The States’ Role in Gambling Addiction

Posted by Kendall Harmon

America’s history with gambling has been characterized by ambivalence. There have been periods of full embrace of gambling within communities, followed by movements seeking temperance and prohibition.

Starting in the 1970s, there was a slow movement to accept gambling as a regulated pastime. As gambling expanded over the last 20 years, regulation of gambling has been an issue at the state level, meaning that there has not been a national, consistent plan to address the impact of gambling problems.

The result has been that each state has different approaches, resources and attitudes on how to deal with gambling addiction. Legalizing gambling has significantly contributed to the economy and has supported many different businesses and industries. The negative impact, though, of pathological gambling remains under-addressed in many states. It is my belief that there is a shared responsibility between the gambling industry, the government and individuals who gamble to work together to develop policies and procedures that limit harm from gambling.

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Filed under: * Culture-Watch • Gambling • Health & Medicine • Psychology • * Economics, Politics • Economy • Consumer/consumer spending • Personal Finance • Politics in General • State Government

5 Comments
Posted November 4, 2010 at 5:01 pm [Printer Friendly] [Print w/ comments]



1. Br. Michael wrote:

States should not get into gambling, even if it brings in big bucks.  It is evil.

November 4, 7:54 pm | [comment link]
2. Vatican Watcher wrote:

I agree with Number One.  But whatever solution they go with is fine as long as the issue isn’t federalized.

November 4, 8:15 pm | [comment link]
3. Larry Morse wrote:

No different than the states’ role in marijuana. In spite of the opinion of some, even on this blog, a vice is a vice is a vice, and the state has every interest in avoiding its encouragement. Larry

November 5, 8:08 am | [comment link]
4. rugbyplayingpriest wrote:

Interestingly there is little in scripture about gambling. I think definitions are needed. Participating in a local raffle is quite different from losing most of your income through addiction

November 6, 4:02 am | [comment link]
5. Larry Morse wrote:

One need only go to a place like Foxwoods in Conn to watch the damage being done. To be sure, the state does not and should not have the power to force people to stop gambling. But it does have an interest in large scale commercial gambling because every other social evil gathers around the tables. Nothing is easier to get than a prostitute or any drug at all; the casino itself goes to great pains to control these evils, but the circumference is beyond their control - and everyone else’s too.  I assume that Atlantic Beach is much the same.
\    And now we are going to have a casino in Maine by a tiny margin in a referendum. Just what a poor state needs - another device to milk money from those who can least afford it. Larry

November 6, 6:10 pm | [comment link]
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