The state is of, by, and for the people. This implies that the state is in the best interest of the people, so it 's main priority should be to provide liberty for its citizens, while at the same time protecting them from foreseeable harm. In this essay I argue that the state’s gambling policy should be a proactive one, that is, the state should do as much as it can to prevent problem gambling before it happens, while also preserving individual freedom.
To first develop a state policy for gambling, one must understand why gambling should be legal. Gambling, in itself, is not morally wrong. It is difficult to see anything wrong with a person wagering their own property and wealth at their own expense. It should not be up to the state to decide what a person does in their free time. It is a person’s conscious choice to spend money at a casino, and what distinction can be drawn between gambling and going to see a movie, or attending a sports match? All of the previously mentioned events contain a transaction of money in return, receive entertainment. In fact, if one gambles with the same amount of money they would have spent on a different form of entertainment, they have the possibility of getting their money back, or even winning more. The approach a state should take is that of John Stuart Mill, and his “harm principle”. The harm principle allows regular, healthy gambling as a pastime, for it does not cause harm to others. But once someone becomes a problem gambler, the harm
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.
Although the development of human civilization is accelerating, the gambling is one of the of the oldest entertainment industries all over the world which does not change dating back to the ancient times. Taking the United States gambling history as an example, “In America, colonial legislatures authorized 157 lotteries from the 1740s through 1776 to assist governments and other institutions. The first legal casinos of the modern era opened in Nevada in 1931. The country’s first lottery, in New Hampshire, began in 1964.” (Schwartz 43) Whatever the gambling is legal or illegal, it exists in the society for such a long history. The gambling is an outstanding and magic entertainment approach to have a leisure time or reduce the pressure from the duty work and a fast profit model for the investors from the beginning to nowadays. The trend would be sustained or even developed faster and bigger in the future.
The main issue and topic that I will be discussing in this paper is about gambling and how it relates to virtue ethics. To begin, according to dictionary.com, gambling is defined as “the activity or practice of playing at a game of chance for money or other stakes.” Gambling has gained much attention and has popularized dramatically everywhere, but mainly in the U.S. Despite how far in popularity it has become, it has been controversial in whether it should be legalized or not. But what are the reasons why gambling for it being legalized or illegalized? For the first point of view, there are people who think that gambling should be legalized because it is just an innocent and harmless game. On the other hand, the reason gambling should be illegalized is because it is looked upon as a highly addictive game and pose risks to the person engaging in the act. There are several problems that go along with gambling that will be discussed throughout this paper. When studying gambling and how it relates to virtue ethics, you could notice that the action is unethical. I will present arguments to go against
Social Although gambling industry can bring more employment opportunities and offer diversified leisure activities for the public, it could also lead harms. ‘Problem Gambling’ is the main disadvantage that gambling produced, it may result in an increasing number of personal bankruptcy, suicide, crime and child welfare may be ignored and so on (Williams, Rehm & Stevens, 2011). Hence, the Australian Gaming Council formulated the Responsible Gaming regulation to conduct the gambling industry in Australia and reduce the existing and potential harms.
Gambling is one of the fastest growing industries which are a major entertainment and tourism industry in the United States. It is playing a game of chance and probability for stakes and occurs in many forms such as casinos, lotteries, stock market, bingo parlors and slot machines. It not only takes place on casinos, but nowadays, you can do gambling through the internet. Gambling also includes betting on a horse or car race or can be sports betting. It is also the cause of extensive harm for problematic gamblers alongside with their families, loved ones and especially the community they live in.
For example, Marilyn Lancelot, a recovering gambler addict had stated that the intensity of the crimes committed for gambling and its perpetration, is increasing at an alarming rate (Nelson, Joe.). This shows how addicted gamblers have a high possibility of committing other crime due to their loss, and serious crimes can lead to imprisonment or punishment by law. Also, this proves that this problem is becoming much common in our world today, and this is why the gambling industry should be banned as soon as possible. Additionally, any individual convicted of gambling offence has to undergo imprisonment in jail up to an year, and felony act can result in more than one year in jail up to approximately ten years (Theoharis, Mark.). Hence, this problem shows any gambler’s exposure to the commitment of these crimes, and how they are mentally influenced and uncontrollable in pursuing their greed for a
Legalizing gambling has been a controversy for some time now, especially on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. They still have not come to an agreement, but have created some laws pertaining to the situation. I personally do not agree with legalizing gambling because I do believe it encourages alcohol, drug use, and increase the risk of mental illnesses.
A few states have gaming regulations that do a reversal over two centuries; different states have yet to address real parts of the business by any stretch of the imagination. Our cutting edge laws on betting are mind boggling to some degree since they've been created through the span of a very long while. Over that time, innovation and society have changed, while our gaming laws (generally) have not. I work for Fitz's Casino, in Mississippi the administration considers an amusement illicit on the off chance that it includes wagering cash (or some other profitable thing) for the trust of a particular result in a challenge situated in entire or to a limited extent on possibility. This sweeping law viably bans most prevalent types of betting. The state makes special cases – these exemptions speak to the lawful commercial centers for betting in the state. Lottery amusements might be prominent in the greater part of America, yet the condition of Mississippi doesn't permit any lottery diversions at any level of the state government. Some US states without state lottery recreations permit districts and area governments to issue lottery-style tickets for raising money, however not Mississippi. States with solid master gaming entryways, similar to Mississippi, tend to modest far from lotteries, on the hypothesis that individuals will bet less if state lottery diversions are
Gambling is the world’s second oldest industry, but in the past has been viewed in a condemning nature. Many have viewed it as immoral and destructive. The government, taking the middle ground labels it as a vice, but will allow small-scale monopolies to non-profit organizations. These constituents have conditions that state that revenues must be used for good causes and they must not over stimulate demand. (15) Commercial casinos that were first permitted, while heavily regulated to protect citizens, only allowed the wealthy to be patrons.
Video 3.1 provides an informative introduction into the reason governments introduced and legalised gambling. The major factor being economically driven to gain funds to finance wars and build infrastructure by introducing taxation. A prominent example was the introduction of lotteries, which produced a significant amount of revenue.
In 1926, Siegel was arrested for raping a woman who had turned down his advances in a speakeasy, but Lansky coerced the victim not to testify.
The positive fiscal influence of gambling on the American economy, both locally and at the federal level, minimizes its negative aspects. The advantages of gambling are numerous and the revenue gained lends aid to a diverse group of programs from education to infrastructure. With advances in technology gambling is more lucrative than ever and is a source of jobs for millions of people as well as major source of income for the nation’s Native American tribes. Major tourist destinations such as Atlantic City N.J and Las Vegas N.V owe their success to gambling. Lotteries which are another form of Gambling are held on the state level and add millions of dollars into the state 's education programs
According to statistics, about 6% of adults involved in gambling eventually become severely addicted. In some cases, gamblers have the tendency of betting anything and everything they have through the ever-growing gambling avenues in the U.S. Gambler’s varies use of avenues such as the state lotto’s, horse-racing, online and sport betting, all contribute to higher levels of gambling (Ciment 2009). Controlling gambling practices can be undeniably complicated, as the poor are constantly wooed with false hopes into locally available gambling avenues.
In the United States, individual state lotteries have contributed billions of dollars to help make the states and communities better. Just in 2013, the 44 state lotteries raised more than $20 billion for various positive causes (Anderson, Martino, Mcintyre). Recently, Congress has attempted to pass a nationwide ban on internet gambling. If that ban is permitted to pass, up to $5.5 billion has a chance to be lost from states incomes annually, according to a recent analysis (Anderson, Martino, Mcintyre). This study also shows
Utilitarianism suggests that the act that results in the greatest amount of happiness for the greatest number of individuals is the option that we should choose. Whether gambling should be deemed as an ethical or unethical act depends entirely on the consequences and benefits gambling has on casinos, gamblers, and non-gamblers. If gambling results in the overall increase of a casino’s profit and the overall increase of a gambler’s profit and mental health, then the act of gambling would be considered ethical. However, if the act has more negative implications than positive, then the act of gambling would be unethical. For example, it would be unethical if the transaction between casinos and gamblers was rigged solely for the casino 's financial benefit while exploiting those who gamble there. The significant concern of this paper is not to point a finger at casinos and other gambling mediums as a means to blame them for the mental conditions of those who we’d consider as gambling addicts. Instead, the point of this paper is to acknowledge the effects of gambling and propose the importance of responsibility. I will present an unbiased view of gambling, paying close attention to the psychological effects and motives individuals have regarding gambling at casinos. Also, I will look at the positive results associated with having a successful casino business, so that allowing gambling is ethical from a utilitarian point of