness. Thrill seeking involves a deep core of dissatisfaction and greed, which no amount of temporary excitement can completely soothe.
Excitement being such a sought after and distracting emotion, it is important to be careful when indulging. Sometimes discerning between innocent pleasures and harmful immoderation is difficult. While baseball and roller coasters are exciting activities that do not cause problems in society, many forms of entertainment in America fall into a gray area. On which side of the line does gambling fall? Do gamblers cause harm only to their personal bank accounts, or are the risks greater than anyone supposes? These questions are important to consider when faced with an issue such as legalized gambling.
Gambling, an extremely popular recreation, is known to cause problems in families, businesses, and society. Like alcohol and cigarettes, gambling is an addictive behavior, and those who become addicted ruin more lives than their own. Even the slightest gambling problem contributes to the general discord of society and furthermore can easily lead to bigger problems. For these reasons—indeed because, as Tom Raabe states in House of Cards, “The foundation of our country was built on principles that are diametrically opposed to those gambling promotes…” (262)—this paper will address the matter of legalized gambling and how all forms of gambling ought to be prohibited.
Gambling, since it has been made legal in most states, has become a large part of American culture. Raabe reports that 86% of Americans say they have gambled at least once (55); Gregory L. Jantz in Turning the Tables on Gambling states that 2/3 of US population have placed a bet in the last year (9). Thousands of people participate in this unique recreation, and it is an extremely profitable business. Slot machines and lotteries are seen and advertised everywhere. Casino billboards line highways and interstates across the country. In “Gambling: National Addiction or Harmless Pastime?” Timothy A. Kelly and Guy Calvert estimate that $700 billion was spent legally gambling and $100 billion illegally (1+). There is something about gambling—an excitement, a thrill, an outrageous expectation and risk—that entices people. They enjoy it so much they are willing to spend grandiose amounts of money and time for the experience.
Because gambling has become so commonplace in America , the influence the industry has on the economy as well as society has become much greater than it was even twenty years ago. It is important now for everyone to understand and be warned about the harmful effects of gambling. Though the troubles caused by greedy casinos and compulsive gamblers may not touch everyone, are not the livelihoods of a few American citizens worth the abolishment of an industry such as the one in question? Are not the principles of hard work and upstanding honesty more important than a recreation built on unnecessary risk and expense?
Gambling as an industry is naturally focused on profits, just as any other industry would be. However, unlike industries that supply Americans with a necessary type of product or service, the gambling industry merely takes money in return for false hope and a bit of a thrill, knowing that gamblers face the risk of addiction. Abbey Begun, quoting Valerie C. Lorenz in the book Gambling: Crime or Recreation?, includes a summary of the attitude of the gambling industry. Not only have casinos been greedy, they have been relatively unconcerned about the problems gambling has created (156). Raabe acknowledges that though the gambling industry sets itself up apart from and supposedly gives money to campaigns to help those with gambling problems, it must be admitted that they do profit exceedingly from pathological gamblers, who contribute more than half—52%—of casino intake, about $60 billion every year (70). There is clearly a problem when others are making money through the weaknesses of their fellowmen. Analyzing the horrible consequences faced by pathological gamblers, James C. Dobson, PhD., contributes to Begun’s work, saying, “…the illusion of pain-free riches promoted by the gambling industry has been exposed. The very appeal of gambling belies the claims of the gambling industry, which is sown in greed and the exploitation of human weakness.” He continues to address the gambling industry in a further quote: “It undermines the ethic of work, sacrifice, and personal responsibility that exemplify the best qualities of American society” (153). Perhaps the greed of those in the gambling business overpowers their sense of duty toward these American values of work, sacrifice, and personal responsibility.
Gambling, this greedy and inconsiderate industry, according to Raabe, is a mere recycling center for money. Most of the profits are sucked into a sponge for the profit of casino owners and government lotteries (261-262)—and it is a clever sponge that soaks time and money away from gamblers. Raabe outlines the strategy used by casinos to entice one to come in and spend as much money as possible. There are bright colors and lights, beautiful interiors, prizes, inexpensive food and drink, and as few distractions as is manageable—no clocks on the walls, no windows to gaze through, and no reminders of other responsibilities in the outside world (73).
The gambling industry does not only exploit its patrons financially; much time—time that could be spent in a far more useful and responsible manner working, getting an education, or enriching society—is lost to gambling as well. The economic significance of this is indicated by Rex M. Rogers, quoted by Raabe: “Work has intrinsic value, and the value of money is tied to the value of work. Gambling diverts people from useful labor” (261). Of course, a great many things serve as diversions for the American people, baseball and roller coasters included. However, neither baseball games nor roller coasters carry with them the risk of complete entrapment and addiction.
With the addictive factor linked to gambling come many costly consequences. Every out of control gambler costs society money. Thompson calculates that, taking into account unemployment costs, debts, court justice costs, therapy, and welfare, one pathological gambler’s expenses average $9,469 annually. Valerie C. Lorenz, quoted by Begun, reports an instance in Maryland where $1.5 million per year were lost due to pathological gamblers who could not work and/or abused money (through tax evasion, theft, embezzlement). Contrary to pro-gambling arguments, gambling revenues do not outweigh the problems accompanying pathological gambling (156, 154).
Although gambling addictions do not plague a large percent of the population, the problems are prevalent enough to demand immediate attention. Begun includes these statistics on pathological gamblers: .7% of Americans, 2.5% of adults, and 2-5% of all gamblers are addicted to gambling (23). Research, Raabe states, shows gambling to be the fastest growing teenage addiction (260). Raabe adds that about 10.8 million Americans have gambling problems and warns that because denial is a common element involved with pathological gambling, the estimates given are most likely on the low side (8,9). The prospect of addiction is what sets gambling apart from other recreational activities. For this reason, gambling must be treated much differently than pastimes such as baseball and roller coasters, which do not lead to the same kind of social problem.
According to Linda Bayer, who wrote Out of Control: Gambling and Other Impulse Control Disorders, a percentage of gamblers everywhere are at risk for becoming pathological gamblers and ruining their lives, their families, and their futures (30). Raabe recognizes the inherent risk involved in gambling, noting that anyone of any age, gender, race, or nationality is susceptible to a gambling addiction. Theoretically all one must do is begin gambling to face the prospect of a horribly costly psychological disorder (23). He also discerns that whether pathological gambling is seen as a personal choice or an uncontrollable disease, the disorder is a weakness and for many, indulging only furthers the weakness (22).
The availability of all sorts of gambling, the money put in to making it look fascinating, and especially the governmental support it is given, have made it the national pastime it has been called, have made what was once considered a vice into a recreational freedom. In doing so, America has shoved under the carpet all the woes of gambling. Tom Grey, quoted by Begun, states, “Ambitious gambling promoters have been invited into our communities by some state and local officials under the guise of prosperity, economic development, jobs, and a painless new source of government revenue.” In reality, underneath the disguise, is “a predatory enterprise” (153-154). Begun, in addition, quotes Robert Goodman, who agrees with Grey in acknowledging gambling as “…a predatory process at home…” (157).
What is being done about this predatory industry in America ? The truth is, not much seems to be helping. John Warren Kindt, in a quote included in Begun’s book, points out that most sociologists connect legalized, acceptable gambling promotions with an increase in pathological gambling. Because more people are exposed to gambling opportunities, there will emerge more problem gamblers (155). Raabe also notes: “It seems clear that where there is gambling, there will be gambling addicts. And it seems equally clear that as gambling spreads, the number of those addicted to it will increase” (12). With the increase of gambling addicts, it may be supposed that the consequences that accompany them will escalate in number as well.
Raabe notes that compulsive gamblers need money to gamble with and that money is often borrowed, stolen, embezzled, and taken dishonestly from joint accounts. In towns with casinos the crime rate is 84% higher than the national average, in part because of the compulsive gambler’s desperate need to get more money. Once obtained, this money is gambled away and the debts grow to be overwhelmingly, sometimes leading the gambler close to suicide (45-46, 255). In fact, according to Begun, Las Vegas , Atlantic City , and other big gambling cities, have quadruple the suicide rates of other equally populated cities (22). Raabe reports that one in five pathological gamblers attempt suicide, usually after running out of money (45).
Many people besides the compulsive gambler are negatively affected by gambling addictions. Thompson concedes that about 10-15 individuals connected to the pathological gamblers also suffer (81). According to Raabe, one in ten spouses of pathological gamblers attempt suicide (50), and one half of spouses and one in ten children of these gamblers are abused (52-53). Contemplating these personal hurts, Raabe asks: “How do you put a dollar figure on a broken family? on an abused child? on a beaten wife? on a broken trust? on lost job or educational opportunities?” These costs are far more expensive than the wasted money (43). What amount of government revenue could make up for these kinds of losses? How many new jobs need to be created before the benefits outweigh these high prices?
One of gambling’s biggest claim to a valid place in American society and business is the simple fact that casinos provide numerous job openings, which do benefit communities. Carol Silverman Saunders, in Straight Talk About Teenage Gambling includes job opportunities in the list of positive gambling results (28). However, what profit does society really get from a few citizens holding good jobs while so many—at least 10.8 million Americans—risk ruining not only their jobs but their entire lives through gambling? Surely there are more thoroughly beneficial ways to create jobs and improve the economy without relying on this harmful industry. As Gail Stewart, author of Gambling, points out, economists are becoming concerned with the growing dependence of community governments on gambling for revenue and jobs. It is possible that gambling will not always be a reliable industry. “What happens when gambling reaches a saturation point in the United States , and loses its allure? What will happen to the state education budgets then?” (73).
The gambling problem is obviously not going to vanish overnight. Even if it were to be made illegal within the next year, gambling would still remain prevalent in America as a major social problem. What needs to be addressed is the worth of such an industry in this country, for when so many harmful effects result from the popularity and acceptance of one amusement, it must be decided which values—either indulgence and permissiveness, or discipline and responsibility–are to be given highest priority. Raabe, in a final call to action against gambling, reminds readers of the highest priority of all, the family. “The family remains the basic political and social unit even in secular twenty-first-century America, and an activity that so seriously threatens the health and welfare of the family deserves our most sincere and sustained rebuke” (267).
Which is it to be? Satiating the greed and financial success of the gambling industry, or promoting the strength and duties of the family throughout America?
WORKS CITED
Bayer, Linda. Out of Control: Gambling and other Impulse Control Disorders. Chelsea House Publishers. Philadelphia . 2001.
Begun, Abbey. Gambling: Crime or Recreation? Gale Group. 2000.
Jantz, Gregory L. with Anne McMurray. Turning the Tables on Gambling. Water Brook Press. 2001.
Kelly, Timothy A. and Guy Calvert. “Gambling: National Addiction or Harmless Pastime?” World & I. July 2000: 30-40. SIRS Researcher. http://www.sirs.com/
Raabe, Tom. House of Cards—Hope for Gamblers and Their Families. Tyndale House Publishers. Wheaton Illinois . 2001.
Saunders, Carol Silverman. Straight Talk About Teenage Gambling. Facts on File, Inc. New York . 1999.
Stewart, Gail. Gambling. Lucent Books, Inc. San Diego . 2001.
Thompson, William N. Legalized Gambling. Second Edition. Contemporary World Issues. 1997.
