Gambling: the Problems and History of Addiction, Helpfulness, and Tragedy

Gambling is becoming increasingly popular in today’s society. Major casinos and online gambling sites attract

Gambling may seem harmless and an easy win with money, but it is really a tax on the poor and gives false hopes. The lottery and gambling is a tax on the poor in ways that people don’t see. As well as the tax, gambling gives people false hope.

As mentioned before, Alabama’s constitution outlaws the founding of a state lottery system or gambling of any kind. Propositions of a lottery bill have been created many times in the past. Originally these bills were shot down immediately and never even made it to be voted on. Recently, however, these bills have become increasingly more popular. In 1999, a bill was created by then governor Don Siegelman that did reach voting, and narrowly was turned down by a vote of 54 percent to 46 percent. A lottery bill was not on the 2016 ballot, but could be on the 2017 ballot. Governor Robert Bentley, who had previously been strongly opposed to a lottery bill, has seemed to have had a change of heart, saying the only way that the state can gain the much-needed money for Medicaid would be through a state lottery program. With the Governor’s support now, a lottery bill could be on the ballot as soon as next year, which means that the lottery system could be implemented by spring of

Lotteries have been reported to have possibly started all the way back in the Han Dynasty early 200 B.C. The first official record of a public lottery was in 1434 from the Dutch town of Sluis. The original idea of the lottery was to help the lower class and fortify townships. It was not until the 1600s when the more modern form of the lottery came about. Where one would buy a ticket for a small amount with the possibility to win a big cash purse. Later, around 1890 much scrutiny and distrust surrounded the lottery which eventually led to the United States stopping sales of tickets and made lotteries illegal. This was in effect until after World War II and the iconic modern lotteries started to come back into everyday lives. At first it was just separate state lotteries, but eventually in late 80s and early 90s interstate lotteries emerged which include the famous Mega Million, originally named The Big Game, and Powerball. Some of the success for the recent lotteries goes to the more credible system of checking and organizing tickets called the Marksense system.

The Texas Lottery Commission is a fairly new entity in Texas that was established only 25 years ago. In history, Texas is known for its conservative values and policies, disregarding immoral practices such as gambling. In 1991, the Texas Legislature introduced an idea that could help change how Texas creates revenue to fund Texas education. The idea introduced was the establishment of a state Lottery, a form of gambling. Representatives introduced House Bill 54 to the House to establish a lottery system. It is later decided that Texans must vote to approve this new lottery. The citizens of Texas voted on this bill and the bill passed by a two-to-one margin. House Bill 54 is known at the Lottery Act of 1991. With the creation of the statewide

In Shirley Jackson’s  “The Lottery”, There is an annual lottery game in this village on June 27th of every year, this lottery is a ritual that has been in the village for long since, everyone in the village would gather at the time square to participate in it. Mr.Sumner, the lottery official will then brings out the black box and declared the lottery open and states all the rules, “Now, I’ll read the names--heads of families first--and the men com out and take a paper out of the box. Keep the paper folded in your hand without looking at it until everyone has had a turn. Everything clear?” (BBR 93). One of this papers will have a black spot that is put on by the coal company owner, whoever gets the spotted paper with the black dot wins the lottery and will be stoned to death.

As was the case with the first wave of lottery activity, controversy began surrounding this national lottery activity, eventually leading to its banning by the Federal government. In 1890, the operators of the Louisiana lottery bribed various state officials with offers of up to $100,000 to renew the Serpent's charter. The rather flagrant method that officials of the lottery employed to ensure that the Serpent's charter would be renewed was reported throughout the country. Various state legislatures passed resolutions calling on Congress and President Harrison to stop this lottery. President Harrison urged Congress to pass legislation to curb all lottery activity. In late 1890, Congress banned the use of federal mails for lottery sales and

The first action of gambling goes all the way back to Jamestown, Virginia in 1612, however, the Legislative Authority of Virginia adopted laws to outlaw gambling in the colony. (Staff) Throughout the 1700s, popular forms of gambling were be horse-racing or lotteries. Nevertheless in the colonies they discouraged this because the lotteries were products of the British Empire and they put a boycott on all British goods. Then in 1833, due to fraud and not enough funds, Pennsylvania became the first state to ban lotteries.(Staff) In 1910, Nevada becomes the last state to outlaw gambling and now all forms of gambling are not officially illegal in the United States. The Chicago White Sox illegally bet on on their own series as to intentionally lose the game.(Staff) This would be the first major instant in which a sports

There is no specific treatment option that is more beneficial. However, there are a variety of treatment options available for gambling addiction such as Gambler’s Anonymous, which is a support group and psychotherapy that involves cognitive behavioral therapy. Family therapy or group meetings with professional counselors can assist family members. In addition, there is the National Problem Gambling Helpline Network and Gamblers Anonymous that help love ones with their gambling problems (www.casino.org). The medication that is used to treat compulsive gambling is antidepressants and mood stabilizers (www.mayoclinic).

ritual that was named the lottery. This game of chance was not one for money as we know

The lottery has been tradition for many years. To begin, the original purpose of the lottery was to sacrifice to the gods for corn. For example the quote in the book on page 22 lines 260-261” Lottery in June, Corn be heavy soon.”As you can tell in this quote it says Corn be heavy soon. This shows that when there is a lottery the Corn will grow.Furthermore the current purpose of the lottery is to continue tradition. To back

The harm principle states that the actions of individuals should only be limited to prevent harm to other individuals. The harm principle applies to Sarah Jones due to her negligence of her (3) minor children. Sarah had been a gambler for over three years, and that time she’s a slightly stressful situation into a major problem addiction. She began betting on bingo but soon that wasn’t a satisfying high any longer. So, Sarah started going to the casino’s. Gambling is an addiction for some, and for her, it was just that. For her to lose $85,000, and have to take out a second mortgage on her house; or to never be at home during the afternoon or evenings that's a serious problem. The fact that she is gone so often that her children aren't getting

Gambling in the words of McLean and Yoder (2005) "means risking something of value, usually money, on an event that has an unknown outcome." In the opinion of the authors, gambling can assume various forms including but not in any way limited to "casino games, betting on sporting events, playing bingo, buying raffle tickets, and playing lotteries" (McLean and Yoder, 2005). Over time, gambling has grown in popularity with the same being legalized in many jurisdictions across the world. However, those opposed to gambling and the legalization of the same continue to cite various reasons in an attempt to backup their assertions. One of the reasons cited by those opposed to gambling according to McLean and Yoder (2005) is that the costs of gambling easily outweigh the benefits associated with the same. This argument advances the idea that the interests of the society override those of an individual. Thus the

The history of lottery started long time ago in the early history of America. The online gov. info library states that “Lotteries were frequently used in colonial-era America to finance public works projects such as paving streets, constructing wharves, even building churches. In the 18th century, lotteries were used to finance construction of buildings at Harvard and Yale.” This shows that lottery has been around for a long time. Today, most states have adopted lottery system especially the computerized ones like mega millions and Powerball due to the world advancing technologically. This is so because these states have seen the growth of income that come from lotto. Each state has rules and time frames in which a prize can be claimed. Some states allows people to be anonymous like Ohio while others don’t have that option. For example, in Indiana winners have 90 days before they claim their prize and their identity is revealed. In cases where the winning ticket isn’t claimed, the state will get back all the money that it contributed to the unclaimed jackpot. The money is distributed according to state rules.

There are several concerns regarding the ethics of gambling whether in an online setting or in a public setting. Gambling has many benefits for both gamblers and casinos, but it’s crucial to acknowledge the psychological repercussions of gambling as it isn’t always just “harmless fun.” We can consider the negative and positive implications of gambling on non-gamblers as well. However, how would ethical theories and perspectives differ in their approach to the effects of gambling? When people think of gambling, they usually see flashing Vegas casinos and large sums of cash. The gambling arena is much larger just as the significance of the effects gambling has on the casinos and people involved. Gambling addiction is a very prevalent factor