Increasing The Role Of Gambling In The United States

In today’s world there are many different types of gambling such as casinos, state lotteries, pull tabs, bingo, sports and internet gambling. Popularity of this activity remains strong in America, however, there are individuals and groups that continue to scrutinize and attack this industry. I believe gambling is a fun social activity that should not be prohibited or policed by the federal government. It should be an individual’s right to choose if they gamble or not based on their own personal beliefs and view point.

Gambling can be very beneficial for the state, as it generates large amounts of revenue. It is a popular source of entertainment for the majority of the adult population, but at the same time, is a dangerous one. Gambling can take over peoples lives, deeply harming themselves and those they are close to. This essay will discuss what state policy should be on gambling by weighing the benefits and costs it has on both the state and the general population. First, this essay will explore why gambling should continue to be a legal source of entertainment. Next, it will examine why gambling must be regulated more than it currently is. Finally, it will analyze potential policies and regulations that the state should implement in an attempt to decrease

Among the restrictions of gambling, it can be clearly pointed out that there are some exceptions to allowing it happen. Through the Commerce Clause, Congress has carefully looked upon gambling. This allows gambling, however it could only be on land that belongs to the Native Americans. Aside from the current conflicts with gambling, there are revenues generated from it that contribute to our government. In the same article written by Roger Danstan, he goes on to clarify that, “Illegal gaming is popular, though its popularity and prevalence are difficult to measure. An estimated $32 billion was wagered illegally in 1986, resulting in gross revenues of approximately $5.6 billion,” (“Introduction of Gambling”). Illegal gambling tends to be the most popular of gambling because it mostly generates the highest revenues. It seems to offer a completely different way for the government and our nation to receive some sort of a steady income.

Casinos might indirectly affect public revenue as well. Insofar as casinos generate additional business income, they might indirectly increase other forms of tax revenue. Insofar as they cannibalize sales from other businesses, they might decrease net tax revenue. Anders, Siegel, and Yacoub (1998) find that as a result of the introduction of two Indian casinos into Maricopa County, Arizona in 1993, employment and retail sales in the restaurant and bar sectors declined. Popp and Stehwien (2002) estimate a similar model to examine the effect of New Mexico 's 11 Indian casinos on gross state tax receipts using quarterly data from 1990 to 1997. They also find a negative effect of Indian casinos on state sales tax revenues--the introduction of a single Indian casino is found to be associated with a one percent decrease in county tax revenues, but the introduction of a second Indian casino in the county if found to reduce sales tax revenue by more than six percent. While suggestive, these analyses are limited in scope and their results do not necessarily generalize to the experiences of other states.

Statistically, in 2010, the gambling industry in Canada was worth over $15 billion dollars (Derek Miedeva)! That means that thousands of Canadians gamble each month. Most gambling is done within a casino, consisting of slot machines, poker tables, etc. Another way to gamble includes buying lottery tickets and simply making a bet with a friend. People who gamble take a chance. Most times they take a chance involving money or tangible objects where each can either be lost or won. Most people think of gambling as a fun way to spend and evening out, when in reality gambling has become an everyday problem for those who become dependent on the game. In the media, it is always brought to the attention of the public when someone has won the million dollar jackpot or strikes gold at the casino. What is not brought to the attention of others is how sometimes the gamble can take over someone’s entire life. Gambling should be made illegal due to the possibility of adapting an addiction, leading to strains on the human body, the raise of crime and violence in one’s life, even though the gambling business provides economic and social benefits.

Gambling in some form is now legal in all but three states, and 1997 estimates are that

Gambling is identified as a simple form of entertainment that is often played by individuals or groups of friends for amusement, and for the simple chance of personal monetary gain. However, gambling can often lead to unforeseen consequences that can lead to addiction. As the Government of Ontario looks to open over twenty casinos in the Greater Toronto Area and the OLG is offering online gambling in Ontario, this allows for the gambling market to rapidly expand within Ontario. Although there are various financial

Miller introduced the reader to the topic of gambling by giving an in-depth look into the history of gambling laws and regulations in the United States since its birth. He continued by discussing the main factors that state and federal policymakers must consider with regard to gambling laws before he details the relationship between the state and federal governments on the matter. He then distinguished between the powers of each government entity with regard to the Tenth

This paper will explore how economists attempt to find the answers of this relatively new concept of casino gambling. What is the revenue from the casinos and how do they impact the local economy? Does the “immoral” action of gambling increase crime in the states that legalized it? What are the impact on wages and does casino gambling lead to an increase in bankruptcies?

Betting on sports is a popular entertainment in the U.S. But sports betting is gambling, which has long been deemed by state and federal governments to be a vice from which American citizens require protection. In an attempt to limit the availability of sports betting , a 1992 federal law, the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA), made sports betting illegal in all but four grandfathered states (Nevada, Oregon, Montana and Delaware). At the time, only Nevada had true single-team sports wagering.

The prior chapter highlighted how the prohibition of gambling has been an abject failure. The current era with widespread legalized gambling has its problems, but it is certainly an improvement over the restrictive policies of the past. There are many contradictions and ambiguities in this current era with widespread legalized gambling. For instance, numerous TV channels feature high stakes professional poker tournaments, yet only 27 states allow social gambling. In other words, 23 states outlaw gambling among friends even if the host doesn’t directly profit or have a “house edge.”

Gambling, or gaming is negatively perceived due to the unfortunate side effects that can develop, such as gambling addictions, impulse spending, and psychological problems from the addiction. From the statistics gathered in the 2013 American Gaming Association, gambling revenue as of 2013 is at 81 billion, 30 billion from native American casinos alone. Directly employing 570,000 people, with job impacts of 1.7 million including 200,000 government jobs. With over 38 billion in taxes paid, those taxes paid on money that’s spent goes back into the community to fund schools, road repairs, and creating jobs. The real problem with legalizing gambling is reforming laws, and if it really benefits economic development. "It's actually larger than the

The gambling industry has a very important impact on the United States economy. As of 2013, it held the direct employment of 570,000 people, with total jobs impact of 1.7 million, which included nearly 200,000 government jobs (Wells 2014). In 2013, revenues from the casino industries totaled to 81 billion dollars, including 30 billion dollars form Native American casinos. The total impact of the casinos in the year 2013 was 240 billion dollars, with 102 billion as a direct economic impact, but this does not include the cost of constructing new casinos (Wells 2014). Casinos may in fact provide a large amount of jobs for people, but their impact on neighboring property values is “unambiguously negative,” according to the economists at the National Association of Realtors (Frum 2014). Casinos do not always have a positive impact on the cities they are located in, they do

Las Vegas today is known as the gaming capital and the sin city of the world. Tourism drives the economy. About 37 million people visit the city and the spending is a high of USD33.7 billion. At least 20% of the jobs are gaming related. Even though Las Vegas held the gambling monopoly for 40 years, by 1978, there were over 19 states allowing some form of casino style gambling. However, Las Vegas continued to outperform the rest of the states. In fact, the Las Vegas Strip’s gaming revenue alone tops the US market. (Refer to Table 1)

In the early 1930s, gambling was legalized throughout the state of Nevada and casinos began to flourish (Dunstan, 1997). The economic growth in Nevada, especially the city of Las Vegas, has improved tremendously by the creation of casinos. Many people were employed since the operation of casinos requires a huge amount of labor, skill, and expertise. In addition, local retail sales also increased from casinos when gamblers visit the stores to spend their winnings on various items and products (Garrett, 2003). As a result, many state governments began to legalize casinos in order to boost their economies and increase employment. As of today, there are roughly 1500 casinos in the United States and they generate almost 65 billion dollars in revenue (“Facts on U.S Casinos” 2013). However, casinos use immoral methods to achieve this incredible feat of big profit with few government interventions. While the city of Las Vegas becomes more prosperous than before, many citizens lose their fortunes or even lives by the immoral business practices implemented by the casinos. Even though the