Politics And Gambling Essay

Gambling has been a problem ever since the first lotteries started. People often gamble just for the rush of betting their own money for a prize. Some people say that gambling is a bad thing and some said it’s a great thing but it has actually caused more problems than it has solved. People have lost their jobs and more money than anyone can count in casinos. Most people look at how crime is part of gambling and not how politics and the economics influence gambling.

The relation between politics and gambling receives considerable attention due to how they influence each other. If you look at California you can see the size and scale of political contributions. Some major ways that politics influence gambling is corruption, racketeering, and bribery. For a casino to be legalized it has to be given a gaming license. Before 1989, only one casino legalization effort was successful during 1970s and 1980s. In Missouri the house speaker broke the law by accepting funds from casino companies. . In Louisiana land based gambling was illegal but if it was on a river it was considered gaming so people started to build casinos on river boats. There was also a big scandal that dealt with influence-peddling in the video poker industry. This scandal led to the resignation or electoral defeat of several legislators (Dunstan).

Gambling doesn't just affect those you do it but it also has an effect on politics and on the economy. When gambling became legalized, the sport began to grow especially in the later part of the 20th century. Most of the growth in the industry comes from the state legislation as well as the relaxing some of the regulation that used to restrict gambling. Gambling is seen as some as a sin and within most religions it is con...

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...te fiscal stress. Nowhere is this more evident than in the U.S., as numerous states are in the process of or are currently considering legalizing casinos. A similar pattern can also be seen in countries across the globe. The purported economic benefits from casino gambling include tax revenues, increased employment, higher wages and payments to capital, and enhanced economic growth. These benefits, should they occur, are not necessarily without costs. For example, the casino industry may partially or entirely “cannibalize” other industries. In addition, a small percentage of gamblers may exhibit “problem gambling” behavior. Such people are believed to cause significant social costs. The analyses of these benefits and costs of gambling –the economics of gambling –is a young field of research, with only a handful of researchers actively researching the various issues.