If you are a betting man (or woman), America is the place for you. From megalopolis gambling cities like Las Vegas and Atlantic City to Native American-owned casinos, Americans love to gamble and casinos love making money off of that compulsion. Legalized gambling also exists in the form of myriad state lotteries designed to provide a few residents with winnings and the state government with the lion’s share of the profits. Add to this keno boards, sports betting, BINGO, and a host of other small-time gambling opportunities and operations, and it becomes obvious that Americans are a society that love to gamble. So, too, the advent of online electronic legalized gambling makes it possible for people to gamble 24 hours-a-day, 7 days-a-week from the convenience of their own homes. Unfortunately, for some people this love for, availability of, and easy access to gambling becomes a compulsion and addiction, often with disastrous economic and emotional consequences. According to experts “15 million adults are at risk for problem gambling” (How To 16). Of course, for casinos and casino management, these trends are positive. According to an article in a November, 2000, article “Legal betting is now a $30 billion nationwide business” (Stoil 35). This analysis will discuss the changes in morality that have enabled gambling to evolve from a concept viewed as an immoral activity mainly associated with organized crime to a civic responsibility in contemporary times. Also discussed will be the compulsive gambler, signs associated with compulsive gambling, and possible treatment methods. A conclusion will discuss the growing popularity of legal gambling in American culture.
The ubiquitous nature of legalized gambling in American culture is in large part attributable to a shift in mentality among Americans when it comes to gambling. Historically in American culture gambling was viewed as an immoral enterprise, the stuff of ...