SCOPE:

More Americans than ever are gambling.  State run lotteries, casinos and other legal gambling operations took more than $63 billion from gamblers in 2001.  Billions more is being lost on the more than 1800 Internet gambling sites, which the Justice department says is illegal.  Supporters say legal gambling creates thousands of jobs and helps states raise money for education and other social issues.  Critics say the government should not be encouraging citizens to gamble.  Critics are also concerned that the easy accessibility of lotteries and other forms of "convenience gambling" will increase the number of pathological and problem gamblers. (CQ Researcher 2003). 

BACKGROUND INFORMATION:

The following sources will allow you to become more familiar with your topic, will give you ideas for narrowing your topic, and will serve as a starting point for your further research

SPEECH TABLE ITEMS
CQ Researcher  Issues
    Gambling in America 2003 p.201+
    Gambling Under Attack 1996 p.769+

Gambling: opposing viewpoints

Legalized Gambling/ contemporary issues companion

Legalized Gambling: a reference handbook/ contemporary world issues

Gambling/ current controversies

Gambling/ Information Aids

REFERENCE ITEMS
Encyclopedia of Gambling
REF HV6710 .S54 1990

Looking at casino chips and tokens : a guide to technical terms
REF NK4696.35.S58 1994 

Encyclopedia of Crime and Justice
REF HV 6017 .E52

DSM IV
REF RC 455.2 .C4 D54

DSM III Casebook
REF RC 455.2 .C4 A48

Encyclopedia of American Social History
REF HN 57 .E58

Encyclopedia of Social Issues
REF HN 57 .E59  

SUGGESTED TOPICS:

This topic is one which can be studied from a number of aspects and points of view. Some of these might be:

• Will greater access to gambling lead to increased compulsive gambling?

• Does Indian run gambling enjoy an unfair advantage over other gambling operations?
• Is compulsive gambling a disease?
• Would legalized betting undermine the honesty of college and pro team sports?
• Are American's attitudes towards gambling hypocritical?
• Are lotteries good for education?
• Why do people gamble? Why do people condemn gambling?
• Why does the gambling industry prefer the term gaming over gambling?
• Why has gambling not been a boon to those states where it has been legalized?
• Can gambling dollars resolve social problems or do they create new ones?
• Is the gambling industry's targeting of families unethical?
• Does gambling violate biblical principles?
• Is gambling legitimate entertainment?
• Should the government provide treatment for compulsive gamblers?
• Does gambling revitalize poor communities?
• Does gambling victimize the poor?
• Is a gambling backlash developing? If so, why?
• Does gambling add significant costs to the criminal justice system?
• Does gambling cause an increase in crime?
• Is gambling a "painless" revenue source?
• Do casinos help Native Americans thrive?
• Has organized crime infiltrated Indian casino gambling?
• Did gambling help finance the early growth of America?
• Should lotteries be allowed to advertise?
• Do lotteries encourage excessive gambling among women?
• Are lotteries marketed irresponsibly? Are the ads geared primarily to the elderly and poor and sell hopelessly unrealistic dreams?
• Is gambling bad for sports?
• Should gambling be allowed on commercial airlines?
• Should income obtained from gambling be taxed?
• Is the belief that a person can get something from nothing harmful to the nation's morality?
• Does gambling debase the value of community?
• Should gambling be allowed on the Internet? On interactive television?
• Does gambling depress legitimate business enterprises?
• Does gambling increase welfare costs?
• Does gambling corrupt government?
• Does gambling contradict social responsibilities by maximizing risks and undermining security?
• Does gambling revenue violate all sound theories of taxation?
• Does the tobacco industry have a legitimate claim that the government is allowing gambling to exist with little restrictions when it is also an addictive activity?
• Should a national commission be created to look at the social and economic effects of legalized gambling?
• Does gambling have a deleterious affect on young people?
• Do Americans have a love affair with gambling?
• Does gambling exploit the "pathology of hope" (George Will), particularly among the poor who have lost confidence in work as a means of upward mobility?
• Are compulsive gamblers at a higher risk of committing suicide?

LINCC and Ebook SUBJECT HEADINGS: