(Kyl, 2003).
The involvement that some users get with online gambling can lead to obsessive behavior and an eventual disregard or inattention to the workplace or family which could lead to domestic stress when things start to go bad, or one experiences fraud and deceit and looses a big chunk of money. It could lead to further loans and debts, financially and economically stressful situations for not only the user but his wife, kids, friends, etc. (McMillen, & Grabosky, 1998).
As a whole, the society gets influenced negatively with the increase in unemployment rates and money crimes like bank robberies out of desperation to repay debt, bankrupt citizens. Estimates show that about 1/3-1/4 of gamblers being treated in the Gamblers Anonymous survey have experienced a high unemployment phase along with another survey that showed an estimate of 28% out of the 60 suffering and struggling gamblers who had experienced bankruptcy or were in heavy debts within a whopping range of $75,000 to $150,000 (National Research Council, 1999; Kyl, 2003).
The round offs for the social loss when looking at the approximate expenses of gambling rehab management, unemployment reimbursements, deprived corporeal and cerebral health, welfare remunerations and work loss amount to $1,200 per "pathological gambler" and $715 per "problem gambler" annually as shown by a survey done by the National Opinion Research Center (NORC). In the same survey the estimates show rounded off figures of $10,550 for every pathological gambler, and $5,130 for every problem gambler when dealing with the enduring expenses of gambling like liquidation, captures, captivity, lawful separation expenditures, etc.; the total of all these factors amounted to an approximated annual value of $5 billion per year, with a supplementary $40 billion for the lifetime costs (National Research Council, 1999; Kyl, 2003).
Arguments in Favor of Legalizing Online Gambling
Herrmann in his book thoroughly assesses the political context of online gambling. While discussing the politics behind the online lottery and casinos, he highlights that by the end of the Great Depression, any and every form of legalized gambling was restricted within a few namely states, eight to be exact, Nevada being the only one having legal casinos and seven others that had the pari-mutuel betting on the horse racing venues as a legal part of the games. He also acknowledged the increase in this number at the advent of the 21st century when Utah, Hawaii and Tennessee were the only states within the United States that did not permit any form of gambling activities. (Herrmann, 2002)
The U.S. government, since the breakout of Internet gambling in 1995 has tried to restrict the activity from growing through imposition of laws and regulations on the gambling bodies, however, after a decade of its birth, most of these efforts have been in vain as internet gambling spreads farther into the world with a growing acceptance and liking of the concept (Prystash, (http://acacia.org.ohio-state.edu/documents/601Paper-JohnPrystash.doc).
A survey conducted as the outcome of the sudden increase in demand and social acceptance confirmed the fact that internet gambling had won over the nations of the world within a span of few years as the stats proved that only a range between 9 (lowest) -20 (highest) % people responded to online gambling as a negative force in the community. When the acceptance and demand of a product is at such high rates, it is only natural and obligatory to fulfill procedures that supply the merchandise and handle the market accordingly (Herrmann, 2002).
The main question is not whether gambling should be legalized or not, even though it comes across as the most imposing and important one, but the real peril lies here: how much should the government intervene with the regulations and how much should be left for the agencies to handle? All forms of gambling are as widespread as online gambling if not more. (Herrmann, 2002)
Most people against the concept of online gambling don't consider how the other means of gambling via phone or otherwise have dropped in considerable ratios; they concentrate on the lawful and legislative negatives without looking at the positive impacts. They do not understand that the extensive nature of the concept cripples it off any juridical restrictions that can be placed by the U.S. government or otherwise (J. Goldstein, 1997; Keller, 1999).
So the real puzzler here is whether the government and legislative bodies actually intervene to promote or restrict the activity or whether the growth of the activity has been a direct result of the government stepping in and trying to control...
Online Casinos Internet gambling is now the fastest-growing sector of the gaming industry, so much so that in the year 2000, it grew by 79%, compared to a 6.01% overall growth rate in the United States (Helping pp). Mark Waters of GamblingSoftware.com, says, "Internet gambling is now bigger than gambling on Indian reservation, charitable bingo, legal bookmaking, and gambling on cruise ships" (Helping pp). The main reason for online gambling popularity
As such the stigma that once existed concerning gambling no longer exists. People are therefore more likely to engage in gambling activities and more likely to develop an addiction to gambling. The author further explains that even though there are still social conflicts concerning the implementation and expansion of certain types of gambling such as, video lottery, terminals gambling has become a largely accepted practice (Cosgrave (2010). In addition,
Cyber gamblers might feel less threatened since the context entitles them to hide their identity; thus, the individual feel less responsible for his or her actions. Note also that in the workplace, gambling does not raise much commotion as that of pornography. More so, if it does not seem to interrupt the employee's performance. But the problem may still be in the premature stage with its long-term effects yet
) (2003,p. A20). Vatz notes that those who gamble too much and suffer as a result have freely made that choice as "No force extrinsic to willpower forces people to gamble" (2003, p. A20). Opponents also use the argument that African-Americans suffer "alleged disproportionate financial devastation" (Vatz and Weinberg, 2003) when organized gambling is legalized. They also, however, cite research that notes that "blacks actually are less likely to gamble than
In addition to creating jobs, casinos on reservations provided the American Indian community with various social services and strengthened their social bonds (Momper 142; Cornell et al., 1998). While it is true that gambling addiction has increased among American Indian residents as a result of building casinos, in many instances improvements in standards of living took many of them out of poverty, decreasing the rate of behavioral problems and
Legalization of Gambling and the Effects of Society Though the federal law does not criminalize gambling, there are heavy restrictions particularly on the interstate and online gambling. Each state in the U.S.A. has the mandate and freedom to prohibit, or allow and regulate gambling within the confines of its own borders. The casino-style of gambling is seen to be minimal in terms of is spread across the U.S. with only Louisiana
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