Gambling: dangerous to society? Essay

In a study performed by Kerby Anderson of Probe Ministries, a Christian organization that investigates hot topics in America today, he states that there are twelve million compulsive gamblers in the United States. Out of this twelve million, 96% began gambling before the age of 14. He also reported that the average compulsive gambler has debts exceeding $80,000. This means that for this class, if we all grow up to be compulsive gamblers, all but one of us will have started gambling by now, and we will all one day be in extreme debt. Today I will be informing you all how dangerous gambling can be. I will be talking about what good comes from gambling, the negative effects of gambling, and why gambling is a problem. In everything in life there is always some good. To gambling, there are some advantages that affect society economically. According to a study performed by the University of Minnesota, when casinos come into an area, property value around the casino will almost always increase. The casino also creates jobs so fewer people in the area are unemployed. The casino also attracts motels and restaurants that will come into the area. Most casinos are owned by Native American tribes. The casino will raise the income of individuals that belong to the Native American tribe. Along with these economic advantages there are also social advantages. People who work for the casino or the new places around the casino will often feel better about their employment. All people have problems in life. These people must always deal with the obstacles life puts in their way somehow. Some people might use the casino to get a break from these problems and pressures that life places in their way. The only problem with the good things in life is that they usually bring some bad things with them. To gambling, there are just as many, if not more, disadvantages that come with the advantages that it brings. Some of these are economic. Gambling has been proven to be addictive. When people have an addiction that calls for the need of money, they need to get this money one way or another. This leads to people going into debt or committing crimes such as fraud, embezzlement, and thefts. This causes for a need for more law enforcement. Another problem with casinos is that money begins to circulate within the casino system and it begins to cause problems. The money that circulates in the casino needs to be used to improve or keep up with roads and public facilities in that area. There are also social disadvantages to gambling. First off, gambling can become addictive. This causes people to lose a compulsive gambler’s trust and the compulsive gambler’s work to suffer. Gambling also causes families to break apart because they lose trust in each other. In fact, divorce rates are higher in families in which at least one of the adults is a compulsive gambler. People describe a compulsive gambler as many different things. A professor at the University of Minnesota defines compulsive gambling as â€Å"the inability of a person to resist the urge to gamble. It takes control of people, causing them to do and think things that are not what they personally value. A sure sign of addiction is the need to deceive both yourself and others by lying, denying, or covering up. † Compulsive gambling is often described as the purest form of addiction. It is known as this because other addictions such as drug or alcohol addiction involve some sort of chemical, but compulsive gambling is purely psychological. There are ways to stop the problem of compulsive gambling. One way is to completely ban gambling. This is probably not the best solution for the people who do not abuse their right to gambling. Another way is to strictly limit the amount of money one can use by gambling and limit the amount of times a person can gamble each month. This is a good solution because people can gamble, but they can use their right in a safe way. You now know how dangerous gambling can be to society and what comes along with gambling. We have discussed what good comes from gambling, the negative effects of gambling, and why we should keep gambling out of society. I want to leave you with a story about a guy named John. He and his wife found out that their son was in trouble as a result of gambling. They bailed him out of jail for the price of $3,400. That was seven years ago. Since then, John has bailed him out of jail many times. His son has lost three jobs and his wife divorced him. His two small daughters often cry because he would rather spend time at the casino than spend time with them. Works Cited ?Gambling: A Challenge for Youth 1992, Shirley J. Anderson, Roselyn A. Biermaier and Sandra K. Syverson ?Gambling 2002, Kerby Anderson, Probe Ministries ?Is Pathological Gambling Really a Problem? You Bet! 2001, Brian Castellani