Short History of Gambling in the United States of America and Comparison of Gambling Criteria

“Current estimates suggest that three percent of the adult population will experience a serious problem with gambling that will result in significant debt, family disruption, job losses, criminal activity or suicide. Pathological gambling affects the gamblers, their families, their employers and the community. As the gamblers go through the phases of their addiction, they spend less

• Continued behavior or use of a substance despite evidence of harm or other negative consequences

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

The article “Pathological gambling and comorbid substance use,” an Australian study done on a group of pathological gamblers who were seeking treatment, looks for people among the study group that also have substance use/ dependence. Of the seventy-five people that took part in this study, nicotine dependence (37.2%) and alcohol use (16%) were the highest occurring substances recorded. All substance disorders other than opiate were more frequent within the study than the rate of the receivesubstance disorders within the general

The concept of gambling has been around since the 1600’s when the original thirteen colonies had their own individual lotteries where people viewed gambling as a “civic responsibility” to play. These lotteries helped establish multiple universities such as Harvard, Yale, Princeton, and William and Mary. Gambling has been legal and then banned several times in three different eras; the first era in the 1600’s to mid-1800’s, the second in the late 1800’s to early 1900’s, and finally the mid 1900’s to present day where some types of gambling remain legal. Throughout multiple decades, people have constantly bickered back and forth stating their opinions on what defines gambling, and if it should be illegal or legal. More importantly, all types of gambling should be legalized in the United States since multiple types of gambling already exist and are considered legal, it’s improper to permit some and leave others out. Moreover, gambling stimulates the economy by bringing tourism to the area and creating jobs for those in need of one, as well as, making revenue from taxes, benefiting the state and local government.

Gambling is all around the United States, and it can be a dangerous game for families. Many casino’s find gambling as a profit for their Company, since many people from around the United States will come to their casino and try to win it big with their own money. Gambling has been around for many years and a statement made by Worldcasinodirectory.com, stated “To begin with, gambling did not originate in the US- it came to this country with immigrants from Europe, Asia- especially China, and other parts of the world.” The United States was just another victim of an ongoing addiction. By, understanding how gambling reached the borders of The United States, how a notorious gang leader started the empire of gambling, and how an addiction pushes people to their limits, can help understand how gambling has become such a demanding element in a society.

If gambling is considered money stealing, why do some many people participate? Some people explain gambling as feeling a “high” they feel a rush of the adrenaline they receive from it. The motivation that helps you feel you can do more intense things, leading to an overall sense of accomplishment. The feeling of winning is so important to each and every gambler that it forms the basis of everything you do. It’s a mixture of survival, motivation and tangible benefits. The game is enjoyable and exciting, but the money is the most important goal for most people. Studies show that

Recently, a new, debatable topic has hit Americans in a swift manner. Should gambling be legalized in their respective states? As you may already know, gambling is the act of risking something of value for a potential chance of profit. “Not that long ago, Americans held gambling in the same esteem as heroin dealing” (Popkin & Hetter 17). Today, however, people see gambling not as bad as it used to be. In fact, according to a Harrah’s survey, thirty two percent of all households in the United States gambled at a casino in 1996 (Calvert 2). However large this number may seem, there are still a tremendous amount that do not gamble and feel that it should not be legalized in any way, shape or form. Proponents believe that gambling benefits the

Gambling is seen as a psychological problem affecting millions of Americans across the country. It is estimated that 20 million Americans have or could develop gambling problems, and about half of these are young adults. Gambling is sometimes connected to spouse and child abuse, bankruptcy, mental breakdowns, substance abuse, theft, divorce, and suicide. It is estimated that people are twice as likely to be a problem or pathological gambler if a casino is within 50 miles of their home. Citizens will also experience alcohol-related problems, as the casinos will be permitted to sell or provide complimentary alcoholic beverages during all hours that they operate (Amend. 5, Sect. 10E).

Relating to the issue of subgroups, pathological gambling was originally classified as an impulse control disorder by the DSM-IV-TR (APA, 2000), though, based on its criteria similar to substance dependence, some researchers preferred to consider it a behavioural addiction (Blanco et al., 2001; Potenza et al., 2002). Goudriaan et al. (2006) provide a similar argument, stating that pathological gambling and alcohol dependence share common EF deficits, and it has since been amended to be a behavioural addiction the in the DSM-V (APA, 2013). The divisive topic of screening and diagnosis could have serious consequences on the quality of care, or form of therapy, a pathological gambler may receive or decide to enter. Whether they legitimately

There has been a strong demand for gambling in American, long before this country declared its independence. Playing cards were first introduced to the Native Americans by Spanish conquistadores and they subsequently made their own cards from tree bark. Likewise, card and dice games were popular among the settlers, but horse racing was arguably the most prominent form of gambling in the colonies. The first American race track was built in Long Island, NY in 1665 and many more emerged throughout the colonies, particularly southern colonies. Notably, some of our founding forefathers were fans of the sport, including George Washington who even documented his gambling wins and losses. This English tradition, dubbed the “sport of kings,” had

“Pathological gambling is excessive risk taking exaggerated to an especially destructive extreme.” This is the way Dr. Ted and Brad Klontz open their chapter on the destructive behavior that is gambling (Klontz, B., & Klontz, T, 2009). As the authors describe gambling is a habit that becomes like a drug as people, mostly men, continue to gamble to make themselves feel better about themselves or to escape their present reality. The biggest danger of this disorder is that it is one that people try to hide from others the most, and are very hesitant to admit that their gambling is an addiction.

Gambling is an entertainment that we all know about, and it is also well known by the “easy-addicted characteristic”. You must have seen or at least heard about some stories that is about gambling. No matter it’s a story about people become rich, or a family be ruined. “The National Council on

Robert Kiyosaki once said, “Successful people take big risks knowing they might fall hard but they might succeed more than they ever dreamed.” This man is a billionaire that hit the jackpot, while gambling. He now owns eleven different businesses and he is worth over eighty million dollars. If someone could learn how to astute, they could live like him too. The articles, The Legalized Gambling Debate, Sports Betting Should be Legal, and Should Sports Gambling be Legal?, all attribute thought to this suggestion. Gambling is a feasible business as it provides revenue, sponsors education, and inspires gamblers.

From commercial casinos to lottery tickets to off-track betting, it is easier to gamble today than ever before. While the government promotes the gambling industry to supplement tax revenues, it has not allocated