gambling
...as a leisure activity just like going to the movies, restaurant or concert. Organizations such as the National Research Council and Harvard Medical School’s division on addictions, agree that about 1 percent of gamblers are addicted. “A far cry from the numbers alleged by the opponents of gambling.”(Legalized 2) That 1 percent can be further researched and addressed but the other 99 percent of gamblers who view it as a social activity shouldn’t suffer. The popularity of gambling over the past few years continues to increase. A 2000 survey conducted by national pollsters Peter Hart and Frank Luntz showed “one of two Americans played the lottery and more than a third gambled in a casino in the past year. The same survey found that more than 94 percent view casino gambling as a social activity, while 75 percent believe casino gambling can be a fun night out” (Responsible 1) The “World Series of Poker” nationally televised on ESPN, drew record breaking ratings and had a grand prize of 5 million dollars compared to the 3 million of the previous year. Next years tournament expects to draw over a 10 million dollar first place prize. Another popular way to try and shut down legalized gambling is the idea of crime rates increasing in areas where casinos are located. This idea can be put to rest by again referring to studies and researches done by credited organizations. The Centers for Disease Control conducted a study that proved suicide rates were accommodated to a certain area and do not reflect the availability of a casino. (Legalized) Not to mention the fact that one of the biggest gambling cities, Atlantic City, is located in New Jersey, which holds the lowest suicide rate in the country. (Chapman 1) But suicides are not the only crimes not affected by legalized gambling. The Federal Commission found no link between crimes in general stating “The casino effect is not statistically significant for any of the crime outcome measures.” (Legalized 3) Now that the so-called negative aspects of legalized gambling are addressed, the advantages become clear. Many economically depressed cities are in search of something that will help boost the overall economy of the area. The answer to what they are looking for is the casinos. For example a city called Deadwood, located in South Dakota began to open legalized gambling casinos in 1989. The affect of the gaming was large and in the first 8 months, 145.4 million was wagered. (Ackerman 2) During the first 6 years taxes and fees of 43.4 million were raised and the community has received over half of the money to put towards the preservation of the historical sites in the area. Other places that benefited include the state of South Dakota receiving over 15 million for things such as the State Tourism Promotion Fund, and operating expenses.100 million has been used for the preservation of historical sites in other parts of South Dakota as well. (Ackerman 2) Another...