Texas Gambling: The Morality vs Legality of Casino Gambling Essay

The growing industry of gambling creates revenue from taxes, but is it really profitable? Smith-Christopher claims “the total amount accounts for less than a quarter of the gambling industry revenues nationwide each year.” It can be said that gambling can help economic progress, “Nearly half of all tribal gaming enterprises earn less than $10 million in annual revenue, and one-quarter earn less than $3 million each year. On the other end of the spectrum, about 40 tribal casinos (or about 1 in 10) take in two-thirds of all Indian gaming revenues” (Smith-Christopher). The economic benefits that gambling creates may outweigh the addictions it may create. Walker claims, “As gambling expands, the gambling industry and government are beginning to

Legalized casino gambling is still a very important topic that continues to cause controversy throughout the states. According to statista.com, the United States casino market had revenues of approximately 65 billion dollars in 2015. This revenue stemmed from the 1,511 casinos open throughout the United States (statista.com). The sheer amount of revenue the casino industry produces each year makes it a

For example, in 1998 the bankruptcy rate in Atlantic City, New Jersey per 100,000 people was 1,019 while the rate of the state of New Jersey was only 555 (gao.gov). In 2003, there was a proposal to add casinos into the mix of Kentucky’s gambling options. Dr. John Kindt, a professor of commerce at the University of Illinois said that bringing casinos to Kentucky would be “bad economics and bad social policy”. “Studies show that within the 35-mile feeder market around a casino, gamblers will spend 10 percent less on food, 25 percent less on clothing and that 37 percent will dip into their savings to pay for gambling. For every three (video slot) machines, you'll be losing two jobs from the feeder market economy," Kindt said. “This occurs because each machine can be expected to bring in $100,000 per year that will not be used elsewhere in the economy” (kybaptist.org). This is a serious issue that occurs when business owners do not think about how their actions will affect others in the future.

However, perhaps due to Texas' extreme conservatism, many Texans opposed the idea. Since then, other states have joined Nevada to allow unlimited gambling in their state. From record economic growth to billions of revenue dollars for state expenditures, these states continue to reap from their bold decision while Texas remains watching from the sidelines. Rather than enjoying the same profits as its fellow states, Texas has found it hard to meet its state budget year after year. Instead of taking the road well-traveled--increasing taxes, Texas should take a page from the success stories of these states and legalize casino gambling as a legitimate way

Studies show gambling as a source of jobs and tax revenues, and the activity is seen as entertainment for the public. The spread of gambling across the United States has not taken business from Las Vegas; it has only stimulated a greater boom for our region’s economy. Three inventions allowed gambling in America to expand into a major

Full-blown Casinos: House Bill 1724 by Jose Menendez (R-San Antonio) and Jim Pitts (R-Waxahachie), as well as its Senate version by Sen. Rodney Ellis (D-Houston) would establish full-blown casino

After vigorous years of fighting for legalization, Nevada became the first state to legalize casino gambling in 1931, as referenced on Americangaming.org. Following Nevada’s legalization were New Jersey, South Dakota, Iowa, Delaware, Maryland, New York, Louisiana and more. Today, 18 states have commercial casinos, and a total of 30 states offer legalized gambling of any kind. Gambling has transformed over the years, branching out into various games and chances. Some games include slot machines, poker, roulette, blackjack, craps, and bingo. All games have some chance of winning money, however the odds can either be in, or out, of favor. As gambling increases in states nationwide, the exposure through advertisements and offering of free giveaways has caught the eyes of people young, old and in between. Over the past twenty years, gambling has increased by ten-times than before, while the amount of pathological gamblers has remained steady. Nevertheless, although this proves that gambling addiction has not increased over time, it does not defer from the fact that gambling is not a victimless

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 Texas state legislature has been approached with a proposal to expand casino gambling within the state. In the early 20th century gambling was outlawed in the United States. In 1931 Gambling was legalized in the state of Nevada particularly in Las Vegas. Casinos have been springing up all over the nation since then in cities such as Atlantic City, New Jersey, Biloxi, Mississippi, and Shreveport, Louisiana. Casinos have been known for being a big money industry. They can boost the economy through job production, tourism, and tax revenues. The casino industry is known for bringing in billions of dollars to local economies. Casinos can also bring problems to their cities. They can bring crime and have negative social impacts in the regions

Finally, an increase in job opportunities is a strong motivator for the legalization of gambling and casino development in a time where jobs are hard to find. Jobs are created in all sectors from planners, construction workers, dealers, table workers, cooks and kitchen staff, bartenders, wait staff, security, hotel staff, event coordinators, etc. Financial reasons are the most discussed reasons for the advocacy of legalizing gambling and casino development.

As cardrooms and gambling facilities have grown nationwide, the issue has divided many communities. Concern has reached Washington, D.C., where the House Of Representatives have passed a bill to establish a two-year commission to study the economic impact of gambling (Correa 2). There are many arguments for and against this. The National Coalition against Legalized Gambling, or NCALG has published a table, The Case against Legalized Gambling. An argument made by the NCALG is that gambling depresses legitimate business, siphoning off money from the regular business community (NCALG). If this were true, then places like Las Vegas where the main revenue is gambling would not exist. The main source of revenue in Las Vegas is gambling. 87% of people who visited Las Vegas in 1996 gambled (PBS 2). The revenue brought in by legalized gambling can be put towards education, welfare, social security and public funds. Last year, for example, the Commonwealth of Virginia generated $331 million in state lottery revenues and earmarked it for education (Kaye 2).

Casino gambling remains a controversial issue, mostly due to personal and religious views on the negative effects (gambling addictions) it has on society. However, there seems to be very little controversy relating to the role the casino industry has in the state’s economic and tourism development. The purpose of the paper is to provide a synopsis of the role Mississippi’s casino industry has played in the state’s economic and tourism industry. The report focuses on three jurisdictions: Tunica, Greenville, and the Gulf Coast. The report supports my theory that the Mississippi casino industry unequivocally has a positive impact on the state’s economy and tourism industry.

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.

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

Which is being discussed by our state and federal government? Some states are permitted to