Gambling: Dangerous to Society?

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 “the inability