Argumentative Essay On Gambling

As individuals, we are responsible for ourselves, including the decisions we make. However, with the temptations of making “easy money” and the dreams of hitting that million-dollar jackpot, these decisions make it hard for individuals to resist, which traps them into making poor decisions. With today’s economy, individuals are susceptible to mounting pressures from finances, work and a fast paced lifestyle. Even though these are everyday factors in our lives, they contribute to our stress level. Many times it is drugs or alcohol that individuals turn to, but there is also another very addicting behavior that many people turn to, gambling. There has been a rise in pathological gambling in the past 10 years and it is only increasing. With this fact, gambling is only banned in two states in the whole United States of America. What are the problems associated with pathological gambling and is the government and casinos acting ethically by propagating such an addicting act?

Gambling is an addiction that draws the attention of many individuals. Gambling offers individuals the idea that if they put more money down, they will win more money. This is a continuous cycle which never fails to stop but can be extremely detrimental to an individual and their families socially, financially and mentally. Gambling problems develop and worsen over time, similar to alcohol and other drugs. According to Dunstan (1997), there are five stages of gambling. The stages of gambling range from mild to severe, which can be a threat to both the gambler and their family. The five stages of gambling are non-gamblers, casual/social gamblers, at risk gamblers, problem gamblers and pathological gamblers. Depending on the individual and how mild or severe their p...

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...bling, they are all are ok in limit until they are reached to the level of addiction. By supporting the casinos and state lotteries, I don’t believe the government is supporting pathological gambling, but instead they are supporting the entertainment that people have the choice to experience. The government provides enough services to people so that they don’t reach that pathological stage of gaming or at least provides enough support to help get out of that horrid stage.

This debate is an ongoing one by many people from both views of the spectrum, such as those who have been trapped by such an addiction and believe that there are other ways for entertainment and revenue for the government, or other individuals who believe that we have the choice to experience what we want and this type of entertainment is the same as spending money on alcohol or at the movies.