Forty-eight states now permit legalized gambling in some form, thirty-seven states run lotteries, forty-seven allow bingo houses, and more than a dozen states permit betting on dog races. American gamblers wager over $300 billion yearly in legal gambling. Although many Americans enjoy gambling and see it as harmless recreation and a fairly painless way to generate revenue without levying direct taxes, many social conservatives see gambling as a socially destructive temptation that ought not to be indulged by private citizens, much less sponsored by government. Recently, economic pressures resulting from less federal revenue and Americans’ growing aversion to tax increases have led many state governments to liberalize gambling laws or sponsor gambling, sparking a lively debate.
Legalized Gambling contains twenty articles focusing on different aspects of gambling policy by experts in the fields of public policy, law, psychiatry, rhetoric, religion, economics, and politics. The contributors address all areas of the debate, including the following: – What moral issues are at the center of the debate? – What are the true economic costs and benefits of legalized gambling? How are they often hidden or misconstrued in order to support either prohibition or legalization? – How has the history of gambling in America shaped our current policies? – Is governmental regulation an invasion of personal privacy? – What are the legitimate uses of laws? – Is pathological gambling a justifiable medical diagnosis? – Do gambling establishments run by Native Americans deserve special consideration or regulation?
(In a lottery) … the tax is laid on the willing only, that is to say, on those who can risk the price of a ticket without sensible injury for the possibility of a higher prize . – Thomas Jefferson
