Monday, October 18, 2004
Social Cost of Gambling
Higher Stakes: Legal Gambling Grows
But Communities Count the Social Cost
But Communities Count the Social Cost
HARRISBURG, Pennsylvania, JULY 17, 2004 (Zenit.org)
The social costs of allowing gambling were highlighted Feb. 24 in the Wall Street Journal...The town benefited from public works made possible by the revenues...The Journal noted that about a dozen state governments are hoping gambling revenues will solve their budget problems. At the time, 29 states already had casinos. The article observed that people gamble more when they live near a casino. In Nevada, for instance, 43.7% of the local residents make an average of 22.8 trips to a casino per year.
And more gambling trips lead to more bankruptcies. The Christian Science Monitor reported March 19 on a study that showed bankruptcy rates are twice as high in counties with gambling casinos than in those without.
The Monitor noted that the gambling industry denies responsibility for bankruptcy problems. Instead, the industry argues that gambling creates economic benefits for local communities. A study by researchers at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska, painted a mixed picture.
The researchers examined bankruptcy trends in counties, in 1990 and again in 1999. They found that business bankruptcies are 35% lower in counties with gambling facilities. But the rate of personal bankruptcy in localities with gambling was double that of the rate in areas without gambling.
Growing recognition of the problems that gambling brings is behind the rejection of many recent proposals, the Christian Science Monitor affirmed in an editorial June 23....
And more gambling trips lead to more bankruptcies. The Christian Science Monitor reported March 19 on a study that showed bankruptcy rates are twice as high in counties with gambling casinos than in those without.
The Monitor noted that the gambling industry denies responsibility for bankruptcy problems. Instead, the industry argues that gambling creates economic benefits for local communities. A study by researchers at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska, painted a mixed picture.
The researchers examined bankruptcy trends in counties, in 1990 and again in 1999. They found that business bankruptcies are 35% lower in counties with gambling facilities. But the rate of personal bankruptcy in localities with gambling was double that of the rate in areas without gambling.
Growing recognition of the problems that gambling brings is behind the rejection of many recent proposals, the Christian Science Monitor affirmed in an editorial June 23....
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