He looks at his cards: pocket aces. A sly grin emerges on his face as he thinks to himself, “This is my chance to win back the $250 and more!” His heart begins to pound uncontrollably as adrenaline rushes through every muscle of his body. Overcome with anticipation and excitement, he mentally calculates the potential winnings. He hears the dealer confirm, “Your action, sir.” With assurance, he asserts, “All in.” The flop reveals a King-King-Queen. He reasons, “I’ve got this! Two pairs is ought to win.” The dealer displays the final two cards: nine, queen. Just as he begins to gather the winnings, the dealer halts his actions as another player’s cards are revealed. The dealer states, “Sorry, a full house beats two pairs every time.” Devastated, he departs from the table. As he contemplates the hand, he thinks, “I was so close to winning! I am sure that I can win my money back.” He makes his way to the ATM machine and withdraws another $400. Within three hours, he loses a grand total of $800 at the casino. He attributes that day’s loss to merely “bad luck” and concludes that he’ll have better luck tomorrow. This event marks the beginning of a compulsive gambler.
Casino gambling has replaced baseball as America’s favorite pastime with twenty-three states encompassing sanctioned casino. Casinos generate over $19 billion in revenue annually. This revenue far exceeds the expenditures from spectator sports, film box offices, and theme parks combined (Giacopassi para 1). Advocates of casinos constantly cite revenue and the creation of employment opportunities as justification to the benefits of casinos in communities. However, casinos are harmful and detrimental to American society and American citizens because they increase crime rates, prey on the lower class, and are ultimately damaging to the American economy. In addition, casinos foster addictive behavior. The continued engagement in gambling becomes a practice that is inevitable. The gains that are sometimes reaped from gambling encourage people to put more money and wealth into the process. This is because they feel that there is always likelihood that they can acquire more by participating in the gambling process. Humans always want to gain and therefore the gains that are sometimes derived from gambling remain appealing to many people.
The narrative in the latter paragraph exemplifies how the average responsible American can be manipulated within a casino setting; it is easy to get lost chasing losses in a casino. Consequently, sensible American citizens can develop into problematic gamblers, which in turn, burden the economy and society as a whole. In order to alleviate the economical and societal stress caused by casinos, casinos should be banned in every state except Nevada, ATM’s should be forbidden in the remaining casinos, and current casinos should be transformed into more beneficial facilities.
Alternatively, casino opponents profess that a moratorium on the expansion of casinos is only plausible with a national ban on casino facilities. However, this proposition is not realistic because a complete ban on casinos cannot be implemented without banning gambling as a whole. There are currently seven legal forms of gambling in the United States: convenience gambling, lotteries, race-tracks, sports wagering, internet gambling, casinos, and Indian gaming (Kelly para 7). Thus, to merely outlaw casinos while allowing six other gambling mediums to remain intact is futile. The prohibition of one medium will fuel the proliferation of gambling through the other mediums, and therefore, this proposition is ineffective in eliminating the societal and economical tribulations produced by casinos. Conversely, prohibiting gambling entirely violates Americans’ personal freedom, liberty, and pursuit of happiness. By taking away a right that was once guaranteed to Americans, the right to gamble, it will stimulate hostility and uncooperative behavior. In this fashion, banning gambling is parallel to the unmitigated disaster of the American Prohibition era of 1919 to 1933. During Prohibition, the transportation, sale, and manufacture of alcohol were banned.
History is bound to repeat itself if gambling is banned. Furthermore, the majority of Americans who gamble do so on the odd occasion and do so responsibly. “Most patrons are not desperate gambling addicts or unwitting suckers—they're rational grownups who like to risk a few dollars on the chance of winning a few, and who think the diversion is worth the possible loss” (Chapman para 12). On the other hand, approximately ten percent of the population gambles regularly and is accountable for about eighty percent of the wagers in casino enterprises (Reutter para 12). These statistics indicate that the casino industries’ profit is dependent on a small number of addicted gamblers. As a result, although it is unjust to ban all Americans from gambling in its entirety, it is necessary to take the required actions to ease the stress placed on the American economy and society as a byproduct of casinos and problem gamblers.
It is vital for the welfare of the American economy and American society that casinos are banned from every state except Nevada. The drastic expansion of casino facilities in the United States of America is accompanied with adverse consequences. These consequences critically impact the community that casinos are located in. Among these setbacks is the increase in crime rates. Statistics show that about twelve percent of the crime would have ceased to exist in these counties in the absence of casinos. By eliminating casinos, the crime rate will decrease which results in a decrease in the cost of law enforcement required to preserve the community. The local economy as well as the American economy and American society will benefit from this reduction in crime rates as a byproduct of the purging of casinos.
Furthermore, casinos foster addictive behavior and increase the number of compulsive gamblers. Compulsive gamblers negatively impact the American economy and society. Once problem gamblers exhaust their finances, they begin to utilize other resources, such as credit cards and loans to their disposal. This leads to “higher divorce rates, excessive debt, employment termination, alcoholism, drug dependence and bankruptcy.” (Weinstock para 1).
In addition to these direct costs of irrational gamblers to the American economy and society, a large amount of money is necessary to sustain facilities, hotlines, social services, and other means that are mandatory to treat problem gamblers. In fact, each problem gambler costs the economy between $14,006 and $22,077 per year (National Coalition Againstpara 13). Eliminating Americans’ accessibility to casinos by banning them from every state besides Nevada will eradicated this added expense, and thus relieves the local economy.
Local businesses also suffer in communities where casinos have been adapted. As previously noted, casino gambling has developed into Americans’ favorite pastime with more capital spent at these facilities than any other place of entertainment. This leads to a decrease in the amount of money Americans are willing to expend at other locations, such as restaurants, bars, movie theaters, bowling alleys, and conventions. This act triggers a domino effect. Since other industries’ revenue is drastically reduced, local business are more likely to declare bankruptcy and shut down. Consequently, local employment is diminished and more people are compelled to rely on government sponsored financial aid. Thus, casinos are a financial burden on both the local and national economy. Rather than generating new revenue, the casino industry “steals” current revenue from local business. Accordingly, Americans residing in communities that have a casino will be more apprehensive to open small businesses. To alleviate the surplus of financial aid and welfare recipients and encourage small businesses to operate, casinos should be outlawed in communities.
Although the latter reasons justify why it is necessary to ban casinos in the United States, this solution does not apply to Las Vegas, Nevada. Las Vegas is internationally recognized as a tourist attraction, as well as the nation’s gambling capital. The cultivation of a total of sixty-one casinos attracts nearly thirty-five million visitors annually. As a result, it amasses nearly $5.3 billion in revenue annually (Garrett para 6). The succeeding quote accurately rationalizes Las Vegas’ noteworthy success: “To experience the seedy glamour of that city in the desert, most visitors have to come from a long distance away. A trip to gamble therefore becomes a full-scale holiday, complete with a stay in a hotel, visits to local restaurants and no doubt a little shopping thrown in. In Las Vegas, casinos genuinely support the service economy” (Economist para 13). Thus, gambling facilities do not hinder the local economy in Las Vegas.
On the contrary, the casinos in Las Vegas attract tourists and vacationers rather than relying on locals for their business. This in turn escalates the other businesses around the city. By implementing the proposal to ban casinos from other states, Las Vegas will continue to flourish and generate more taxable revenue. In addition to this increase in tourism, allowing Las Vegas to continue to operate casinos gives Americans the sense of comfort that the recreational activity of casino gambling is still available to them in their homeland. Concentrating casinos only in one city, Las Vegas, has many perks and advantages.
The presence of ATM machines promotes irresponsible and compulsive spending and gambling. This is in part due to the easy accessibility of bank accounts, and savings accounts. It is inevitable that many people will become engulfed by greed as they attempt to increase their winnings or win back their losses. During this state of oblivion, many people will unexpectedly dip into their life savings and other finances to fuel the greed. In fact, in Minnesota, ATM’s in casinos pay out over four hundred thousand dollars in welfare benefits annually (Abbott para 18). As these financially dependent citizens “waste” their financial funds gambling in casinos, they will deplete their funds and require more financial aid from the government. This will burden the American economy and society.
Therefore, by employing the proposal to eliminate ATM machines from the casinos in Las Vegas, tourists and visitors will not have the convenience of increasing their gambling budget within the casino environment; they will only be able to play with the money they walked into the casino with. Citizens and visitors will then be obliged to make conscience decisions regarding their spending outside of the casino atmosphere. The removal of ATM machines from Las Vegas casinos will deter the general public from negligent gambling.
Once casinos are removed from every state in the United States except Nevada, it is important to make an informed decision about what to transform the closed casino facilities into. Each state should take it upon them to determine the type of facility that should be established in order to benefit the local community. This new and improved facility should have the primary purpose of creating more employment opportunities and generating state revenue. These facilities may include educational facilities, recreational facilities such as operas and theaters, or even manufacturing facilities.
All in all, the overwhelming burden that is placed on American citizens and the American economy needs to be alleviated by banning casinos in every state besides Nevada, removing ATM machines from the remaining casinos, and transforming the casinos that were shut down into more respectable and valuable facilities. The effect of casinos on American society and the American economy is alarming. While banning gambling in its entirety is unrealistic, a ban on casinos in forty-nine states will ease these problems and is very feasible. The United States is currently in a recession. As a result, many businesses and companies are going under, bankruptcy and foreclosure rates have sky-rocketed, and there is a substantial increase in unemployment rates. Thus, now is the best time to implement these changes; now is the best time for moratorium on casinos. It is important to understand that gambling has led to the rise of major cities such as Las Vegas. It is through the business of gambling that other businesses have been able to develop. The American economy is desperate to be relieved of the financial strains placed on them. Although the proposal to ban casinos will not solve the economical crisis, it will aid in mitigating the stress. This proposal will also benefit small and urban communities because it will increase local business. However, the primary advantage of implementing this proposal is the reduction in the development of problem gamblers. The impact problem gamblers have on themselves, their family, society, and the economy far exceeds any other issue that is caused by the casino industry.
Similar to many other American citizens, I have witnessed the development of a compulsive gambler first hand. Whenever the family was unaware of my uncle’s whereabouts, we were sure that we could find him at the local casino. This shows the level of addition that my uncle had in the trade of gambling. Over a time period of five years, he had wagered and lost all his family’s finances. My uncle committed suicide three two years later due to depression. This course of events illustrates some of the effects that gambling can cause within the family unit. It is worth noting that finances play a key role in the family and society. The misuse of wages and salaries by household breadwinners can result to instability in the functioning of the household. Key utilities such water and electricity needs to be settled each month if a family is going to continue to live comfortably. Using the case of my uncle, the problems resulting in his family and his life was as a result of misuse of money through gambling. After losing large amounts of money to gabling, one might be greatly depressed. Depression if not adequately addressed can lead to death. Therefore, the course of events, although ill-fated and traumatic, is common in many American families due to the overwhelming presence of casinos in the United States of America. Now is the best time to induce a halt in casino expansion; now is the best time for improvement.
Works Cited
Abbott, Douglas. "Gambling Attitudes and Participation: A Midwestern Survey." Journal of Gambling Studies 9.3 (1993): 247-263. Print.
Chapman, S. “American Casinos."Chronicles (1996). Rpt. in Legalized Gambling. Ed. David M. Haugen. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2006. Contemporary Issues Companion. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 11 Dec. 2010.
Grinols, L. "Casino Gambling Causes Crime." Legalized Gambling. Ed. David M. Haugen. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2006. Contemporary Issues Companion. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 13 Dec. 2010.
Kelly, Timothy A. "The Government Should Halt the Spread of Legalized Gambling." Gambling. Ed. David Haugen and Susan Musser. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2002. Opposing Viewpoints. Gale Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 14 Dec. 2010.
"National Coalition Against Legalized Gambling." Gale Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Detroit: Gale, 2008. Print.
Reutter, Mark. "Social Costs Of Gambling Nearly Half That Of Drug Abuse, New Book Concludes | Archives | News Bureau | University of Illinois." News Bureau | University of Illinois. Print.
